Balada Para Satã

Very strongly reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby in substance and style, and why not? When did Hollywood not endear itself to cash-ins of other popular films? Jackie Bissett got to do two of them - this one and The Deep.

She's great in both. Everyone else is very good, but for Alan Alda, who is merely adequate. Funny, even Bradford Dillman is better here, but then Alda wasn't yet into his stride. This almost reeks of TV movie entrapments, it's a Quinn Martin production, but manages to overcome most of them with a fairly literate denouement.

There's the momentary lapse into trite dialog, and silliness, as exhibited by a trip to Mexico where entry into Mexico is announced by a painted billboard on a two-lane highway running past a park with water sprinklers going and with no border guards nor line of cars. Believe me, I went to Mexico in 1971 both from San Diego and inland Calexico, and there was no such sweetheart road of entry.

Well, watch it and you'll see what I mean. It's worth a view just for the great opening credits.

A good plot similar to HP Lovecraft's "The thing on the doorstep" without the "innsmouth look" of Asenath but with the body swapping of devil worshippers attempting an eternal leapfrog through history using others bodies . Violence is kept to a minimum the required evil for this horror is amply supplied by absentee devil who's decadent servants plot and dissemble to increase their own worth , chilling dreams of the blue wax applying witches are the best moments. Alan Alda's performance was believably naive and overshadowed by a masterful and compelling kurt jurgens dry self absorbed and above the pettiness of his guests . Miss Blisset charming, beautiful ."The Ninth gate" , "The night of the demon" may be better films but would happily keep company on the same shelf.

Myles Clarkson (Alan Alda) interviews world-renown pianist Duncan Ely (Curd Jürgens). He's a music journalist married to Paula (Jacqueline Bisset). Duncan takes an interest in his hands. He was a pianist before giving it up as a career. Duncan's daughter Roxanne (Barbara Parkins) is also interested in him. Paula grows suspicious.

This is fine. I like the premise but the movie is a bit too long. The story only supports a 90 minute movie at most. Two hours is too much. This horror story fits better as an hour long episode. It could use some mystery. If the story is told from Paula's point of view, the audience can discover the horrible secret along with her. All in all, this is fine.

Another variation on the damnation of Faust ,this waltz borrows from "mad love" -particularly the French version ("the hands of Orlac" ) starring Mel Ferrer as a pianist -and mainly from Levin's "Rosemary's baby" :the new friends whom the husband (Alda) find nice and helpful whereas the wife finds them intrusive :the "bargain " is even worse than in Polanski's movie.

The "supernatural " scenes are not convincing (nothing to match Rosemary's nightmare) ,but Jacqueline Bisset is an excellent actress (on the other hand ,Alan Alda is inexpressive, the changing in his personality does not really show) who carries the movie on her shoulders, and she gets strong support from Barbara Perkins as disturbing Roxanne and seasoned German actor Curd Jurgens.

Add a good final twist : you do not realize at once what really happened.

At least two people below comment on the frequent appearance of the boom mike in this film. To clarify, that is the fault of the TV company / Video company for screening the film in the wrong aspect ratio. It is not the fault of the filmmakers. If you saw this film in the cinema there would be no boom mike since the top of the frame would be masked off by the lens gate. The TV company is showing you the full frame of the picture which should not be all visible to the audience.