Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

sanjidparvez 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.

ctomvelu1 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.

AZINDN 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.

dougdoepke 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.