Alive (1993)

The incredible true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose aeroplane crashed into the Andes on their way to Chile, forcing them to survive by eating the flesh of the dead before mounting a incredible expedition over the mountains, was always crying out for the Hollywood treatment, and it was mainly for the story that I was interested in watching this film. Unfortunately, 'Alive' appears so concerned with telling the story that we are never treated to a more personal experience, and never really feel involved in the struggles of the survivors.

The cannibalistic nature of the story was widely reported, and viewed as controversial at the time, and as a result director Frank Marshall (extremely successful as a producer, including the Indiana Jones films) tries hard not to let this detail take over the entire narrative. We begin with very little context, simply joining the team and a few other unlucky passengers on the plane, shortly before the malfunction caused by poor weather. Suddenly the plane falls apart, with startling simplicity, chairs peeling off one by one and disappearing towards the snow below. From that point onwards we follow the team's continuous highs and lows living inside the fusillage, from sunbathing and finishing off the last of their chocolate whilst they believe a rescue is imminent, to listing the dead as they drop off, one by one, exaggerated further by an avalanche that destroys their hopes.

Due to the large group, we are left with a fairly general perspective on events, meaning that potentially traumatic events, such as watching a close friend die or eating the remains of a fellow passenger, are glossed over somewhat as a necessary element of survival, rather than a life-changing moment of emotion. If, however, they had not made the difficult decision to resort to cannibalism they would surely have been doomed, and therefore we can only assume it had to be a quick and easy decision. Personally, I would have preferred an insight into the pysche of these young men (the youngest was 17!), perhaps focusing on one or two individuals, to truly understand the horror and ultimate triumph of their experience. This lack of indentification on an indivdual level means we are often unsure of who has just died and their relationship to the others, making it harder to empathise with their emotional pain. God plays avery large part in teh film, with almost all of the survivors being Roman Catholic, and this presents an interesting theme, and the idea that cannibalism be viewed as a form of Holy Communion, but unfortunately, even this isn't dwelled on for too long.

Eventually we move to the most remarkable element of this story - when two men (played by Ethan Hawke and Vincent Spano) breach the Andes on foot to reach civilization and find help. Unfortunately the film fast-forwards over this period to the emotional rescue, leaving the audience without the true moent of heroism. This is giving nothing away, as the story is already known, and this perhaps steals away from the tension. In fact, the film can never seem as incredible as the real story. Just as the epic climb of the two heroes is cut short, the cannibalism is made easy to watch as the younsters eat the flesh with only a little discomfort - whereas in reality they vomited. Also, Hollywood's need for action and momentum within the film ensures we can not truly understand the obvious boredom and triviality of their day-to-day lives. A much slower and meditative film would have been far more absorbing and involving.

On my video, the subsequent documentary is far more interesting, examining the rehabilitation of the survivors into society and their uncomfortable celebrity. Whilst some have become successful businessmen, others have struggled with drink and drugs problems. They have stayed intact, however, living within the same community, and on the periphery of the Uruguayan people's conscience. Interestingly, all of them, with the exception of one, seem to be quite at ease with their experiences and perhaps maintain their image as heroes (one has a beauty queen wife, another is running for the presidency of Uruguay!) . Also, the fact that we are presented with the real people is far more powerful than the group of young American actors from teh film, who needless to say make fairly unconvincing rugby players and Uruguayans.

It's very hard to judge this film, as we can never really no how the men felt on top of that freezing mountain. There never seems quite enough drama and tragedy, but perhaps they did not have time for this, focusing only on what had to be done. Several suvivors acted as technical consultants, so I can only assume that the facts of the film were close to reality. One area where the film fails, however, is to convey the scale of this ordeal. By focusing only on the more active elements of the story it's hard to realise that the group were living on the mountain for 72 days! We are never witness to the obvious boredom and triviality of their day-to-day lives, whilst a much slower and meditative film may have been far more absorbing and involving, as well as making the story seem even more incredible.

All in all, I was left feeling that this film was not entirely about the human instinct for survival, nor the relationships between those trying to survive. Instead it was simply a remarkable story, and nothing much more. If you're searching for a good Andes/mountain/climbing survival story, look to Kevin MacDonald's dramatised documentary, 'Touching the Void', which is far more absorbing and tense.