User reviews

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.

It is important in film-making not only create an impression but also to engender some sort of gut reaction from the audience, especially in horror films. We can judge a horror film in addition to its style, by its ability to actually frighten. THE MEPHISTO WALTZ does well on this count.

The film is about a couple who is coerced into the household of rich socialite-Satanists, led by Duncan Ely, who is played by Curt Jurgens, who is pretty good here. What follows is a deadly game of cat-and-mouse between the converted and unconverted to Ely's sect. It is pretty well-written and shot, with genuine suspense and a deceptively simple use of oblique angles and soft focus to create a nightmarish atmosphere. The problem with the film is that it is too long, and domestic sequences are not poignant enough to be interesting, despite the strange Alda performance.

However, there are scary sequences of fantasy vs. reality and terror-based ideas, such as Jaquelin Bisset's realization that her dreams are reality and the pure horror of the dog attack scene. Initially director Paul Wendkos's inserts seem too jarring, but in being jarring they make the action more threatening.

I didn't really like the title sequence because it gives away too many of the nice shots we should be surprised or thrilled by later in the film. One thing that definitely adds to the suspense of the film is Jerry Goldsmith's score: it rivals Herrman's PSYCHO score for violin-fueled, full-blooded accompaniment to a horror film.

Overall, despite some problems of character development and loose ends, THE MEPHISTO WALTZ is a frightening film, and a devious twist on a concept used in such other films as THE SEVENTH VICTIM and ROSEMARY'S BABY, this one is a distinctive experience in the bizarre. Some may not like the plot's convolution, but assuredly watch if you are a fan of horror films of any connotation.

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.

Too bad this neglected horror film got lost in the wake of the similarly themed Rosemany's Baby. Modestly successful journalist Alan Alda suddenly becomes a successful concert pianist following a chance meeting with piano virtuoso Duncan Ely (Curt Jergens) and his darkly seductive daughter, Roxanne (Barbara Parkins). His growing involvement with the wealthy family and their strange friends eventually comes between Alda and his loving wife, Paula (Jackie Bissett). As sinister events unravel, Paula is drawn deeper into a web of diabolic happenings until the threads come together in a surprising and oddly gratifying climax.

The script is tight and well-thought out, with the exception of Dillman's role as Roxanne's ex-husband. After all, if the diabolists are so sexually compelling, how could he divorce her. And though director Paul Wendkos occasionally goes overboard with the camera tricks, the scenes are stylishly done, especially the banquet with its snatches of pretentious banter, and the New Years party with its erotic grotesqueries bound to end in an orgy. And underneath it all lies an undercurrent of evil, even during the brightest splashes of sunlight.

Though Alda gets star billing, it's actually Bissett's movie, which she carries off in finely shaded fashion. Her scenes with the ominously silent Roxanne (just count Parkins' few lines) amount to an exquisite model of civilized contempt, minus the fisticuffs. Alda too, shines, as he acts out Ely's imperious manner at just the right moments, proving in those pre-MASH days that he was more than the humorously caustic Hawkeye Pierce.

As good as the movie is, I can't help wondering if it might have been even better had the mystery not been exposed as early as it is. Suppose the script had skipped the transference ritual and simply had Alda take on Ely's characteristics without explanation, such that the audience would have to ponder what's going on, instead of having it handed to them. There may have been good reasons for not taking this mystery route, but at least it's worth considering.

Still and all, Waltz remains a fine example of movie horror done in both color and sunny surroundings, and with a lot of style and conviction. Too bad, it's slipped into movieland's version of yester-year oblivion. It deserves better. And, if nothing else, the script raises the scary question of whether dogs really are man's (woman's) best friend.

Whatever moral issues exist in this strange tale of the occult, they vanish as soon as you accept the premise of this story--that a woman would kill another to repossess her husband with both of them in the guise of someone else's body!! It's about as weird as any Tales from the Crypt!

On the plus side, all of it is stylishly photographed and played with a certain amount of relish, at least by Jacqueline Bisset, Curt Jurgens and Bradford Dillman. Biggest flaw is casting Alan Alda in the central role as the pianist who inherits the musical talent of Curt Jurgens when the Satanist dies, bequeathing Alda with his body and soul. Bisset is the wife who slowly comes to suspect that her husband has been taken over by someone else.

Not quite as strikingly original as "Rosemary's Baby", it does have some effective horror moments, notably involving scenes with a rather ferocious black dog and a scene where the Devil is summoned but we never actually see him. Imagination is given free reign here (at least fleetingly), shades of Val Lewton. Perhaps a technique that should have been used more often throughout.

None of it quite makes sense and the ending is a distinct letdown, but there are some chilling moments nevertheless. Bisset and Parkins are beautifully photographed, with Bisset coming out ahead in the acting department, playing the stressed out wife with appropriate fear and tension. Parkins, on the other hand, seems to rely on one frozen expression, sleepwalking through her role, relying solely on her looks to get by in a way that Hedy Lamarr was often accused of doing in films of the '40s.

As for Alan Alda, he is much too bland, lending neither interest nor credibility to a role that demands a strong romantic lead. His career suggests that he is clearly more comfortable in character roles requiring comic flair, not straight dramatic parts. Bradford Dillman is at least a stronger presence in a lesser role.

All in all, not bad for watching when you're in the mood for a tale of the occult. I seem to recall enjoying the book years ago and the film doesn't quite measure up. It emerges as one of those films that could have been much more satisfying with better casting and direction.

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.

A colorful piece of 1970's California Gothic, which despite a very thin story and constant silliness, succeeds to entertain rather well. I don't think the makers of the movie bothered with logic and all that too much either, so why should we then? Like in so many horror films this kind the plot moves in such rapid pace between the creepiness and laughable, that it's better just to lean back and enjoy.

There's still plenty to awe beginning with Jacqueline Bisset, truly one of the most gorgeous looking actresses in movies ever. Some viewers seem to find it hard to accept Alan Alda interesting enough to have his soul taken over by the evil and physical side lusted after by two ladies that beautiful. I think he's doing quite well and let's face it, it seems to be only his perfect piano player's hands that get him the job for starters. After all, he's only one more pawn in the game as all the characters are. Everybody wants something that seems terribly important to he or her, get it by a terrible way and end up as a victim one way or another. In the end when several souls and bodies have been switched it really doesn't matter anymore. A good cast and a director have done their entertaining trick once again.

The most memorable things after Jacqueline Bisset are the usual charismatic appearance of Curt Jurgens and the use of masks and strange blue goo during the invocation ceremonies. I mean, what was that stuff, anyway? I want to buy and try some. See this creepily funny movie and try to find out.

Quinn Martin's only feature film didn't even make it into the entry on erstwhile auteur Paul Wendkos in the revised edition of Sarris. The script namedrops Mozart and Liszt but 'Bluebeard's Castle' is a far more apt comparison.

Obviously made to cash in on 'Rosemary's Baby' it depicts another pair of young newlyweds who befriend a pair of satanists, husband Curt Jurgens lamenting that "People should be born at seventy and live their life backwards. The present arrangement just doesn't make sense!"

It's pretty stylish in a TV movie sort of way (although it goes on far too long and the slow motion, soft focus and fish eye lens rather dates it) and the ending's neat; but the moment I personally found most shocking was Jaqueline Bisset defacing a newspaper in a reference library.

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.

Mephisto Waltz is a marvelous piano work by Franz Listz, and as described by Ducan Ely (Curt Jurgen), the dance of the devil with his paramours. In the early 70s, the fad of devil worship by the Hollywood Hills flower power generation was rampant chic, and into this setting stumbles naive Miles Clarkson (Alan Alda), a music journalist, and his wary wife, Paula (Jacqueline Bisset). An opportune interview with the great romantic concert pianist, Ely opens the door for Miles to return to the musical stage he left after his failed graduation concert at Julliard. But it is Clarkson's hands which draw Ely's attention -- his spread over the keys is necessary for a great pianist, a point he emphasizes to his stunning and incestuous daughter, Roxanne DeLancy (Barbara Parkins). Although arrogant, Ely draws Miles into his closest circle of swingers with champagne, dinners, and raucous holiday parties that Miles quickly adopts. Disclosing that he is dying of leukemia, Roxanne's incantations with blue oil transfer the dying older man into the younger man's body, with sexually stimulating results for Paula, and overt interference by Roxanne into their marriage bed.

Subtle performances by Parkins and Bisset set the stage for the ultimate cat fight for the new Miles' body, which for devil worshipers is the ultimate lover. Alda's transformation from mild mannered Miles to alpha male Duncan is convincing as is the excellent performance of Curt Jurgen. But it is the discussion of god is dead, the devil is hip, and dogs with human head masks make this film a gem and wonderful slice of horror storytelling before slasher nonsense overtook the film industry. Body snatching, incest, and Satanic cults among the Hollywood beautiful people seem tame compared with the reality of the Manson family horror murders in the hills that took place only two years earlier. Nevertheless, the Mephisto Waltz makes for fun watching if only to see two of the most beautiful women of the era on screen with Hawkeye Pierce.

A music journalist in the Los Angeles area (Alda) meets an aging piano virtuoso (Curt Jurgens), not to mention his beautiful daughter (Barbara Parkins), and automatically becomes like family, but his wife isn't 'hip' with the curious situation (Jacqueline Bisset).

"The Mephisto Waltz" (1971) is like "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) with slight nuances and switching the setting from an old New York City apartment building to sunny SoCal. It's on par and arguably better in some ways, especially the less one-dimensional setting, but the comic book approach to the black arts detracts. I can't help but think of Marvel's Ghost Rider, which would debut sixteen months later. Nevertheless, the ending works once you put the pieces of the puzzle together, which elicits a 'wow' reaction if you can get it (the movie makes it ambiguous).

The drama is compelling and there's enough to entertain, like the wild New Year's Eve party, reminiscent of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970) but without the camp. It would influence future flicks like "Summer of Fear" (1978), "Midnight Offerings" (1981) and "The Skeleton Key" (2005).

Bisset is very youthful here, 26 years-old during shooting, while the mesmerizing Parkins was 28. Meanwhile Pamelyn Ferdin as Abby was the go-to girl in the late 60s-mid 70s for TV shows and movies. For instance, you might remember her from "The Beguiled" (1971) and, earlier, the Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead."

The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot in Century City, Los Angeles, with some scenes done on the nearby Pacific coast.

GRADE: B.

Well acted, and with twists and turns that will keep you watching. Effects could have been better, but what can one expect in 1971. The ending wasn't complete, and a sequel would have made the experience better.

Ridiculous occult thriller does have the benefit of featuring two beautiful women at its center: Jacqueline Bisset is the nice girl fighting Satan-worshipper Barbara Parkins over Alan Alda...Alan Alda?! Seems Alda, a mild-mannered music-journalist, has had his body taken over supernaturally, but Alan Alda as an actor offers no mystery or charisma--it isn't even hidden--and when he's in the clutches of evil his idea of playing possessed is to go all stony. Bisset tries creating an actual character here, and her suspicions are intriguing, but the director lets her down with too many melodramatic scenes (panting in a cleavage-baring wrap, etc.). Biggest mystery of all is how these actors got involved with such a nitwit script, which includes a preposterous dog attack sequence and an insulting role for a young child (Pamelyn Ferdin). One good visual moment: a decadent devil party with Parkins leading around a masked hound (good for a quick shudder), but the plot itself is laughable. *1/2 from ****

Quinn Martin Productions venture into theatrical films as opposed to its television work is a tidy little entry in the Satanic genre which the late 1960s and early 1970s were chock full of and it is sad that we do not see such films today.

The stunning beauty Barbara Parkins and the irrepressible Curt Jürgens steal the show and turn in performances that dwarf the rest of the cast. This is a low budget film and yet without all of today's special effects it is readily more thrilling and frightening than the typical horror film of contemporary American film.

Thank heavens it is on DVD I saw it originally and now eagerly seek to have it for my collection.

If you can believe that two gorgeous women like Jackie Bisset and Barbara Parkins would fight over Alan Alda . . .

Alda's shambling gracelessness lends little credibility to this movie but when he is off-screen, although it does not rival the Ripley/Alien slug-fest in Aliens, there is enough acceptable conflict between Bisset and Parkins give this movie some distinction. Oh, yeah, Curt Jurgens is pretty good, too.

Anyone who compares this film to Rosemary's Baby apparently never saw the latter. While RB is a great classic, this looks like a cheap movie-of-the-week, complete with a bad acting, a confusing plot, a loud, intrusive score, bad lighting, and a few naughty bits to entice customers in. There were good actors in this who did better movies and I'll bet few of them included this laughable turkey on their resume.