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Simply A Masterpiece

hyped garbage

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Based on Fred Mustard Stewart's novel of the same name and directed by Paul Wendkos, THE MEPHISTO WALTZ was an under-appreciated early 70s gem that got lost into the shadow of other greater & renowned masterpieces of the same era. By the time Twentieth Century Fox gave it a theatrical release under the Quinn Martin Production, the audience already seen Roman Polanski's ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968); and mostly because of both the movies shared a familiar theme in the story that set around a satanic cult ran by a large group of high society people, THE MEPHISTO WALTZ criminally received negative responses from the critics & the moviegoers "for being just another Rosemary's Baby-wannabe". But other than having the devil worshipers into the story, this movie actually delivers quite a different & superbly twisted tale of its own. This time the devil offers a different deal for his followers than physically invading the world in a human form i.e. Rosemary's Baby or THE OMEN. Although it wasn't as flawless as those popular horror classics were but still Mephisto Waltz was like many other Bava inspired late 60s & early 70s horror movies that's strikingly colorful, yet able to make the atmosphere effectively work as the story progress frame by frame. There was this weird New Year's Eve party at the earlier phase of the movie where someone was walking around with a dog with an eerily accurate and realistic human head mask of William Shatner, that later worn by Michael Myers in the original, John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978) (info source: IMDb trivia). And not only that, the bizarre rituals and some psychedelic visuals at the nightmare sequences with chilling scores done by Jerry Goldsmith made it a fantastic experience that may remind you of some Fulci & Argento classics as well. Like I said already, it wasn't entirely flawless…Alan Alda's performance was criticized as at times he indeed kind of felt like 'not so quite in there' mode in compare to admirable performances coming from the other end. Jacqueline Bisset on the lead carried the story as beautifully as she looked throughout the whole movie. Her stunning, gorgeous looks & the way she smartly portrayed the character made me think of she could be a great Bond girl for that memorable 007 era when it was shifting over from Sean Connery's legacy to Roger Moore's decades; even the wealthy pianist played by Curt Jergens later appeared as the main Bond villain for THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). I think mainly because of the running time issue, the film noticeably rushed over a significant segment in the middle where the Clarkson couple losses a very important family member; their reactions regarding the loss & grief were downright questionable & kinda funny also. But the strongest segment of this underrated occult, horror-thriller was its climax. The finale was a real shocker and went into an area that I didn't see coming. All I can say without spoiling anything that you'd never see an ending like this today in a studio horror film for sure ;) It's an ending that may initially make you think why or how the hell he/she could make that choice but if you take a quick look back into the story then you'll surely find plenty of hints that surprisingly somehow makes everything sense and made it work in a weird way.I think a remake by Darren Aronofsky would be interesting with Ben Affleck portraying Alan Alda's role, Emily Blunt reprising Paula (Jacqueline Bisset's character), Bill Nighy as Duncan Ely and Rosamund Pike as his daughter Roxanne.

I enjoyed this and am pretty sure I have never seen it before. This is rather surprising given my interest in horror films particularly of the satanic bent but then this film seems to have suffered general neglect, probably due to several other and possibly better such films at this time. I liked the stylish opening credits and the Jerry Goldsmith score immediately and was similarly held throughout. Director, Paul Wendkos worked mainly for television and there are scenes here that have that rather flat, studio bound look. In the main though, helped especially by great performances from Jacqueline Bisset and Barbara Parkins, not forgetting a splendid central role from Curt Jurgens, this has a certain majesty about it. One is drawn in by a string of nasty and mysterious happenings and certainly my attention was held throughout. There was a promise all the time of a big satanic scene which never really happens but then there is the most wonderful and scary party scene that could have been longer as I don't think I have ever seen the like.

Tame occult mystery about soul transference. Shot much like a TV movie, which should come as no surprise when you know that Quinn Martin produced it. Jackie Bisset, a woman of incredible beauty but no discernible acting talent, is married to failed pianist-turned-music journalist Alan Alda. Alda goes to interview keyboard master Curt Jurgens, who is dying of leukemia. Unknown to Alda, Jurgens also is a satanist on the lookout for a new, younger body -=- someone who can also play the piano. Ice queen Barbara Parkins plays Jurgens' daughter, who also is a satanist. The movie could have used some violence (beyond one scene of a dog attacking Bisset) and nudity to spice it up for the guys in the audience. I would call this a chick flick that happens to involve the occult.

"Rosemary's Baby" must have influenced a lot of films that were sucked into its wake, and this is one of them. A normal couple -- the beautiful wife, Jacqueline Bissett, the husband, Alan Alda, a not-quite-fulfilled professional pianist -- are invited to the home of a weird couple -- a mysterious Curt Jurgens who dresses all in black and is a little too friendly, his daughter the gorgeous Barbara Parkins who also dresses in black and ties her hair severely back and never smiles. They're pretty witchy already and we don't even know them.Jurgens is a virtuoso on the piano himself and takes a great interest in Alda's career. He dies of leukemia and leaves his estate to Alda and to his daughter. There are dream sequences. There are ALWAYS dream sequences in these kinds of movies. Or ARE they dreams? In "Rosemary's Baby," they were a mixture of dreams and half-awake fantasies. Here -- ditto. There is also a guy on the outside who wants to be helpful and pays the price that Maurice Evans paid in "Rosemary's Baby." I won't go on. Jurgens' soul is transferred by means of perfumes, pentagons, candles, and chants into the body of Alan Alda, who begins to make it with Barbara Parkins. That would make perfect sense, except that it means the soul of Jurgens is schtupping his own daughter and -- well, even then.... It still makes sense if you remember what Barbara Parkins looked like.On the other hand, it means that Alan Alda is ignoring the needs of his own wife, the supernal Jackie Bissett. Why can't he do both of them? The mind reels with possibilities.I see I'm kind of skipping over the plot but there's not much in it that will surprise you if you've seen "Rosemary's Baby." I don't mean to imply that everything is ripped of from that original template. Not at all. The ending -- in which a good person sacrifices his (or her) life for the salvation of another -- is ripped off from "The Exorcist." Oh, the TV guide says that there is "brief nudity." There is in fact brief nudity, but it's nice brief nudity.The musical score is freaky and disturbing -- dark, tumbling, jagged with dissonant chords that strike out of the murk like flashes of lightning -- enough to drive you mad. I kind of liked it. If you can have a Dance Macabre, why not a Mephisto Waltz? It's apt too. Faust sold his soul to Mephistopheles to have his wishes granted, and that's what Alan Alda does here, though, to be sure, in Alda's case he'd been subject to an enhanced pitch and the deal was signed while he was evidently asleep.