The Dead Mountaineer Hotel (Hukkunud Alpinisti' hotell) (Estonian Sci-Fi English Subtitles 1979)

Note: This is the Russian dubbed version of the film, the original dialogue was in Estonian, thanks to indrekparli for mentioning in as well, in the comments section.

In 1979, two Soviet science-fiction films were released, both of the screenplays (and the original novels upon which they were based) were written by the legendary Russian science-fiction authors and brothers Boris and the late Arkadiy Strugatskiy. The first, 'Stalker', directed by the most well known Russian director, the late Andrey Tarkovskiy, has become legendary and most serious film aficionados have seen it (I first saw it as a very young teenager in the early 80s on Channel 4 in the UK, clandestinely viewing it on a tiny black and white portable and for me it was the celluloid equivalent of being poked in the third eye with a freaky cosmic Zen master's stick).

The second film 'Hukkunud Alpinisti' hotell', roughly translated as 'The Dead Mountaineer Hotel' was made in Estonia and directed by the late Estonian director Grigori Kromanov (aside from a couple of animations and shorts it was the only Estonian sci-fi film of the communist era I think) and seems to have sank down the Soviet memory hole without many traces left (as far as I know, no official DVD has ever been released and this is the best TV rip you are going to find).

The film is the story of police officer in a sparsely populated hotel in the Alps. After the hotel is cut off from the outside world by an avalanche, strange things begin to happen, some of the guests are not at all what they at first appear to be and the uncanny alien Other begins to emerge all around him.

This film really deserves far more attention than it currently enjoys and one bizarre thing I have just read that may change things is the fact the story has been used in a very recent on-line video game with the same title 'Dead Mountaineer's Hotel' which you can check out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5QFvb...

The music by Estonian artist Sven Grünberg is incredible, especially when you realise he was only 23 when he composed the soundtrack. The music was released in 2001 as a 3 CD package by the Estonian label 'hyper records' and is titled 'Hukkunud-Alpinisti-Hotel' (five songs from the soundtrack appear on the CD, the rest of the tracks cover the period 1982-1989 and is well worth getting).

http://www.discogs.com/Sven-Gr%C3%BCn...

Many thanks to my online Russian friend Birubir for providing the original rip and hard-coded subtitles, all your hard work is very appreciated and I hope more people can benefit from your time and generosity.

• Category

  Film & Animation

[Indrek Pärli]

Actually, this is not 100% original rip, film's original language is estonian. This version is dubbed to russian language and lost some of its magic because of it.

[megekis]

I don't know why, but I find movies featuring snowy settings very captivating. Maybe it's the sense of isolation, mixed with cold weather that makes you stay inside, so the atmosphere becomes more intimate and personal. That's one of the reasons why I like this movie so much and it reminds me of John Carpenter's "The Thing" which is another masterpiece. A group of people, stuck with each other, dealing with life and its weirdness... And of course, the music by Grünberg - perfect.

[Indrek Pärli]

Czechoslovakia? Most outdoor scenes were filmed in Alatau mountains, Kazakhstan and all indoors in Tallinn, Estonia. They built whole interior of hotel into the tennis hall in Kadriorg, Tallinn.

[chickenwretch]

This is a cool movie...very atmospheric, creates a sense of being off balance, somethings wrong.

[mike jones]

Always wanted to stay in cozy lodge in mountains in winter!

[Adam Mangler]

I seem to recall that a computer game was developed in Russia a year or so ago; modeled quite a bit on this film. The game was not very popular apparently. Wish I could remember the name...

[kashka80]

I don't think it was originally in estonian. You can clearly see they talk in russian and as far I remember from childhood I always wondered why they talk in estonian but by their lips are not....

[Sergeyspb2009]

a fact is more relevant as this film on the base of story of Strugatsky

[theprstc]

as I already replied - confused it, so I stand corrected.

[auhauh01]

This part of the movie there is the room activities has filmed in Tallinn, Estonia.there's nothing to do with Czeckoslovakia.Then Estonian composer Sven Grünberg recorded music in Moscow. I think you mean Estonian-Polish film "Navigator Pirx" which is filmed in Poland and Ukrainian Karpaty.

[auhauh01]

Good humor is the your Czechoslovakia! !! I live in Estonia and I know these people who have made this film. A few years ago, was on estonian TV program there they talked about this film . There was a very long story how they built this hotell building for the movie and it was in Kazakhstan for all the outside shot is filmed in Kazakhstan.