"On that day I was driving on call to a mountain hotel." "The hotel's name was "Dead Mountaineer's Hotel", and the road there was quite difficult." "DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL" "Many years have passed since that time, hovewer quite often, during the dull duties or sleepless nights," "I recall what happened, and even now I cannot decide, whether was I right at that time or not." "Screenplay by Arkady STRUGATSKY and Boris STRUGATSKY" "Directed by Grigori KROMANOV" "Director of Photography Jüri SILLART" "Production Designer Tõnu VIRVE" "Music by Sven GRÜNBERG" "The strange thing is that I can tell noone, about how it actually happened, neither to my wife, nor to friends, nor to authorities." "The only person who knows whole truth is myself." "TALLINNFILM 1979" "This is the mountaineer." "He was hit by the avalanche." "He flew 500 meter toward his death." " How do you do!" " Welcome!" "Let me introduce myself" " Alex Snewahr, the owner of this hotel, this valley, nearby mountains and gorges." "And this is Lel, the loyal friend of deceased." "I am a police inspector Peter Glebsky." " What happened here?" " Sorry?" " You called the police." " Me?" "Hallo, captain, this is Glebsky." "I am glad to report that nothing happened here..." "Yes, false alarm." "What?" "No, I can't come back today." "There is a fog in the mountains." "What?" "Ah, wine?" "Well, OK." " As I understand, someone of my guests..." "Alas." "My sincere apologies." "It's OK." "I"l be delighted to spend here this evening and night and I'm going to try your famous "Edelweiss"." "My wine-cellars are at your service!" "Lel!" "Room seven!" " It was nice to fly, wasn't it?" " Yes." "Well?" "Thanks, Lel, you can go now." "Well, what beauties you have here!" "Just as in Hollywood." "How do you do!" "Yeah!" "It's beautiful here!" "I am Peter Glebsky, inspector of the police." " Hinckus." " Nice to meet you." "I just arrived." "Have you been here for a long time?" "I have tuberculosis." "I need fresh air, all doctors say it to me." "I'm sorry." "Is this a call for the dinner?" "We have to go." "What about you?" "I will go later." "Oho, what are you doing up there?" "May I help?" "Let me introdusce myself, Simon Simone, Lieutenant from cybernetics." "It is funny, isn't it?" "Stand easy." "Police inspector Peter Glebsky." "In fact, I am a physicist." "Four years without vacation." "Project "Midas"." "Have you heard?" "Top secret." "Yes." "I came here for mountain climbing, but here is to much snow, can't get anywhere." "So I am climbing the walls." "Doctors prescribed me the course of sensual pleasures." "Imagine, Aleksandr is coming to this place." "Gentlemen, let me introduce to you inspector Glebsky." "This is my distant relative Brun." " Next to her is Olaf Andvarafors." " How do you do." "Mrs. Mozes, please." "I adore police!" "These heroes, these dare-devils..." "Are you a dare-devil, inspector?" "Alas, Madame, I am a common police officer." "I do not believe." "Man with such look cannot be anything else but dare-devil!" "Oh, really?" "How do you do, gentlemen." "Mr. Mozes, let me introduce our guest, inspector Glebsky." "My pleasure." "Mr. Mozes." "We talked about aliens." "I have to say that I completely share Mr. Deniken's opinion, that aliens repeatedly attended our planet." "Your Deniken is a charlatan." "You are a physicist, Simone, meaning you are a rationalist." "However this question relates to the realm of poetry." "Mr. inspector, but what do you think about this?" "I am even stronger rationalist, I am a policeman." "Everything that surrounded me there, in that comfortable hotel, nice owner, somewhat strange guests and amazingly beautiful mountains, everything promised a pleasant evening." "Mentally I thanked the captain who sent me here." "Mr. inspector, you are a real man." "Please beat this Olaf." "Ah, Olaf, now the police will make stake out of you." " Steak is a food." " Then he will make food from you!" " Why?" " To eat!" "But we just had a dinner." "It's impossible to talk to you!" "Why?" "In my opinion, we have a very good conversation." "However beefsteak - is nevertheless a food." "And to make a food from me..." "inspector will not be able to." " I am glad." " Me too." " Let's go." " Let's go." "Bye." "Oo, Simone, you are incredible." "Just as a monkey." "Excuse me, it seems I am called." "I have to leave." "Who called her?" "Did you hear anything?" "What a woman!" "Yes." "You dropped something!" "Ah, thanks." "Something bad?" "No, do not worry." "What are you doing, Mozes?" "After three moves you'll have no castle." "And who is this Mr. Mozes?" "He signed up as a travelling businessman." "But I have no idea about his destination." "Here is the dead end." "The road ends here, and you can only go back." "It is bad to hide yourself, Mr. inspector." "I offer you a dance." "What a beautiful wiev!" "Isn't it?" "Hinckus is still on the roof." "I pity him." "Why?" "I don't like him!" "I am sorry, Mrs. Mozes, but you promised me one dance." "Simone got me sober." "Yes, I became drunk." "Was it caused by wine, mrs." "Mozes, or something else, I do not know." "But I felt, that I have to have some air." "And I had to do something with the anonymous letter, that was thrust into my pocket." "It read: "Hinckus is dangerous gangster, maniac and killer, called Owl, he is preparing a murder." "Do something."" "Hinckus!" "Hinckus!" "Hinckus..." "Hinckus..." "Hinckus..." "What?" "What happened?" "Olaf!" "You also have no power?" "Quiet, gentlemen, quiet, please!" "The light will be back in two minutes." "Everything will be allright." "I will turn on our backup generator." "There was no sign of life in Hinckus' room." "As if he vanished into thin air." "Of course this was not a weapon of a criminal." "But why then Hinkus keeps this lady's toy in his suitcase?" "It looked like someone attempts to set him up as a dangerous criminal." "But who?" "Kaysa, come quickly here!" "Kaysa!" " What's wrong with him?" " I don't know, perhaps he is frozen." " And who is he?" " I don't know." "Brandy, quick!" "Are you sleeping?" "Wait, I will bring it myself." "As a piece of ice." "But perhaps he is a friend of Mr. Hinckus?" " Mr. Hinckus?" " Yes!" "I heard him dictating the telegram:" ""I am waiting for you, come quickly."" "Yes, things look bad." "We have no connection, the telephone is dead." "This landsliding cut us off completely." "It will take them a week to dig us up." "There is even no handkerchief." " Are you alone?" " He is weak." "Is somebody expecting you?" "Olaf." "Olaf Andvarafors." "Olaf!" "Olaf!" "This is strange." "The door is locked from inside." "My God..." "What's wrong with him?" "He is dead." " Is it his suitcase?" " Yes." " Is this his entire baggage?" " No, only this suitcase." "Do not tell anybody about this." "Check the garage - if any car is missing." "If you see Hinckus, try to detain him." "Go now." "OK." "The hand of the corpse was stretched and it almost was touching a small suitcase." "Olaf's head was unnaturally wildly turned back." "What a monstrous power should killer have?" "Who did it..." "Tell me, who it was?" "Who tied you?" "How do I know?" "What time is it?" "One in the morning." "One in the morning!" "One in the morning!" "One in the morning!" "Be quiet!" "Be quiet!" "Shut up, Hinckus!" " Who strangled you?" " I don't know." " When did it happen?" " Around ten." " Do you suspect someone?" " No-no, no-no, I don't know!" "From behind!" "I don't know!" "I don't know!" "No, no, no!" "Don't be so foolish!" "I..." "I..." "I..." "I..." "I swear to you," "I swear to you, I did not kill this woman!" "She was already absolutely cold when I embraced her." "Stop!" " She..." "She was..." " Shut up!" "OK." "Now talk." "Tell me, what happened." "Here is what happened." "Even before she made passes at, but I hesitated..." "However this evening..." "A-A-A-A-A..." "She was absolutely dead." "I swear to you!" " Come with me!" " Where?" "To prison!" "To punishment room!" "To chamber of tortures!" "Idiot." "Now." "Just a moment." "Put your trousers on!" "Please forgive me..." "I swear to you, I swear..." "I was tipsy, yes, but not as much, not to the level of missing the obvious." "Look." "Here is something related to your profession." "It is very interesting." " Where did you find this?" " In Olaf's suitcase." "Yes?" "I don't understand." "Weird mechanism." "No, not my speciality." "This is something military..." "or from space." "Be careful with this!" "It can be dangerous for the health." "Allright." "Go to bed." "No, no, no... that's madness!" "This caps it all!" "Something military or from space!" "That's better!" "This is the most secure place for it." "Take the key!" "Alex." "Are you sure that Olaf and Brun did leave the hall... between 10 and 10:30?" "Yes." "Absolutely sure." "Thanks." "It is very important." " What the hell!" " Turn it off!" " 3AM..." " Remove this lamp!" "Get out!" "What's your business here?" "Do not scream!" "Tell me, where and when you saw Olaf last time?" "Why must I speak about?" "Go out!" "Go to hell, damned cop!" "Stop it!" "There was a murder in the hotel and I am investigating it." "And... who is this unfortunate one?" "I will tell you later." "But now listen to me." "I know that you left Olaf between ten and ten thirty." " And wat's next?" " I don't know anything else about him." "Ok." "Possible." "Perhaps you saw somebody in the hall?" "Have somebody passed you?" "Mrs. Mozes, perhaps." "No?" "Hinckus was walking along the hall." "Hinckus." "Hinckus..." "Hinckus?" "After ten a clock?" "How was he dressed?" "In this stupid fur coat." "Listen to, Hinckus, I'm tired of you." "Why did you lie about being strangled at ten, if they saw you after ten?" "A..." "Tahat's exactly the point!" "Inspector!" "They saw me in the hall... and I saw... myself." "And I strangled myself." "I... myself..." "Did you understand?" "I... myself!" "Until this moment I haven't made a single mistake." "No, one mistake, and quite important one, I did made." "I did not sense danger." "At that time I had to..." "I had to figure out that this history was uncommon." "But I did not." "I was lost, didn't know whom to suspect." "Women were out of question." "Old Mozes too." "Hinkus was tied in the bed." "But may be someone was disguised as Hinckus?" "I don't like it here!" "I don't like your hotel!" "All these examinations, murders, landslidings, dogs, your bluntness." "And what does police do?" "It breaks in the middle of the night into my wife's room!" "How can you humilate a man like this!" "My wife in this case!" "I understand you, Mr. Mozes, but nevertheless I would like..." "I already know that you will not turn back and you will not leave my wife until you get anwers to your foolish questions." "Well, but remeber, only two questions." "Yes." "Thanks." "I hope you understand, I'm investigaing a murder, and therefore it's very important..." "Oo, gentlemen!" "It's a wonderful night, isn't it?" "Please, take a seat." "Mrs., I have to apologize, that I broke in at night, but I had enough time to note that you did not sleep." "Tell me, did something awake you?" "Yes." "I actually did not sleep." "But I cannot say that anything woke me up." " And you did not hear anything?" " No, nothing." "And you did not hear landsliding?" "Landsliding?" "What landsloding?" "Nothing terrible, I will tell you later." "Another question." "Yesterday after nine thirty you were living the room." "Tell me, did yo anybody in the hall?" "It seems to me..." "Of course!" "When I was coming back, I saw Olaf and Brun." "They held each other hands and talked as lovers." "Thanks, mrs." "Mozes." "You greatly helped investigation." "The killed is Olaf!" "I know, you were the last one, who saw him alive." "You lied to me, that you parted at the room's doors." "Where did you parted?" "Where, when and how?" "What is it?" "Quickly!" "Go!" "Go away!" "Go now!" "And I haven't seen him anymore." "I am sorry for you, inspector." "You are on a wrong path." "Your professional experience is meaningless here." "Just as a time makes no sense, when exceeding the speed of light." " Listen, Aleks, I like you." " I like you too." "But if you are going to fool me, I will start suspecting you." "That means, you will be in troubles." "Yes, of course." "What can we do..." "You are not ripe yet." "I'm over-ripened." "I will fall off soon." "Some tribes of Middle-Africa... know, how to revive their dead mates." "This phenomenon is called zomby." "Perhaps zomby is the third state of living organisms." "I was tired and I was a total mess." "While listening to Snewahr's zombies I didn't notice how I fell asleep." "What?" "What is it?" "What happens?" "Where did this came from?" "Did you bring it?" "The only possibility is that the gun was dropped from the roof." "Therefore that was Hinckus, who was waiting for somebody." "Inspector!" "Inspector, I'm looking for you!" "Your patient regained consiousness!" "Where is Olaf Andvarafors?" "Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you a couple of questions." "What is your name?" "Luarvik." " And first name?" " Luarvik." "Mr. Luarvik Luarvik?" "Yes." "Well." "Who are you?" "Are you foreigner?" "Very." "To the high degree." "Do not enter!" "Please leave immediately, Mr. Mozes!" "Do not shout at me." "I am living, if this is what you wish." "I have to tell you that Olaf Andvarafors was killed today at night." "Killed?" "A corpse?" "You do not know." "I saw him myself, he is dead." " I want to see him." " Why?" "I have a business with him." "Did he need to pass something to you?" "No." "I have a talk to him." "What about?" "To him." "To him!" "Listen to, Mr. Luarvik." "I am investigating a murder." "Do you understand?" "Sooner or later you'll tell me everything." "Remeber, you may get into big troubles." "Why?" "Do you want to identify the corpse?" "Correct?" "Identify." "Recognize." "How can you recognize him, if you haven't seen his face?" "Why face?" "What face?" "Get dressed!" "This is Olaf Andavrafors." " That's strange." " How did you recoginze him?" "Recalled." "Seen him." "And where did you see him?" "Elsewhere." "Not important this is." "Are you looking for something?" "May be a suitcase?" "Where it is?" "I got it." "This good." "Bring it." "OK." "But first you will answer my questions." "Why?" "Why again questions?" "I do not want questions." "I..." "I..." "I want to lie down." "Where you have a place to lie down?" "What do I have to think about this?" "I am almost convinced, that Olaf, Luarvik and Mozes belong to the same gang, which does not want to be advertized." "But Hinckus - this is his revolver - he is also somehow connected to them." "Just that's where I've made my major error " "I connected Mozes and Luarvik with the Olaf's murder." "May be we hold Hinkus locked up for nothing?" "Let's set him free... as a fox into the hen house." "Snevar!" "Please make sure, that everybody will be having breakfast in the morning." "Good morning, Simone!" "Good morning, Brun!" " Good morning, inspector!" " Good morning!" " How did you sleep?" " Good, thanks." "You look bad." " Well, did you find anything?" " It depends." "You know, I have a feeling, that there is a smell of death here." "Beautiful morning." "It is so warm and sunny." "Poor Olaf - he did not live to see this morning." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Let me to introduce you Mr. Luarvik Luarvik." "He arrived last night." "It's nice." "Gentlemen!" "We are temporarily cut off from the outer world." "I understand you well." "We all are under pressure." "But don't forget, that investigation is in inspector Glebsky's reliable hands." "Attention, please." "I have to report the following." "Some rascals selected this hotel as the place where to clear their scores." "I want you to know, that two hours ago with the help of Mr. Snewahr" "I sent with the carrier pigeon report to the local police." "A police helicopter may be here any minute now." "Therefore I suggest to those scoundrels to stop their criminal activity." "I warn you!" "Otherwise your position will be entirely hopeless." "Thank you for attention, gentlemen." "Ah, how interesting!" "Does it mean, that there are bandits among us?" "I wanted to scare them, although I knew that these legends will not help me." "We were cut off from the outer world and I could rely only at myself." "Wait!" "Wait, Hinckus!" " We have to talk." " About what?" "Sit down." "Of course, police tricks..." "Such is my job." "Well, Owl, talk now." "Your frank confession before investigation starts is your only chance." "You are getting confused, inspector." " What owl are you talking about?" " Is this your tool?" "I do not understand you, inspector." "What you do want?" "Think, and think quickly, it will serve you better." "Your friends will not come in time." "But the police - it will arrive now." "Take that..." "And that..." "Inspector, where did he hit you?" "Your arm?" "You were lucky, inspector." "Very lucky." "Take bottle and pour some water on his head." "He regained consciousness." "Well, Owl, will we talk?" "Damn it!" "I am sick of all this!" "Ask." "If I only knew how to answer." " Who are you?" " Have you heard about the chastisers?" " Sure!" " I am one of them." "But here!" "Here is the real horror!" "Believe me, inspector, some super-natural forces are involved." "Cut the crap!" "Stick to the point!" "Half a year ago one guy approached us." "No one knew his name." "They called him Master." "They would assign absolutely impossible tasks to him." "Do you remember the Second National Bank?" "That's his job." "But suddenly he did not want to work with us any more." "Stopped cold turkey." "Oh yes." "All that time he was a bit nuts." "He wouldn't let us to kill hostages and and actually no one." "He said we shouldn't." "That's why he had a fight with Boss." "And then he disappeared." "With his assistant and wife." "And I was ordered by Boss to find him." "And you found them here." "Who they are?" "No!" "You tell to me, who they are!" "What a man could cope with me as I were a kitten?" " And she did." " Who "she"?" "Who?" "This woman." "Mozes understood that I will not let him out alive." "So he set his wife against me." "She was approaching directly at me." "You will not believe it, but I was approaching myself!" "Until now, I do not understand, how I managed not go crazy." "Who is Olaf?" "Is he also from your gang?" "Listen, inspector!" "I know nothing about Olaf." "I did not put a finger on him." "Ihave to say, that Mozes will not kill." "He just can't do it." "That's why he did not touch me." "Is Boss coming alone?" "Nonsence!" "He always has three guys with him." "What did he intend to do with Mozes?" "To kill, of cource." "Simone, please..." "Simone!" "Open!" "Simone!" "Where are you, Simone!" "Simone!" "Simone!" "Simone!" "Simone!" "Simone!" "Simone." "Simone." "Simone disappeared." "By now it was necessary to stop Mozes at any cost." "Alex!" "Come here!" " Everything is quiet here." " Let's go." "Don't worry, inspector." "They can not reach us by car." "Do you think that terrorists do not have helicopters?" "I am surprised, that they are not here yet." "Let's go, Alex." "Don't be scared." "To the wall!" "Don't move!" "Stop this hypnosis!" "Mr. Mozes!" "You are charged with" "National Bank robbery and Olaf Andvarafors' murder." "Inspector!" "They are not people!" "They are aliens from another planet." "Yes, of course, they arrived directly from Venus!" "I don't know, where they came from." "From another universe, or from another galaxy." "Only thing I know is that they are in trouble and we have to help them." "Put off your weapon, inspector." "Mr. Mozes arrived here as an observer." "He made a fatal mistake." "He was not allowed to contact." "Yes, this is true." "But when I saw, how you live here, I broke the rule." "I wanted to help you so much." "But your life proved to be too complex for me." "Mr. Mozes was deceived!" "They enticed him to fight for the justice but it turned out that these were gangsters." "He ran into this hotel so that he could leave our planet." "Here in the mountains is our launch pad." "But landsliding destroyed the power plant, which feeded our robots." "And our pilot Luarvik was severely injured." "His spacesuit is broken and he is weakening every second." " Give them back Olaf's suitcase!" " Do not babble, Simone!" "Olaf is not killed." "Olaf is a robot." "And mrs." "Mozes is also a robot." "Do you remember, after the landsliding she was dead, and now, as you see, she is alive." "Because Mr. Mozes turned on the backup battery last night." "There is one more backup battery in the Olaf's suitcase, which feeds..." "Which feeds your sick imagination, Mr. Physicist!" "By mysticism and by fantasy it is possible to explain everything very logically." "Glebski, return them the suitcase!" "Right in front of you they will turn on Olaf and then they will leave." " I don't buy this!" " But why?" "You'd have the unbeatable proof!" "Why have you stopped talking?" "You have noting to say?" "I am not a scientist, I am a police officer." "There are too many lies about this suitcase." " Listen!" " Enough!" "Was it you, who called the police here?" "Yes, I did it." "OK." "And the note is also your job?" "Yes." "I hoped that you will be distracting Hinckus." "Of course, and you will avoid responsibility." "Bad, clumsy work." "The mask of alien does not fit you, and robots are not robots at all." "Do you want to say, that our robots are too human-like?" ""Let them talk what they want", I thought." ""Let Olaf and this woman are robots, it's even worse"." ""In the hands of terrorists they will become a horrible weapon."" "Clearly I selected poor mask for myself." "It's a pity, that I cannot show you my real face." "I know your real face, Mr. Mozes." "With the nickname Master!" "I must turn you back into the hands of law." "I stared at them, and for some reason I felt bad." "Very bad." "I dreamed about a miracle to happen." "I wanted the phone to talk and give me orders." "What to do." "What to do." "Inspector!" " Inspector!" " So, what?" "They say you can return him to the life." "No one can be returned to the life, this is fairy tales, Brun, fairy tales." "No, please listen to me!" "I beg you, please revive him!" "If Olaf is a doll, then may be I am also a doll!" "How do I know?" "Now I am really alone." "Only you can help me, only you, Mr. Inspector." "I beg you!" "Yes, I understood, that Brun is foolish freakish girl." "Hinckus is illiterate and superstitious criminal." "And Simone is half-witted physicist with crazy ideas." "But anyway I felt, that they were right, and not me." "My experience, my senses, rebelled against this truth." "Their truth seemed impossible, absurd." "In order to perform my duties as a policeman, it was necessary for me to use my entire, accumulated over forty years of work, conservatism and conformism." "A sense of duty was only thing remaining with me." "The policeman's sense of duty, embedded into my flesh and blood." "Simone!" "Go to the roof and watch the sky!" "And we with Alex will remain here, in the hall." "Luarvik is dying." "Mozes said that he will live not more than an hour." "Will you let him die, Glebsky?" "I am a policeman, and I have no right to punishment and forgiveness." "The only thing I know, that there is a law." "One law for everybody!" "According to this law your Mozes is a criminal and a killer." "And my responsibility is to deliver him to the court." "Here is the encounter of two worlds." "Just think, to arrive here, God knows from where and to meet first terrorists, and then such law enforcement officer as you, Glebsky." "I don't believe in aliens." "And if they are aliens, what's their business here?" "Observers." "What they observe, how do you think?" "And how the "observers" from other countries are called?" "Look, Simone, I am a citizen of this country." "And not simply a citizen as you, arcane chatterbox, but rather a government official with certain responsibilities!" "So, are you dreaming about another star on your shoulder straps?" "What a pity!" "A little police pawn!" "This is the only and the last time in you life, when the fate entrusted you a decision of real importance, and you behave as complete idiot!" "Key is in the pocket!" "Be quiet!" "Lel!" " You too!" " Do not move, you'll hurt yourself!" "There is no such law..." "Goodbye, people!" "Till the real contact!" "There they are!" "Damn!" "That was the end of everything." "I felt just total indifference." "Only in the depth of my heart I cowardly felt some relief." "The situation no longer depended on me." "Responsibility was taken over by others." "You see!" "You've got what you wanted!" "Policeman!" "Hero!" "Save us god and forgive." "Well?" "Why are you staring at me?" "No!" "I acted correctly." "I performed my duty." "Duty." "I did not brake law, it was sacred for me." "You are saying that this entire strange crew have died?" "Well, so what?" "Listen, let us be logical." "If they are people, then they are criminals and they got what they deserved." "If they are not criminals... but then they are not people!" "And why should I care about them, nonhumans, anyway?" "Disguised as people!" "Is it logical?" "It is logical." "Then I am right?" "Then I acted correctly!" "THE END" "Translation:" "Valentin Abramov"