Alive (1993)

A 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

In 1972, the Uruguayan rugby team is flying to Chile to play a game. However, the plane from the Uruguayan Air Force with 45 people crashes on the Andes Mountains and after the search party, they are considered dead. Two months after the crash, the sixteen survivors are finally rescued. Along the days, the starved survivors decide to eat flesh from the bodies of their comrades to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | survival | andes mountains | crash | stranded | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crash scenes too intense for unaccompanied children

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actual name of the incident is Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, occurring from 13 October, 1972 through 23 December, 1972, the aircraft was a Fairchild FH-227D Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya which settled at 11,719 feet, a few miles from Chile in the Andes mountain range, Malargüe Department, Mendoza Province, Argentina. The flight originated with forty passengers and five crew, with 29 out of the 45 surviving.

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Goofs

In the movie, Nando Parrado gives one of the little red shoes, purchased by his mother for her grandchild, to Eduardo Strauch. In real life, he gave the shoe to Carlitos Páez.

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Quotes

Nando: I'm proud to be a man on a day like this.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

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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

Not like everyone else sees it

I first saw the film "Alive" on video. I really wish I had seen it in the theater as it was probably one of the better films to come out around that time. I thought it was well shot, well acted and the fact that the real survivors were on hand as technical advisors showed me that the film was as accurate as it could be. One of the frustrations Ive come across in discussing this film is when you mention it to someone, and their immediate response is "isn't that the movie where they all eat each other?"...obviously, these people latched on to one small part of the story, and feel it is the basis for the entire movie. I found "Alive" to be more of an uplifting story. Sure, there's cannibalism involved, but in the 2 hours the film takes, cannibalism is focused on for approximately 10-15 minutes. I, instead, found myself moved by the determination of these young boys to survive. The plane crash, the avalanche, starvation, illness...all insurmountable odds stacking themselves against them, and they STILL found the strength to preserve their own lives. Alive as a movie about cannibalism? No. It is an example of the human spirit, and (I use the term again) an uplifting film with many touching moments. In closing, I borrow a line from the film..."If I die, you can eat me". :-)

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alive

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,624,292, 18 January 1993

Gross USA:

$36,733,909

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,733,909

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 127 min (30th Anniversary Edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1