Alive (1993)

Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the snow swept Andes are forced to use desperate measures to survive after a plane crash.

Director:

Frank Marshall

Writers:

Piers Paul Read (book), John Patrick Shanley (screenplay)

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Nando Parrado
Vincent Spano	...	Antonio Balbi
Josh Hamilton	...	Roberto Canessa
Bruce Ramsay	...	Carlitos Páez
John Newton	...	Antonio 'Tintín' Vizintín (as John Haymes Newton)
David Kriegel	...	Gustavo Zerbino
Kevin Breznahan	...	Roy Harley
Sam Behrens	...	Javier Methol
Illeana Douglas	...	Lilliana Methol
Jack Noseworthy	...	Bobby François
Christian J. Meoli	...	Federico Aranda
Jake Carpenter	...	Alberto Artuna
Michael DeLorenzo	...	Rafael Cano (as Michael De Lorenzo)
José Zúñiga	...	Fraga, the Mechanic
Danny Nucci	...	Hugo Díaz

Storyline

The amazing, true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's plane that crashed in the middle of the Andes mountains, and their immense will to survive and pull through alive, forced to do anything and everything they could to stay alive on meager rations and through the freezing cold. The only thing the team has riding on after losing so many of their good friends and family members is the slim chance of making it through alive and their faithfulness to God.

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Plot Keywords:

rugby team | rugby | snow | stranded | andes mountains | 

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Taglines:

They were ordinary young men driven to the very limits of human endurance.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | Sport | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crash scenes too intense for unaccompanied children

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alive: The Miracle of the Andes

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$36,733,909 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Andes S.A., Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Frank Marshall auditioned novice actor Brad Pitt for the Roberto Canessa part, but Pitt's reading was poor, and the part went to Josh Hamilton instead.

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Goofs

The story takes place in the southern hemisphere. However, the sun orientation suggests that they are in the northern hemisphere. Based on what is being described as East and West in the movie, the sun should be slightly to the north during the day, but it's slightly to the south.

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Quotes

Narrator: After 20 years, you analyze a lot. You remember people, heroism. "The Miracle of the Andes", that's what they called it. Many people come up to me and say that had they been there, they surely would have died. But it makes no sense, because until you're in a... situation like that... you... you have no idea... how you'd behave. To be affronted by solitude without decadence or a... single material thing to prostitute it elevates you to a sprititual plane, where I felt the presence of God. Now, ...

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Connections

Referenced in Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Ave Maria"
Composed by Franz Schubert
Arranged by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
Performed by Aaron Neville
Courtesy of A&M Records, INC.

User Reviews

Very believable

"Alive" is the kind of movie that you wouldn't believe if you didn't know in advance that it was based on true events. If you didn't know better, you would say it was all made up by some scenarist with too much of inspiration, looking for a spectacular and sometimes shocking script. But unfortunately enough it all really happened, which makes the movie interesting to watch.

For those who don't know the story yet, it is based on what happened to the Uruguayan rugby team during and after their plane crash in the middle of the Andes mountains in 1972. Some of them survive the initial crash, some wounded, others only with some minor scratches. They pray that they will soon be found, but no search team is coming to rescue them. At first they keep themselves alive by eating what they find in the luggage of the passengers, but soon that food is also gone. If they don't eat, they will all die. And they need to gain strength, because they need to try to get help themselves. There is only one horrible solution: they will have to eat the dead people...

Despite the fact that this may sound horrible to many, I must say that it isn't as bad as you may think. Of course you'll see them cut a piece out of the bodies and eat it, but it is done in a watchable way. I'm sure that only the very faint of heart will not be able to watch it. It's a part of the story, but it is never shown in a too spectacular or sensational way.

All in all this is a very interesting movie. I asked myself several times: 'What would you do if you were in that situation? Would you eat it or not?' I'm not sure, but I guess I would, but that's not why I tell you this. Just the fact that I was able to think about it in this way shows that it wasn't too bloody or with too much gore (I really don't like that). That's why I reward this movie with a 7.5/10.