Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 24, 2022

Grigori Kromanov's "Dead Mountaineer's Hotel" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camera Obscura. The supplemental features on the release include documentary program on the production of the film as well as alternate German opening sequence. In Estonian or German, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"Many years have passed now, but on dull shifts or during sleepless nights I often recall what happened. And even now I cannot decide whether I was right or not."

Some years later. Inspector Peter Glebsky (Uldis Pucitis) is still unsure whether he has been able to properly deconstruct a murder case at a secluded hotel somewhere in the frozen mountains of Estonia. He was able to solve the murder case, but did not understand it. His entire experience with the murder case was like a surreal dream that suddenly came alive and overloaded his mind. In fact, the more he thought of it over the years, the more comfortable he became with the idea that this is precisely what it was -- a surreal dream, or a variation of one, a temporary overlapping of the real and the unreal.

After a few breathtakingly beautiful shots of the rugged area and the secluded hotel, the calm voice of Inspector Glebsky carefully begins describing the random phone call that started it all. It was a short phone call with a simple request for assistance. He jumped in his car and then slowly started driving toward the top of the mountains, where the tiny hotel was. On the way up, he smoked a few of his favorite cigarettes.

But the aging man who greeted him at the hotel did not know anything about the phone call. Initially, Inspector Glebsky concluded that it must have been another staff member who made it and forgot to tell the aging man that he was on his way, but later learned that the host was the only one running the place. Did one of his colleagues at the police station play a joke on him? Impossible. No one would have sent him to the mountains in that brutal winter weather. It was a long trip, the roads were covered with snow, and driving was dangerous.

A few hours after he arrived at the hotel, as if to confirm that his judgment was entirely correct, Mother Nature unleashed one of the biggest avalanches Inspector Glebsky had ever seen, which hit the hotel’s power generator, and the entire place went dark. It is when one of the guests was killed, and his mind unplugged itself from reality. Or was it after the aging man figured out how to turn the power back on? He is still unsure, but when the lights came up, nothing was the same. Or could it be that his mind failed to register what was happening around him, how the few guests of the hotel were behaving when he arrived, and he missed crucial information? But crucial information about what? An upcoming murder? Or a bigger, much more sinister event?

Grigori Kromanov directed Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel while working with a screenplay handed to him by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, who collaborated with Andrei Tarkovsky on the legendary Stalker at approximately the same time. Also, the hugely atmospheric electronic soundtrack that Sven Grunberg composed for Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel was done rather quickly at the exact same studio where Eduard Artemev scored Stalker.

Does this mean that there are actual similarities between Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel and Stalker? Yes, though Kromanov’s budget was a lot smaller, and he did not have the same freedom to create that Tarkovsky enjoyed.

The ambience of Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel is very similar to that of Stalker, but instead of using it to carefully coalesce a range of grand philosophical subjects Kromanov crafts with it what is essentially a very fluid futuristic mind-bender of the kind that the likes of David Lynch and David Cronenberg might conceive. This is surely the reason it did not immediately become an international sensation -- it was way ahead of its time, and at home, in communist Estonia, few people recognized its brilliance and potential.

The second half, where the mind of Inspector Glebsky is overwhelmed, reminded this writer of Juraj Herz’s Ferat Vampire, which is another very fluid mind-bender from the same period that just as easily crosses into different genre territories. The most obvious difference between Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel and Ferat Vampire is the presence of a heavy sense of paranoia in the latter, which becomes seriously unsettling. The former wraps up its story with a surprising -- or perhaps not so much anymore -- thought-provoking message.

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dead Mountaineer's Hotel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camera Obscura.

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel was apparently fully restored, and this release is sourced from a brand new master. I don't know much about the restoration, but in one of the bonus features on the release, there is information about a theatrical presentation of an earlier restoration, which probably refers to a different makeover that was prepared for theatrical exhibition. Regardless, the new master is outstanding. I screened Dead Mountaineer's Hotel the other night and thought that it looked absolutely incredible on Blu-ray. There are some minor fluctuations in terms of delineation and clarity, but they are introduced by different lighting conditions and specific ranges of shadow nuances that are part of the desired stylistic appearance. Everything else looks excellent. Depth is very good, too. This master is very nicely graded as well. There are a couple of prominent primaries and wonderful ranges of supporting nuances that look very natural. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain exposure does vary a bit, but all fluctuations are inherited. The entire film looks spotless as well. Fantastic presentation. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Estonian LPCM 2.0 and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. Also, the disc's menu can be set entirely in English or German.

I viewed the entire film with the original Estonian track. I believe that this track features some original overdubbing that appears to have been prepared in much the same way similar tracks were done for Italian genre films during the '70s and '80s. I thought that it handled Sven Grünberg's spooky electronic soundtrack and the other effects incredibly well. The dialog was clear and easy to follow, too. I did not detect any age-related imperfections to report, which is hardly surprising because it was quite obvious that the audio has been fully remastered.

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of Featurette - a wonderful program that takes an in-depth look at the conception, production, acceptance, and cult status of Dead Mountaineer's Hotel. Included in it are clips from interview with production designer Tonu Virve, composer Sven Grünberg, actor Lembit Peterson, and cinematographer Jüri Sillart. In Estonian, with optional English and German subtitles. (21 min).

• German Opening Sequence - presented here is an alternate German opening sequence for the film. With German dubbing. (5 min).

• Booklet - 16-page illustrated booklet with writing on the film in German, as well as technical credits.

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel is an astonishing mind-bender that could fit perfectly between some of David Lynch and David Cronenberg's best thrillers. Grigori Kromanov directed it in 1979 while working with an original screenplay handed to him by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, who collaborated with Andrei Tarkovsky on the legendary Stalker at approximately the same time. My first viewing of Dead Mountaineer's Hotel occurred the other night, and to say that at the end of it I was floored would be a major understatement. This is a legit cult film with incredible imagination and style, which also looks great on Blu-ray. Kudos to the folks at Camera Obscura for preparing this gorgeous, English-friendly, and Region-Free release. It is unquestionably one of the best 'imports' I have received this year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.