ENTERTAINMENT
Why did the survivors of the accident that inspired ‘Society of the Snow’ have so much tobacco?
The new film, available to view on Netflix, recounts the horrifying true story of a Uruguayan rugby team left stranded after a plane crash.
Spanish-language film ‘The Snow Society’ is one of the most-watched titles on Netflix in recent weeks and the shocking true story has made waves around the world.
Juan Antonio Bayona´s movie recounts the experiences of a Uruguayan rugby team left stranded in the Andes Mountains after their plane crash-landed in Chile. The incident occurred on Friday, 13 October 1972 as the team, Old Christians Club, was travelling from Montevideo for a fixture. Poor visibility in the area saw the Fairchild FH-227D plane, with 40 passengers and five crew members on board, go down in a remote mountainous area.
The movie has been a huge success and has reached the most-streamed position on Netflix in 43 countries. It has received Oscar nominations in four different categories: ‘Best International Film’, ‘Best Makeup and Hairstyling’, ‘Best Soundtrack’ and ‘Best Special Effects’.
Stranded players survive on cigarettes
WARNING: Spoilers
The film’s plot explains that pilot Colonel Julio César Ferradas began the plane’s descent prematurely, while they were still high in the mountains of the Andes. The plane crashed and both wings were detached from the body with the plane split in two. Only 29 members of the 45-person flight survived the impact. Little did they know, they would go on to spend 72 days in perishing cold before being rescued.
They had crash-landed in an area known as the Valley of Tears without food or drink and were forced to go to unthinkable lengths to survive. As the movie details, one of those methods was to make a cigarette-based tobacco tea to stave off hunger.
Throughout the movie characters are seen smoking, which left many viewers asking how they had such a plentiful supply of cigarettes. Most of the members of the flight were smokers and they had brought a considerable amount of cigarettes for the trip to Chile, where there was a known tobacco shortage.
Moreover two members of the team, Javier Methol and Pancho Abal, worked in a tobacco factory and had a ready supply. After the initial crash the survivors decided to ration the remaining cigarettes to help they endure until their rescue. Each man was given a pack of 20 cigarettes every two days.