Alive (1993)
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After a plane crash in the Andes, a group of rugby players must endure extreme conditions and make harrowing choices to survive.
The story
Following the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes mountains in 1972, a group of rugby players and their companions find themselves stranded in a desolate, frozen landscape. The survivors, including the team's captain and several medical students, must coordinate efforts to provide medical care and basic necessities to those injured in the crash. As the initial shock wears off and the reality of their isolation sets in, the group faces a desperate struggle against the elements and dwindling supplies. They must navigate the physical and psychological toll of survival in a remote mountain range while waiting for a rescue that remains uncertain.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After their plane crashes in the Andes, the survivors of Flight 571 face a brutal winter. They initially survive on small amounts of food, but after the search for them is called off, they face a moral crisis and decide to consume the flesh of the deceased to survive. Several survivors are killed by an avalanche, and the remaining group is split into teams to find the plane's tail and radio. Eventually, a small group treks through the mountains to find help. They are eventually spotted by rescue helicopters, and the remaining survivors are evacuated. The film concludes with a memorial to the 29 who died and 16 who survived.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Marshall
- Writers
- John Patrick Shanley · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Ethan Hawke · Nando; Josh Hamilton; Vincent Spano; Bruce Ramsay; John Haymes Newton; Illeana Douglas; Danny Nucci
- Genres
- survival drama; biographical drama; disaster; docudrama
- Themes
- survival; sacrifice; human spirit; faith
- Tone and mood
- tense; somber; heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- based on true story; survival; aviation accident; cannibalism
- Source material / true-story basis
- Piers Paul Read's 1974 book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
- Content notes
- cannibalism
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and grossed $82.5 million on a $32 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Production trivia
- The film is the second feature film about the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains in 1972.; One of the survivors, Nando Parrado, served as the technical advisor for the film.; The film was shot in the Purcell Mountains in British Columbia.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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