Ethan Hawke Movie:

Editorial Review:
In 1972 a chartered plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby squad and various family members crashed in the Andes. If that sounds dry and matter-of-fact, you haven't seen director Frank Marshall's harrowing re-creation Alive, an adrenaline-pounding, heart-in-your-mouth spectacle that kicks off this famous story of survival. The real-life against-all-odds odyssey made worldwide headlines when it became known that the survivors ate their own dead to survive. What could have easily become sensationalistic exploitation is treated with compassion and dignity by Marshall as he explores their moral and spiritual struggles as well as their physical ordeal. As team captain and base-camp cheerleader Vincent Spano slowly collapses under the stress and Ethan Hawke rouses from mourning his dead family to taking charge of saving himself, it also becomes a portrait in leadership, hope, and emotional courage. --Sean Axmaker

Alive [Region 2] Reviews:
ALIVE
2009-09-17 - Very good movie!! Really makes you think what you would have done if that happend to you. What you do to stay ALIVE!!!!

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!!
2009-09-15 - I love movies. Its a fact. I have hundreds of movies and I love to watch whatever I can. And Alive is probably one of my favorite movies EVER! I love everything about it. I think that they portrayed the story in such an amazing way. My mom had been telling me about this movie for years and I was always like "um, ew, I don't want to watch people eating each other," but finally I rented it and sat down, prepared to be disgusted. But I wasn't. I came out in awe. What those men went through was horrific and they should be such an inspiration to everyone. Almost right away I purchased this movie and the book by Piers P. Read. I highly suggest both to anyone and everyone.


Alive, But Barely
2009-08-29 - This movie held my attention the entire time. It is about a Uraguayan rugby team that is traveling by plane through the Andes to Chile when the plane crashes. The crash scene is hold-on-to-your-chair exciting and scary. The plane breaks in at least three pieces and many of the passengers die. Those that survive must figure out how to continue surviving in the bitter cold of the mountains. Several of the survivors are also injured. There is very little food and they do not have the proper clothing for this harsh climate that gets to -30 degrees at night. It is a movie about human relationships and endurance, both pushed to the limits.

The movie is based on the wonderful book, 'Alive', by Piers Paul Read.

Treats a controversial event with dispassion and balance
2009-06-20 - I avoided this film for years, because I knew of the story and the sensational aspects of it. However, I was stuck for a week in Norway, and this film came on, so I watched it.

It was a lot better than I thought it would be. It's not a story of mad cannibals, but a serious story of survival and engineering your own rescue when the world had all but forgotten you.

Ethan Hawke and Vincent Spano star in this film that realistically recreates the terrible crash in the Andes of the Uruguayan rugby team. Most of the passengers and all of the crew are killed on impact, or die soon after. Their bodies quickly freeze in the violently cold conditions high in the mountains. The story of the survivors, and how they improvised their own survival are nothing short of miraculous.

I was pleasantly surprised I enjoyed the movie so much. Many people are familiar with a few aspects of the story, but not too many have seen the film or understand how the remaining few were rescued.

Recommended.

Alive dvd
2009-05-18 - The speed in which my dvd arrived was great. We enjoyed your response time and my dvd was in good shape.