The true-life adventure of a Uruguayan team of rugby players who survive a plane crash in the desolate Andes Mountains in 1972. For 10 weeks they struggled against impossible odds and freezing temperatures to stay alive. See also the documentary ALIVE: 20 YEARS LATER.

In October 1972, a plane chartered by the Uruguayan rugby team crashed in to the snow-covered Andes. Many passengers were killed on contact, but several people survived. They only had rations for a short time. When they learned through their transistor radio that the search effort for their plane had been aborted, two team members tried to cross the Andes in search of civilization. A young medical student warned them that if they wanted to survive until help arrived they must eat the flesh of their dead compatriots. When the trekkers who succeeded in reaching Chile returned with help some time later, 16 had been kept alive through cannibalism, and 29 had died from the accident, the avalanche, and the cruelty of the weather.

"Alive" is the second film adaptation of this true story. The first was the 1976 "Survive!" (originally: "Los Supervivientes de los Andes").

The narrator, a survivor who tells the story 20 years after, was played by the uncredited John Malkovich.

Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification.

Available to buy in the UK.

The laserdisc version (#7819CS) includes the documentary "Alive: 20 Years Later"

The CLV/CAV laserdisc version puts Side 1 in the CAV format to feature the plane crash at Chapter 3. This newly remastered and letterboxed disc also includes the 51 minute documentary "Alive: 20 Years Later." The documentary, which is not letterboxed, is narrated by Martin Sheen.

Excerpt: "It's like communion - from their death, we live." --A Survivor in "Alive"

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
TBD
Additional Release Material:
TBD
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus

Distributor Notes: Alive: 30th Anniversary Edition

Witness ALIVE, the thrilling true-life adventure of challenge and survival! In this action-packed hit, a team of tough rugby players survive a plane crash deep in the desolate, snow-covered Andes. Stranded there, they must overcome incredible odds to stay alive! See for yourself the unforgettable story of ordinary young men who find courage in the face of disaster and test the very limits of human endurance! It's an astonishing death-defying triumph that will both entertain ... and inspire you!

Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Ethan Hawke: American actor, REALITY BITES, TRAINING DAY
Vincent Spano: American Actor
Josh Hamilton: American actor, KICKING AND SCREAMING (1995)
Jack Noseworthy: Actor/"S.F.W."

Frank Marshall: American producer

"...Well-crafted....One has to admire the [performances] Marshall elicits from his largely unknown cast..."
"...A remarkable true-life adventure that taps dark emotions....ALIVE draws considerable power from staying more human than heroic..."
"...It features one of the scariest plane crashes of all time..."
"...The location photography is impressive, the scenery is awesome, the re-enactment of the air crash is terrifying and uses convincing special effects..."