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The Mephisto Waltz main poster

The Mephisto Waltz

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6.0/10 • 66

1971-04-091h 55m

Horror

...The Sound of Terror

A frustrated pianist himself, music journalist Myles Clarkson is thrilled to interview virtuoso Duncan Ely. Duncan, however, is terminally ill and not much interested in Myles until noticing that Myles' hands are ideally suited for piano. Suddenly, he can't get enough of his new friend, and Myles' wife, Paula, becomes suspicious of Duncan's intentions. Her suspicions grow when Duncan dies and Myles mysteriously becomes a virtuoso overnight.

Directors
Paul Wendkos
Writters
Ben Maddow
Editors
Ben Maddow, Richard K. Brockway

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Alan Alda

    Alan Alda

    Myles Clarkson

  2. Jacqueline Bisset

    Jacqueline Bisset

    Paula Clarkson

  3. Barbara Parkins

    Barbara Parkins

    Roxanne Delancey

  4. Bradford Dillman

    Bradford Dillman

    Bill Delancey

  5. William Windom

    William Windom

    Dr. Roger West

  6. Curd Jürgens

    Curd Jürgens

    Duncan Mowbray

  7. Kathleen Widdoes

    Kathleen Widdoes

    Maggie West

  8. Pamelyn Ferdin

    Pamelyn Ferdin

    Abby Clarkson

  9. Curt Lowens

    Curt Lowens

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Apr 28, 2022

7/10

Alan Alda as a concert pianist with a satanic anointing A music journalist in the Los Angeles area (Alda) meets an aging piano virtuoso (Curt Jurgens), not to mention his beautiful daughter (Barbara Parkins), and automatically becomes like family, but his wife isn't 'hip' with the curious situation (Jacqueline Bisset). "The Mephisto Waltz" (1971) is like "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) with slight nuances and switching the setting from an old New York City apartment building to sunny SoCal. It's on par and arguably better in some ways, especially the less one-dimensional setting, but the comic book approach to the black arts detracts. I can't help but think of Marvel's Ghost Rider, which would debut sixteen months later. Nevertheless, the ending works once you put the pieces of the puzzle together, which elicits a 'wow' reaction if you can get it (the movie makes it ambiguous). The drama is compelling and there's enough to entertain, like the wild New Year's Eve party, reminiscent of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970) but without the camp. It would influence future flicks like "Summer of Fear" (1978), "Midnight Offerings" (1981) and "The Skeleton Key" (2005). Bisset is very youthful here, 26 years-old during shooting, while the mesmerizing Parkins was 28. Meanwhile Pamelyn Ferdin as Abby was the go-to girl in the late 60s-mid 70s for TV shows and movies. For instance, you might remember her from "The Beguiled" (1971) and, earlier, the Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead." The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot in Century City, Los Angeles, with some scenes done on the nearby Pacific coast. GRADE: B

Media

  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster
  • The Mephisto Waltz poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
satanistfamily secretspianistdevilincestoccultsoul transferencedark rituals