The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Just what I expected

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A different way of telling a story

Entertaining movie, but rather dumb towards the end, due to extreme leaps in logic. I haven't read the book this was based on, so maybe the actions of the wife at the end make better sense in print, but I highly doubt it. Basically, Jacqueline Bisset loses Alan Alda and his body to Curt Jurgens, so she takes over Barbara Parkin's body so she can still be with Alan Alda's body, even though Alan Alda's body now comes with Curt Jurgens inside, like swapping Pentium for Athlon - Alan Alda is no longer running the system.So this question remains: is Alan Alda's body so hot that no matter who he is now, Jacqueline Bisset has to have it no matter what?

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).

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.

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.