MovieChat Forums > Alive (1993) Discussion > Good movie..but could have been better..

Good movie..but could have been better..

posted 14 years ago by rum2550
5 replies | jump to latest

I downloaded and watched "Alive" due to the enthusiasm I developed after reading the article in Wikipedia about the true incident it based on. "Alive" was a good movie based on true events.It had good pace, good cast and good character playing.However, may be due to fact that I knew real story before seeing this movie I felt this movie was quite incomplete. Though the length of the movie could be a crucial factor, I guess it would have been a better and more complete movie if some details of the following is added.
1.Life of survived rugby team members before their fateful trip.At least few scenes about the way they get into this trip.
2.Attempts of family members of survivors to rescue them.
3.Nando and Cannessa making contact with horsemen by the river bank. This in fact is a fascinating moment in the true incident which has been omitted in the movie.I was so eager to watch this part and got disappointed to see that it is not mentioned in the movie at all.
4.Rest of the survivors getting to know through their radio that Nando and Cannessa had made contact with villagers and the rescue team is on the way. In the movie, this part has been altered and my guess is that the original fact could have been a better climax.
5.Reunion of survivors with their family and friends.

[–] wallacesawyer 14 years ago

Think the Spanish film SURVIVE (1976) had some of that.

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[–] Fleurus 9 years ago

All of this is in the book.

[–] palisade-1 9 years ago

You will enjoy the documentary Stranded which covers a lot of those things. If you can, get the DVD with the bonus features, which add a lot to the story. You may be able to get it from your public library, but it's worth purchasing.

This is one version but I believe (I could be wrong) that PBS has a dubbed-in-English version for sale. I have the original European version with French and German audio, but not English.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v14251735gKkZH95f?h1=Stranded!+The+Andes+Plane+Crash+Survivors

And on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stranded-Jose-Algorta/dp/B001P9G3F6

The extra features are excellent. Here's the NY Times review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/movies/22stra.html

Ditto, you will like the History Channel documentary, "I am Alive," based on Nando Parrado's book, Miracle in the Andes (Worth a read -- very moving and well-written). It too has wonderful extras!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS-30JuTW2I

So, for that matter, does the DVD for Alive. There's a feature called "Alive: After 20 Years " that tells more about the survivors' lives.

Edited to add link

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

1 and 2 are unnecessary, especially 2. The story is told from the survivors' point of view. There is no need to show anything about their families.

3. Again. Not necessary.

4. No. Hearing a rescue is on the way is not a better climax than seeing a helicopter coming up over the mountain.

5. Maybe.

Can't stop the signal.

[–] rum2550 9 years ago

It's been almost 5 years since I did the OP. I was able to watch history channel documentary "I am alive" in the meantime. My opinion now is this movie is pathetic. Documentary was more dramatic and thrilling. However,glad to hear that you've enjoyed it anyway.