Product Details

• Actors: Andes Crash Survivors
• Directors: Gonzalo Arijon
• Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Spanish
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Zeitgeist Films
• DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009
• Run Time: 126 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001P9G3F6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,324 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Stranded" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An exceptional film, at once disturbing and elevating, deliberate yet powerful. It takes a story that we all think we know, one of the 20th century's most familiar tales of resilience and survival, and demonstrates that we haven't really known it at all." --Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

Product Description

On October 13, 1972, a young rugby team called "The Old Christians" from Montevideo, Uruguay, boarded a plane for a match in Chile--and then vanished into thin air. Two days before Christmas, 16 of the 45 passengers miraculously resurfaced. They had managed to survive for 72 days after their plane crashed on a remote Andean glacier. Thirty-five years later, the survivors returned to the crash site--known as the Valley of Tears--to recount in their own words their harrowing story of defiant endurance, intense spirituality, and indestructible friendship. Previously documented in the worldwide bestseller Alive (and the film adaptation starring Ethan Hawke), this shocking true story finally gets the cinematic treatment it deserves. Visually breathtaking and crafted with riveting detail by documentary filmmaker (and childhood friend of the survivors) Gonzalo Arijon with a masterful combination of on-location interviews, archival footage and reenactments, Stranded is a hauntingly powerful and spiritually moving celebration of humanity.

SPECIAL FEATURES
- 16:9 anamorphic transfer, formatted for widescreen televisions
- "The Making of Stranded": A 52-minute featurette with behind-the-scenes footage of the cast and crew, and additional interviews with the crash survivors
- U.S. theatrical trailer
- Optional English subtitles
- Director's statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring June 21, 2009

By adiadv

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best films I've seen - documentary or otherwise. It's subtitled in English, thankfully, because a voice-over dub would detract from the emotion expressed by the survivors (and everyone else) in the film.

The uncensored revelation of the facts behind the entire event is a brutal, raw example of the worst-case scenario - way beyond the worst nightmare imaginable - and how people who are just like you and me rose above themselves to do something monumental, inspiring and life-changing.This amazing group of individuals used every fiber of their being to stay alive, to see their loved ones again, and to honor those who had perished and explain their life-saving sacrifices.

The group had no alternative for survival other than by performing the unimaginable, which they did with incredible intelligence and reasoning - intertwined with faith, dignity, respect and love. The degree of determination, presence of mind, and amazing unselfishness that inspired their actions may be almost unfathomable to the of majority of people, because thankfully so few of us are ever put to that kind of test.

The individual descriptions of the events are filled with the spiritual, heartfelt and utterly heart-wrenching feelings of these men. The shocking, sensitive aspects were explained in a way that left me with a complete understanding and empathy toward the individuals and the decisions behind their actions. It's plain to see what led them to do anything and everything in their power in an attempt to survive. They had no choice, because they knew they would not be rescued by any other method than their own faith, drive and ingenuity to make it happen.

The final, death-defying feat that resulted in their rescue after 72 days in hell is irrefutable evidence - in my opinion - of the existence of a power much greater than we are. Surviving the 44 mile journey over 13,000 foot peaks with no equipment, very little to eat and unsuitable clothing in their 10-day ordeal to reach salvation is a true miracle. For those who don't believe in a higher power, you'll appreciate the miracle of the human race and it's ability to overcome adversity. For those who believe in the Creator, appreciate the miracle that it is among so many others and marvel at this example of the human race and it's ability to overcome adversity through faith.

The film pays a highly deserved tribute to everyone who was affected by this tragedy. Their experience and ultimate triumph is an inspiration to anyone who will listen. I can't imagine how anyone could view this and not be affected in some way.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Documentary about the Andes Crash Survivors More Engrossing than Narrative Film. May 10, 2009

By mirasreviews HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

The story of the 1972 plane crash in the Andes and the struggles of the men aboard to survive seems to pop into the public awareness periodically over the three decades since it happened. "Stranded" is the latest documentary on the subject, and it's the best I've seen. All 16 survivors participated. Director Gonzalo Arijon incorporates grainy, impressionistic, silent reenactments of the scenes the men describe. This enhances the audience's picture of the events without usurping the gripping commentary of the survivors. The combination of interviews, some archival footage, and the dreamlike reenactments, which seem like memories, make this retelling of the story more engrossing than any narrative adaptation.

On Friday, October 13, 1972, a college rugby team from Montevideo, Uruguay set out on Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 to Santiago, Chile, where they were to compete in a match. Having changed its route to avoid inclement weather, the plane descended too early over the mountains, severed both wings, and crash-landed high in the snow-covered Andes. Of the 45 people aboard, 29 survived the crash, 23 uninjured. They didn't have adequate clothing for the freezing conditions. Many had never seen snow before. And, even strictly rationed, food would only last a few days. They hoped to be rescued but could hear on the radio that the aerial search was called off due to heavy snow. And yet 16 of the young men spent 72 days on the mountain and lived to talk about it.

All survivors participated, but some say more than others. Fernando "Nando" Parrado, who wrote a book about his experiences, seems to have been a leader after the group lost its team captain. Roberto Canessa, who, with Nando, was responsible for the rescue, is the most pensive and analytical of the experience. Gustavo Zerbina is vibrant and opinionated. Those who had the strongest voices on the mountain have the most to say today. The film places no more emphasis on the men's cannibalism than on any other element of their story, for which I am grateful. I've never understood the fascination with the cannibalism. It's the least interesting aspect of the ordeal. This is an incredible story of survival and escape against all odds and against the indifference and supremacy of Nature. In Spanish with optional English subtitles.

The DVD (Zeitgeist 2009): Bonus features are a US trailer (2 min) and a featurette, "The Making of Stranded" (52 min). This is a loosely organized mix of interviews with survivors that were cut from the final edit of the film, some brief interviews with the director on location, in which he emphasizes that this film is about the experiences of the men, not about action, and we spend time with some of the survivors as they relate more details of their experiences to the young actors who will portray them. Both the film and featurette are in Spanish with optional English subtitles.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly uplifting film March 10, 2009

By 2things@once

Format:DVD

In 1972, the small plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes. After 72 days stranded in the cold and snow, 16 of the original 45 passengers were rescued. For the first time, survivors tell the incredible story in their own words, including the notorious cannibalism that saved their lives.

Atmospheric recreations, narrated by the survivors, give a chilling sense of the wilderness, isolation, and brutal conditions these people endured. When a group of survivors return to the scene of the crash in 2006 to pay their respects, filmmakers follow. Many of the survivors are accompanied by their children, some the same age as their fathers when the accident occurred. Sitting amid the gorgeous snow-capped peaks of The Valley of Tears 35 year later, these men are able to articulate their experience, including rare moments of profound beauty, in language that is heartfelt and hopeful.