Film Details
Featuring a pre-recorded introduction by composer Sven Grünberg. An anonymous tip starts a traditional whodunnit which quickly segues into a surrealistic farce and moves from film noir to science fiction in the mysterious and enigmatic Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel. Based on a book and screenplay by the Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, the film is a classic of fantasy cinema that blurs the lines between genres. Underlaid with the psychedelic synthesiser sounds of Estonian composer Sven Grünberg, what starts as a traditional whodunnit segues into a surrealistic farce, moves from film noir to science fiction. Thematically and stylistically moving between Thomas Mann’s novel Magic Mountain and Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) and with intense modernistic interiors and glistening shots in deep snow Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel creates an enigmatic atmosphere. The restoration was based on a new 4K scan of inter-positive elements held by the National Archives of Estonia. With thanks to the Embassy of Estonia in London.
Director: Grigori Kromanov
Cast: Uldis Pūcītis, Jüri Järvet, Lembit Peterson
Certificate: 15
Spoken Language: Estonian
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 83 minutes