Stranded

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Horrorphile - June 2008

Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed In the Mountains

June 18th 2008 02:06

1972 Andes plane crash site and survivors as seen by rescue helicopters

I first read the non-fiction book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read during high school holidays one summer. It was a powerful and chilling read and the book and its photos have remained etched in my mind ever since. Years later I saw the Hollywood movie Alive (1993), based on the book, and as effective as parts of it were, it didn’t come anywhere near the dark haunting profundity of the book (of note: there was a Mexican exploitation flick made in 1976 which was renamed Survive! for American audiences).

Now, more thirty-five years after the tragedy a definitive documentary has been produced, and it’s a tour-de-force of harrowing poetic imagery and raw immediate emotion. Stranded, conceived and directed by Gonzalo Arijon, screening as part of the 55th Sydney Film Festival who is a friend and neighbour of the survivors (all of whom have chosen to remain living in close proximity to each other in the Uruguayan community they were raised in), tells a terrible true tale of bone-numbing grief and utter depair, and of extraordinary courage and extreme bravery. It is a testament to faith in the human spirit.

The plane crash site during summer with monument in foreground

On Friday, October 13th, 1972 an Air Force Fairchild passenger plane carrying 45 people, made up of a young Uruguayan rugby team and their parents and wives heading for a Christian charity game in Chile, crashed in the Andes mountain range. Twelve died in the crash, another five were dead by the next morning and another died several days later from severe internal injuries.

The sixteen survivors today

The remains of the fuselage

Considering the ferocity of the crash it’s amazing they didn’t all die; the plane clipped an unnamed peak severing the right wing with such force it was flung back cutting off the vertical stabilizer and ripping a hole in the fuselage. The plane then clipped another peak tearing off the left wing, leaving the plane hurtling along like a bullet. It hit the top of a glacier (later named the Glacier of Tears) and shot down a valley, and then came to an abrupt stop which caused many of the plane’s seats to be wrenched from their positions (thus crushing and killing many of the passengers).

The survivors huddle together in the small section of the crashed plane

The survivors were trapped in this snow bank valley for 72 days. As if it wasn’t hard enough to deal with loved ones having died in the same crash that probably should’ve killed you, you then discover from a radio that authorities have given up the search less than a fortnight later due to the fact that they couldn’t see half of a white plane half buried in snow in a narrow glacial valley.

The survivors taken from a colour film camera found in the tail piece of the plane

Food and medical supplies were very thin. And it wasn’t long before several of the survivors began to think about an appalling reality, if they were to survive this ordeal. They needed sustenance. They needed protein. They needed fats. There was only one option. They would have to eat the flesh of their dead comrades and loved ones.

Another shot taken from the same colour roll

Questions of ethics, morality and faith came crashing down over the emotionally ravaged men. And so they began to tear strips of flesh (mostly from the buttocks I remember reading in the book) and would lay them on the fuselage to dry in the sun so they would taste probably like pork jerky more than anything else. As all of the survivors were Roman Catholics a clever act of moral diversion was pronounced to encourage those who continued to baulk at the prospect of cannibalism: think of it as eating Holy Communion – the flesh and blood of Christ.

Stranded: I Came From A Plane That Crashed in the Mountains

A recreated scene from Nando and Roberto's trek

A terrifying experience occurred when a huge avalanche buried the entire plane (actually only the middle and front section as the tail section was high up on the peak) during the night and another eight died. For three days and nights the remaining sixteen men were trapped in very claustrophobic conditions. After they managed to tunnel their way out they made the decision that the strongest would have to try and walk over the mountains and find help.

Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa and Sergio Catalan

Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa with Sergio Catalan, the shepard who alerted the rescue

It was Nando Parrado and Roberto Cannessa who eventually made it out of the mountains after climbing and trekking for nine days over peak and valley, peak and valley. They spotted a man on a horse, a Shepard, a miracle had happened.

Stranded focuses on several of the survivors first hand accounts of the whole story, from their farewells to loved ones at the airport on that fateful superstitious day right up to Nando’s overwhelmingly emotional reunion with his father who had never given up hope (Nando lost his mother and sister in the crash).

Director Arijon inter-cuts the talking heads with highly evocative recreations of key sequences staged without dialogue, only expressionist imagery; blurred silhouettes in a blizzard, abstract angles of ruined fuselage. Far from sensationalist, despite the fact that what made this tragedy such an international issue was sensationalist subject matter.

The only photo taken aboard the flight

There are a handful of archival photographs (only one photo was taken onboard the plane during the flight) as the survivors only found a camera much later when several men made an expedition to find the plane’s tail piece for supplies.

The victims monument near the crash site

In 2006 during the summer when most of the snow has melted Nando and Roberto and a few other of the survivors and their young adult children were flown by helicopter to pay respects to the deceased who were buried on the mountain a half mile from the plane crash site by rescuers. Director Arijon filmed the visit and uses it to bookend the doco and as interludes during the re-telling of the events.

Of note is the minimal stylistics of the music used, mostly echoing single piano notes, which fits beautifully with the white nothingness of the surroundings.

Roberto against the fuselage sewing a sleeping bag for the long trek

Stranded tells of a real nightmare more intense than most of us could imagine, yet it is also a tale of hope, courage and endurance more astounding than most of us could imagine. That Nando and Roberto managed to make that epic journey is testament to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit and to the power of love, as Nando vowed he would see his father again.

Stranded screens at the Sydney Film Festival on Saturday 21 June, 10am at State Theatre, Market Street

Here is the trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

15 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

June 18th 2008 07:40

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

I saw the 76 film years ago and it was good.

The story was famous long before then.

However in a similar situation what else is there to do?

Comment by Bryn

June 18th 2008 10:55

Horrorphile

Damo, the Piers Paul Read book was amazing, I'd been keen to watch Survive!, perhaps Dr. What Video has it?
As for the question itself ... Exactly; if one wants to live, what else is there to do? Just keep telling yourself it's pork jerky ... it's pork jerky ... it's pork jerky ...

Comment by theroderickpost

June 18th 2008 18:54

What an amazing story of human instincts and survival

Comment by Damo

June 18th 2008 23:34

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

Long Piggy Piggy.

Comment by Bryn

June 19th 2008 06:50

Horrorphile

Damo ... hahahahaha!!!

Comment by D. Armenta

June 19th 2008 17:39

The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan

Bryn--I read Read's "Alive!" back in the 70s as a kid! To show how profoundly that book affected me, I can still remember one of the survivors' names from all those years ago: Coche Inciarte.

Comment by D. Armenta

June 19th 2008 18:31

The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan

P.S.--Rump roast anyone?

Okay, who can beat me in a sick humor contest?

I'll have the Bum steak, very rare.

I love a good butt cutlet, myself.

Comment by Bryn

June 20th 2008 01:06

Horrorphile

The performers in the recreation scenes had good acting chops ....

Comment by Louie

June 20th 2008 01:44

Climate Forum
Climate Red
randomthoughts
Phil's Wellness Tips

I had nightmares for a MONTH after seeing that movie, and I am not sure ill EVER be able to fly over the Andes unless I am sedated

Comment by Bryn

June 20th 2008 01:49

Horrorphile

Louie, you've already seen this doco? Or are you talking about the Mexican-made flick Survive!

Comment by Mountain Fog

June 20th 2008 02:17

Infognito

This brings back memories...

I remember it very well, when it happened. I was 16, and the news broadcasts of the loss, the search, then nothing, suddenly, they are alive!

HUGE headlines, TV news coverage..

Then, later on, that fateful TV interview... one which obviously must not have been included in this doco... I can understand why actually, but, it was one of THOSE moments, that you never forget

There were a few of the survivors sitting on a couch being interviewed, one of them starts making noises of disgust/protest that human flesh had been eaten, when suddenly another crash member interjects vehemently attacking him with,

"But you ate one of their brains!!!"

Now Bryn, I suspect that little detail is more up your usual horror alley!!!

The interview was edited shortly after that, I can't remember what else was said, but it obviously ended with much shouting and acrimony.

cheers and shudders...

fog

Comment by Mountain Fog

June 20th 2008 02:24

Infognito

...oh....and ghoulish humour....ahhh..

After the crash, did anyone play 'hostie', and offer something from the snow larder....

FINGER FOOD ANYONE?

cheers

fog

Comment by Bryn

June 20th 2008 02:34

Horrorphile

That interview is not included ... wow. None of the survivors actually say what they ate, although I remember the Alive book saying how they mostly ate flesh off the backsides ... There are clips from the press conference the survivors did where they admit to cannibalism, but it's not the interview you're talking about.
Finger food.
Nice.

Comment by Anonymous

June 22nd 2008 22:54

Chops, Bryn? Hahahahahaha! That was intentional, right?

Comment by Bryn

June 23rd 2008 02:57

Horrorphile

Anon, yes, of course it was ... Armenta wanted to know if anyone else could come up with some twisted puns ....

[ Previous - STAN WINSTON (1946-2008) - R.I.P. ]

[ Next - The Square ]

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