The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

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.

A good cast and a clever storyline help to make this supernatural spooker a bit better than your average kind of fare. Short on actual supernatural content (a few weird dream sequences are all we get) and long on conversations, this is unfortunately let down by an overly wordy script which makes the film quite hard to watch, as it goes on so long as well.On the plus side, it is a seventies film, which means there are a number of weird psychedelic visuals and some awful and absurd fashions to enjoy. There are a few chills too from the ROSEMARY'S BABY-style plot which shows just how powerful Satanism can be. The acting is all of a high standard, from Jacqueline Bisset as the tough heroine who won't be killed, to the scene-stealing Curt Jurgens as the rich but sinister pianist. However it's Alan Alda who carries the film as the mild-mannered everyday kind of man who gets a soul transformation, he may not be totally believable but he's fun to watch. Barbara Parkins is also good and unlikeable as the fiery Satanist while '70s fave Bradford Dillman is an unfortunate victim of the Satanic cult.While THE MEPHISTO WALTZ has a few scattered good moments (the dog with the human mask, the weird dreams, the twist ending) it never reaches the scale of becoming a full-fledged classic, which is unfortunate. If you're a fan of psychological horror though, then this one might just be for you.

***SPOILERS*** It's when music reporter Myles Clarkson, Alan Alda, interviews world's famous pianist Drunken Duncan Ely, Curd Jurgens,he didn't quite realize what he was getting into. At first treating Myles like a member of the great unwashed Duncan in noticing his hands, that looked like a pair of catchers mitts, suddenly changed his opinion about him. Seeing that he has the talent to replace him behind the piano and in not having long to live Duncan, a closet Satanist, decided to have Myles replace him after he died and met his master--The Big Man-in the world underneath. What Duncan planned to do it through the black arts have a body transplant by having Myles become him, In Myles body, after he passes away which wasn't that far in the future.It turns out that Myles wife Paula, Jackien Bisset, smells a rat in her husband becoming a world famous pianist after his "Mentor" Drunken Duncan passed away as well as getting very touchy feely with Duncan's daughter, also a closet Satanist, Roxanne,Barbara Perkins. It was Roxanne's ex-husband Bill Delancey, Bradford Dillman, who check out on her when he found out that the couples stillborn baby wasn't his! It soon becomes apparent to Paula that she's in deep trouble in that beside her husband leaving her for a career as a concert pianist he's also starting up a romantic relationship with Roxanne as well. The last straw was when Paula's 8 year old daughter Abby, Pamelyn Fredin, got deathly ill and died after Roxanne put a hex-blue dot-on her head while she was asleep.****SPOILERS****Paula getting the inside dope on both Roxanne as well as her deceased father Drunken Duncan from her ex-husband Bill is told to lay off if she knows what's good for her but doesn't. That in the end seals her-as well as Bill's- fate with Paula in trying to fight fire with fire or Satanism with Satanism and ends up getting burned in return. The ending is a bit too much to take with what looked like a dead Roxanne, after Paula brained her with a wrench, coming back from the dead and doing, or having her do herself, Paula in and ending up in Myles' or really her lecherous father's Drunken Duncan's arms. Trying to be a "Rosemary's Baby" wannabe it , the movie "The Mephisto Waltz", falls flat on its face replacing the baby with a piano or piniest but it did have it's lighter and funnier sides: That with a party thrown by Drunken Duncan having his pet devil dog Robin appear wearing a William Shatner Halloween mask to hide his identity from the party goers.

This 1971 movie is pretty difficult to define, and thus, difficult to judge. Very quickly, the storyline: a famous pianist (Duncan Ely, played by Curd Jürgens) is about to die. In order to avoid his death, he decides to practice an occult ritual, allowing his spirit to be kept intact in another man's body (played by Alan Alda). Is there another way to say it? This movie is just really well made. Not afraid to combine the codes of many different genres (horror, thriller, mystery...), the director Paul Wendkos managed to build up an amazing atmosphere, beautiful and macabre at the same time.This is why the cinematography, being indubitably the strenght of this film, keeps the viewer captivated. Every shot could be a painting I'd like to see in my house. The nightmares, the fake relationships between characters, the depraved parties organized by Duncan Ely, everything leaves the viewer unsure of the reality of what he sees.But even with such a mysterious atmosphere, the suspense and the rhythm of the storyline get a bit dull at times. And, although most of the actors give a great performance (especially Curd Jürgens), some characters tend to have odd reactions to some dramatic events. But then again, it might have been deliberately chosen by the director...A strange movie, but a must-see for the fans of films like "Don't Look Now" (1973) or Lucio Fulci's "The Psychic" (1977).