Desertman84 Piers Paul Read wrote a book about survival entitled Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors that was adapted into film known simply as "Alive". It stars Ethan Hawke,Vincent Spano and Josh Hamilton.It tells the story of the Uruguayan Rugby National Team that were involved on a plan crash into the Andes mountains back in 1972. The screenplay provides us how the members of the team struggled to survive into the different horrendous conditions they have to face which included cannibalism or eating human flesh of those who have died which the film was controversially known for and being spoofed at by comedy shows.Personally,I think that the determination of the Uruguayans to stay alive is what made this film remain memorable to this day although the cannibalism involved in it would always be at discussion.Aside from that,the Catholic Marian prayers that these survivors recited to show their faith would also made Catholics all over the world proud.This shows how much dependable the Blessed Virgin Mary has been in aiding them during their 12-day journey to survive in the Andes mountains.Overall,it was one film that would provide inspiration to millions of people around the world.

SnoopyStyle It's 1972. A plane chartered by a South American rugby team with family and friends crashes in the snow bound Andes on their way to a game in Chile. The survivors struggle to live and forced to do the unthinking to survive. It's based on the biographical book of the Uruguayan rugby team that crashed in the Andes. It has a couple of recognizable faces like Ethan Hawke but they are mostly lesser known actors. It's a harrowing story that is tactfully told. There are a few noticeably white actors but the elite of the society sometimes tend towards being white. This is a riveting tale of survival with compelling performances.

Scarecrow-88 Phew, what a powerhouse example of the courage and bravery that comes in surviving the roughest of elements. Watching those around you die to avalanche, the loss of the human spirit, health deterioration, gangrene, and hunger, trying to maintain your resolve and hold onto faith, and eventually summoning the guts to brave the great white unknown of the mountains and snowy terrain in the hopes of finding rescue, all could make or break the best of us. "Alive" made some notoriety in its cannibal scenes where those still alive needed to eat from those that died during the crash (and afterward), but to simply identify that to the film alone doesn't do it justice. This film pulls no punches in showing that surviving isn't easy, and the arduous journey to a rescue comes with great sacrifice, a strong will to live, and making difficult decisions that few would ever wish to be burdened with. The "desperate times call for desperate measures" phrase certainly applies to the harrowing travail that all the survivors are up against. Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, and Josh Hamilton lead a strong cast of relative unknowns who all lend gravitas to their roles as struggling members of the rugby team praying to God at night and holding on to what little hope still exists after 60 + days out in the cold, enduring a blizzard, no food besides the dead they have to feed from, and dwindling morale (not to mention, the cold's physical effects on their bodies). Hawke's young man stepping up as a leader when few still have the ability to do so is a great part for him considering his age at the time (really consider what kind of career this man has had; he is a fine actor with a nice resume under his belt), while Hamilton's unsure but vocal character see-sawing about leaving to find that green valley of Chili somewhere over the mountains is another solid character within the film. What I think this film does well is establishing strong characterizations, allowing us to get to know these innocent people fated within an unfortunate situation, who had plans for the future, enduring and often losing to the tragic nature of the unavoidable harshness of inclement weather and freezing environment that befalls them. A riveting, frighteningly realistic and quite incredible true story that is at times really hard to watch and all the while always gripping.

g-bodyl Alive is an emotional harrowing film based off the real-life event of the fatal plane crash in the Andes Mountains which stranded sixteen survivors for 72 days. This film may have some issues (mainly involving editing and a little script issue), but there is no denying the personal affection we feel for the characters as they struggle to survive. For a 1993 film, this film has some good special effects as the plane crash was very convincing.Frank Marshall's film is about the fore-mentioned crash in the Andes and it talks about how these men survived in the harsh winter environment with nothing but chocolate and wine. Later on, the film goes on to mention the last resort effort in cannibalism to stay alive, which is really hard to watch even though this is what saved their lives.For a film that doesn't have a big-name cast, the acting was really good and they all added depth to their characters. The only familiar names are Ethan Hawke and Vincent Spano. I really valued Hawke's character, Nando because of his bravery as he went out to find civilization.Overall, Alive is a movie that does the unthinkable and effectively tells an unfilmable event into a harrowing, emotional story. This film has one of the best endings you'll ever see in film, and it will be difficult to hold back the tears while Aaron Neville's "Ave Maria," is performing. This film has great characterization and it's as if we went through the terrible ordeal with them. I rate this film 9/10.