''Dead Mountaineer's Hotel'' (, ) is a

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n film directed by

Grigori Kromanov Grigori Kromanov (8 March 1926 in Tallinn – 18 July 1984 in Lahe, Lääne-Virumaa) was an Estonian theatre and film director. He directed some of the best known Estonian movies, including ''Viimne reliikvia'' (''The Last Relic'') and '' Dead ...

and based on the 1970 novel '' Dead Mountaineer's Hotel'' by

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky ( ru , Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 A ...

, who also wrote the screenplay.Pick, Anat & Narraway, Guinevere (2014) ''Screening Nature: Cinema Beyond the Human'', , p. 170

Production

The film was directed by Grigori Kromanov, with his wife

Irena Veisaitė Irena Veisaitė (9 January 1928 – 11 December 2020) was a Lithuanian theatre scholar, intellectual and human rights activist. She was awarded the Goethe Medal in 2012 for her contribution to cultural exchange between Germany and Lithuania. L ...

acting as assistant director while taking a sabbatical year from university.Plasseraud, Yves (2015) ''Irena Veisaite: Tolerance and Involvement'', Brill/Rodopi, , p. 116 It was filmed between 1978 and 1979 in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, and set in a fictional western country. Lead actor

Uldis Pūcītis Uldis Pūcītis (15 April 1937 – 14 December 2000) was a Latvian television, theater and film actor, scriptwriter and film director. Early life and stage career Uldis Pūcītis was born in Ranka parish, Gulbene District to Jānis Pūcītis a ...

, who did not speak Estonian, had his lines dubbed by Estonian actor and theatre teacher

Aarne Üksküla Aarne Üksküla (21 September 1937 Tallinn – 29 October 2017) was an Estonian actor and theatre instructor. In 1961 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory's Performing Arts Department. Career: * Rakvere Theatre (1961-1968) * Endla Theatr ...

Plot

Due to an anonymous call, Inspector Glebsky travels to the hotel "Dead Mountaineer's." This hotel is situated in a mountainous region of a secluded valley in a European nation. Simply put, the hotel's name, "Dead Mountaineer's," refers to the fact that a climber perished here after falling from a cliff. He left only his faithful dog behind - a St. Bernard called Lel. In the hotel there is a rather bleak portrait of the climber near which faithful Lel likes to sleep. Almost all of the lodgers are rather strange, especially Mr. and Mrs. Moses and Olaf Andvarafors. Later another strange individual materializes; Luarvik, who can not even utter a couple of words. Mr. Moses and Luarvik turn out to be

aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

and Mrs. Moses and Olaf are their

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

s, although they look like ordinary people. And in the mountains they suffer a calamity. After a heavy snowfall, when the hotel is cut off from the outside world, a body appears at one point. Inspector Glebsky initiates an investigation, using all of his standard skills. However the investigation of the pseudo-murder of Olaf comes to a standstill. And when seemingly all intricacies of the plot unravel and the aliens can safely leave the Earth a military helicopter appears. The inspector has a chance to do great service to the aliens, but Glebsky behaves like a typical cop, subordinate only to common sense and official instructions which leads to the tragic outcome. At the end of the film the inspector is plagued by doubts whether he did everything he could.

Reception and analysis

Eva Näripea and Henriette Cederlöf, in a 2015 article on the film, viewed it as a blend of science fiction and

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, the latter particularly in its visual aesthetics.Näripea, Eva & Cederlöf, Henriette (2015)
Genre and Gender in the Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (1979)
, ''Science Fiction Film & Television'', Volume 8, Issue 2, ISSN 1754-3770. Retrieved 1 January 2019 They also viewed the film as " ouchingupon the inherent tensions and social anxieties of the 'crudely communist' Soviet regime" and "Soviet nationalism and the threat it poses to the language, culture and the very existence of non-Russian ethnic groups". Gender identity was also a theme that they identified in the film, commenting on its "apparent denial of heteronormativity as the sole accepted coordinate system for sexual identity", which "parallels its obvious denunciation of oppressive power relations and the attempts by Soviet authorities to combat all kinds of otherness, including of ideological and ethnic origin".

Cast

- Inspector Peter Glebsky *

Jüri Järvet Jüri Järvet (18 June 1919 – 5 July 1995) was an Estonian actor. His name sometimes appears as Yuri Yevgenyevich Yarvet, an incorrect back-transliteration from the Russian transliteration Юри Евгеньевич Ярвет. His birthna ...

- Alex Snewahr *

Lembit Peterson Lembit Peterson (born on 18 August 1953 in Tallinn) is an Estonian actor, theatre director and theatre pedagogue. In 1971 he graduated from Tallinn State Conservatory's Stage Art Department. From 1976 to 1979 and 1985 to 1988 he worked at Estonia ...

- Simon Simonet *

Mikk Mikiver Mikk Mikiver (4 September 1937 – 9 January 2006) was a prominent Estonians, Estonian stage and film actor and theater director. Biography Mikiver was born in Tallinn, Estonia. He graduated from the State Conservatory of Tallinn in 1961. He t ...

- Hinckus * Kārlis Sebris - Mr. Moses * Irena Kriauzaitė - Mrs. Moses * Sulev Luik - Luarvik *

Tiit Härm Tiit Härm (born 19 March 1946) is an Estonian ballet dancer, ballet master and choreographer. Tiit Härm was born in Tallinn. He is the younger brother of actress and author Viiu Härm. From 1957 to 1962, he studied at Tallinn Choreographic Sc ...

- Olaf Andvarafors * Nijolė Oželytė - Brun *

Kaarin Raid Kaarin Raid (22 October 1942 Rakvere – 29 July 2014 Viljandi) was an Estonian director, theatre pedagogue and actor. In 1967 she graduated from GITIS in director speciality. 1967–1974 she was a director at Endla Theatre, 1974–1977 at Estoni ...

- Kaisa

Awards

*Best cinematography (Jüri Sillart), USSR Film Competition (Shostka), 1979 *Best cinematography (Jüri Sillart), Estonian SSR Film Festival, 1980 *Best art design (Tõnu Virve), Estonian SSR Film Festival, 1980 *Jury Special Prize for novel expression in film music ( Sven Grünberg), Estonian SSR Film Festival, 1980 Festivals, awards, nominations
, efis.ee. Retrieved 1 January 2018

References

External links

* {{Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Films based on works by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Soviet science fiction films 1979 films Films based on Russian novels Estonian-language films Soviet-era Estonian films 1970s crime films 1970s science fiction films Films set in hotels Tallinnfilm films Estonian science fiction films Films based on science fiction novels Films directed by Grigori Kromanov