{"id":3174,"date":"2007-05-10T12:43:11","date_gmt":"2007-05-10T19:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3174"},"modified":"2022-04-23T09:28:29","modified_gmt":"2022-04-23T16:28:29","slug":"mephisto-waltz-the-1971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3174","title":{"rendered":"Mephisto Waltz, The (1971)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I happen to be the greatest pianist alive, and I&#8217;ll tell you this, Mr. Myles Clarkson: hands like yours are one in a hundred thousand.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Poster-190x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Poster-190x300.jpg 190w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Poster.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nDying concert pianist Duncan Ely (Curt Jurgens) and his daughter (Barbara Parkins) use satanic powers to transfer Ely&#8217;s soul into the body of music journalist Myles Clarkson (Alan Alda). Clarkson&#8217;s wife (Jacqueline Bisset) becomes disturbed by her husband&#8217;s change of character, and when their daughter Abby (Pamelyn Ferdin) dies suddenly, she begins to suspect witchcraft.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Curt Jurgens Films<\/li>\n<li>Demonic Possession<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Jacqueline Bisset Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicians<\/li>\n<li>Pact With the Devil<\/li>\n<li>Satanists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nBased on a novel by <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fred_Mustard_Stewart\">Fred Mustard Stewart<\/a>, this demonic thriller is regarded by many as simply a second-rate imitation of <em>Rosemary&#8217;s Baby<\/em> (1968); indeed, many elements of the story &#8212; as well as director Paul Wendkos&#8217; choice of cinematic devices &#8212; echo its famous precursor. On its own terms, <em>Mephisto Waltz<\/em> remains a visually sumptuous yet not entirely satisfying tale of demonic possession. I enjoyed seeing Alan Alda with an evil glint in his eye, and Curt Jurgens (who makes a brief appearance in the beginning of the film) is perfectly cast as the egotistical pianist intent on maintaining his talent beyond death. Less noteworthy are the performances by the female leads: while Bisset does a decent job as Alda&#8217;s jealous wife, we never really care for her, and Parkins is similarly icy and reserved. The best aspect of the film remains the titular musical piece; Franz Liszt&#8217;s meaty, dissonant composition may be the best evocation ever of a pact with the devil. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Curt Jurgens as Duncan Ely<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens.jpg 624w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens-128x74.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Jurgens-468x270.jpg 468w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Alan Alda as Myles Clarkson<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"347\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda.jpg 625w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda-128x71.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/Mephisto-Waltz-Alda-486x270.jpg 486w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A haunting, appropriately satanic score<\/li>\n<li>The convoluted, yet satisfying, twist ending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. This one is only must-see viewing for fans of films on witchcraft.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0067419\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1971\/04\/10\/archives\/the-mephisto-waltz.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-mephisto-waltz-1971\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fosteronfilm.com\/horror\/witches\/mephisto.htm\">Foster on Film Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/73079.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I happen to be the greatest pianist alive, and I&#8217;ll tell you this, Mr. Myles Clarkson: hands like yours are one in a hundred thousand.&#8221; Synopsis: Dying concert pianist Duncan Ely (Curt Jurgens) and his daughter (Barbara Parkins) use satanic powers to transfer Ely&#8217;s soul into the body of music journalist Myles Clarkson (Alan Alda). Clarkson&#8217;s wife (Jacqueline Bisset) becomes disturbed by her husband&#8217;s change of character, and when their daughter Abby (Pamelyn Ferdin) dies suddenly, she begins to suspect&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3174\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3174"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83263,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3174\/revisions\/83263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}