Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (1979)
Our story is set amidst a nice snowy mountainous region. It follows an Estonian Bogey on a retreat to a secluded public lodging. Following a confining avalanche, he must probe an idiosyncratic cast in search of a murderer. Robots and aliens may follow, but don’t get your hopes up too much. Any synopsis of this film might make it seem more eventful than it is. It’s mostly a procedural thing with a dash of implied supernatural to add an element of unease. After so much anticipation, it does end on a high note though. Oh… and the screenplay is penned by Strugatsky bros.
After some strange events, the detective ends up conflicted between what he seems to believe and what he feels his obligations are. He’s a consummate pro, constantly reiterating his duty to the state apparatus. All the while, he must never forgo his apathetic noir demeanor. Despite what it may sound like, it’s not too boring. I’d hesitate to even call this an art film. At least not in the introspective Bergman-esque sense. It’s considerately paced, and the prime focus is on noir-inspired mystery.
The inside of the lodge feels kind of uneven with some dissimilar artistic superfluities, and it’s adorned with more flickering lights than a makeshift haunted house on steroids. I’m not really sure what style the movie was going for, or if the filmmakers even paid it much heed. Given the gimmick faulty electricity in the hotel, the movie is shot VERY dark. Oftentimes we’re given windowed glimpses of the snowy backdrop, complementing very dark with very cold. The movie also dabbles in some psychedelia, and feels like it’s about a decade older than it is.
You might have a hard time believing this, but this moderately rated, decades old Estonian Soviet film is difficult to come by now. Crazy I know! The first copy I watched was printed via potato, so it didn’t feel fair to give it a review then. The movie seemed to be filmed absurdly dark, and was mostly indiscernible. Now that I’ve obtained a clear copy, I can finally almost barely see the movie just a little bit. I don’t think it’s anywhere near great, but it does a solid for overly-dedicated fans of Eastern European sci-fi (all 12 of us).