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:

survival | andes mountains | crash | stranded | starvation | 

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Taglines:

They survived the impossible...by doing the unthinkable.

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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

Details

Country:

USA Canada

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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,624,292, 17 January 1993, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$36,733,909

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

A script for this story was kicking around Hollywood from 1981. The subject matter (cannibalism) and a schlocky Mexican adaptation Survive! (1976) (Survive!) were the two main factors for keeping it off the screen until 1993.

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Goofs

The real life counterpart of Federico Aranda (Rafael Echavarren) died on the 37th day. In the movie, he is seen alive until the 50th day.

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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: Red Zone Cuba (1994)

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Soundtracks

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David
Performed by Dionne Warwick
Courtesy of Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Truly stunning tale of courage and human ingenuity

Frank Marshall's "Alive" is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, a tale of great courage and human ingenuity.

Although the story was filmed previously (and cheaply) by Rene Cardona as "Survive", this retelling is superior in every department and resonates with me years after I first saw it at the cinema.

James Newton Howard's score is truly beautiful and incredibly powerful for its ability to convey both the hopelessness of the situation (trying to survive in the Andes) and the awesome wonder of such a savage land. In fact, the score takes the film from very good to great.

The rendering of Schubert's "Ave Maria" over the rousing climax, with its superbly lensed images by Peter Levy, is one of cinema's most emotional, transporting moments.

Stunning!