Based on the novel by Fred Mustard Stewart, THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971) hit the theaters in a continuation of the 1960's fascination with the occult and witchcraft. Being interested in such subjects at the time, I enjoyed the film, although for some reason, it seemed like I was watching a TV movie on the big screen. It just had that look and feel. The effective score by Jerry Goldsmith raises the film up a notch.
The reviews were largely positive (not overwhelming) except for Roger Ebert's skewering: "If a horror movie is to be taken seriously, it has to pretend to take horror seriously. And this one doesn't. It reduces magic to a simpleminded ritual that anyone can perform: all our heroine has to do is steal some funny blue stuff and read pig Latin out of a book. The magic works for her, too.
"The casting (Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins, Curt Jurgens) is expensive, and so is the production. But you get the notion that the people who made the film didn't take magic seriously enough. I don't mean they should believe in it; but they should have made a film that pretended to."
Today THE MEPHISTO WALTZ is considered average occult horror movie fare and doesn't seem to agree with most reviewers. However, like many other films of this type it should be assessed by the time in which is was made, and with that thought, I feel it's worth a watch.
This synopsis from allmovie.com, sums up the story:
Adapted from a Fred Mustard Stewart novel, this offbeat occult thriller stars Alan Alda (just prior to his eleven-year stint on M*A*S*H) as journalist and burgeoning musician Myles Clarkson, whose long-sought interview with ailing concert pianist (and closet Satanist) Duncan Ely (Curt Jurgens) leads to a mysterious ritual in which Ely's soul is transferred into Clarkson's body at the moment of the elder man's death. Further complications ensue when Myles' wife Paula (Jacqueline Bisset) discovers the none-too-subtle change in her husband's behavior, and she is pulled deeper into Ely's twisted circle. The plot thickens as further soul-swapping, dark family secrets, and demonic possession come into play. A heavy sense of doom pervades this bizarre film, thanks to some offbeat cinematography and eerie music, as well as some truly shocking setpieces courtesy of prolific TV director Paul Wendkos, who helmed the excellent Legend of Lizzie Borden. The prosaic Alda lacks the dangerous edge his character demands, but Bisset's performance is chillingly effective.
Below is the one-sheet poster and lobby cards. Following is a Jacqueline Bisset gallery, who, along with the dark beauty Barbara Parkins, added some welcome glamour to the proceedings.
See my THE MEPHISTO WALTZ scrapbook post HERE.
Gorgeous! You show great restraint in not including at least one shot from her spectacular eye-popping appearance in "The Deep".
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