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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Tajna Kara-Tau remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for grainy, silent-era style cinematography and don't mind a movie that moves at the pace of a slow-climbing mule. If you want fast cuts and modern logic, skip it. If you like watching people stare intensely at maps while wearing very dusty coats, you might actually dig this.
The whole thing feels like a time capsule that someone left out in the sun for too long. You get these long, sweeping shots of the mountains that are genuinely impressive, even if the film stock is fighting you every step of the way.
The cast, including Vladimir Gardin, carries that heavy, stoic energy you only really find in movies from this specific era. There isn't much dialogue to hide behind, so everything is told through squinted eyes and dramatic pointing at rock formations.
I found myself wondering if they were actually cold, or if that was just the flickering projection making them look miserable. It feels authentically harsh.
It’s nowhere near as frantic as Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities, and thank god for that. Sometimes you need a film that just lets you sit in the dirt for a while. It’s not trying to be a blockbuster like Unconquered, which is probably a good thing.
The middle section gets a little bogged down. The group just sort of… wanders. It’s not really "exploring" so much as it is "getting lost with conviction."
Still, there’s something charming about how earnest the whole production is. They really wanted you to believe in the mystery of these mountains. Even if the "secret" is a bit underwhelming, the commitment is real.
Maybe don't watch this on a Friday night when you're tired. It’s a Sunday afternoon kind of watch. The kind where you keep the lights low and just let the flickering shadows do the work. 🏔️
