| The Mephisto Waltz | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Wendkos |
| Produced by | Quinn Martin Productions |
| Written by | Ben Maddow Fred Mustard Stewart (novel) |
| Starring | Alan Alda Jacqueline Bisset Barbara Parkins Bradford Dillman William Windom Curt Jurgens |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | William W. Spencer |
| Editing by | Richard K. Brockway |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (1971) |
| Release date(s) | January 21, 1972 , Denmark |
| Running time | 115 min. |
| Language | English |
The Mephisto Waltz is a 1971 American horror film about an occult-murder mystery. It was directed by Paul Wendkos and starred Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins, Bradford Dillman and Curt Jürgens. The name of the movie is taken from the piano work by Franz Liszt of the same name (see Mephisto Waltzes).
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Myles Clarkson, long ago frustrated in his hope for a career as a pianist, is now a music journalist and interviews Duncan Ely, perhaps the world's greatest virtuoso on the instrument. At first annoyed with Myles's presence, Duncan soon takes notice that Myles's hands seem perfect for the piano. From that point, Duncan and his adult daughter, Roxanne, strongly pursue a friendship with Myles and his wife Paula. Paula does not much like Duncan and especially dislikes Roxanne. While Paula is disturbed by the level of attention being paid to them by Duncan and his daughter, Myles is honored to be considered a friend by Duncan, who is dying of leukemia. Unbeknown to Myles and Paula, Duncan and Roxanne are Satanists. As Duncan's physical body nears its end, father and daughter perform an occult ritual which transfers Duncan's consciousness into Myles's body.
Myles's ensuing change in personality, which includes his now being able to play the piano as well as had Duncan, is noticed by Paula, but she is initially unsuspecting of the cause. Though confused by the change in her husband, she also finds his new persona exciting and attractive. Soon, Myles is pursuing a career as a pianist, and is so successful that he is able to take over Duncan's concert schedule. Meanwhile, Paula has a disturbing nightmare in which she envisions Duncan telling her that he must kill Abby, the pre-adolescent daughter of Myles and Paula. Duncan tells her that he doesn't want to harm the girl, but that his Master has insisted upon it as "part of the bargain". Upon waking, Paula dismisses this as only a dream, but immediately thereafter, Abby takes ill and dies.
Abby's death sparks in Paula a further suspicion of Roxanne. As Myles seems to drift away from her into his new career, Paula investigates Roxanne's background. This includes visiting Roxanne's ex-husband, Bill, and a romantic relationship begins to form between the two. Paula eventually becomes fully convinced that Duncan and Roxanne struck a deal with Satan to enable them to pursue an incestuous relationship with one another, that they have placed Duncan's consciousness into her husband's body, and that they are responsible for Abby's death.
Soon, Bill dies in an apparent accident, and Paula herself nearly meets a similar fate. This leaves Paula certain that Roxanne and Duncan (in Myles's body) killed Bill and fearful that they will continue to try to eliminate her because she is aware of the truth about them. Further, she resolves that regardless of who the man inhabiting her husband's body truly is, she wants to be with that man. As a result, she turns to Satanism herself and strikes her own bargain with the devil. She then attacks Roxanne, knocks her unconscious, and employs the same dark magic that Duncan and Roxanne had used against Myles. Paula transfers her own consciousness into Roxanne's body, leaving her own body dead of an apparent suicide.
In Roxanne's body, Paula returns to Duncan/Myles, who happily informs her of Paula's suicide. Without telling him who she really is, she embraces him, enthralled with the excitement of the beginning of their new relationship.
Ben Maddow adapted his screenplay from the novel of the same name by Fred Mustard Stewart.
The film was the only big-screen work of veteran TV producer, Quinn Martin.
Exteriors were shot on location along the Pacific coast in California; the book took place in New York.
The film, which was a Quinn Martin Production, was originally given a cinematic release by Twentieth Century-Fox. In 1975 CBS acquired the distribution rights and aired it on television. It was released by CBS/FOX home video on VHS format in 1989 . The film has since been re-released again in both DVD and VHS by CBS Home Video in 2007.
The film was noted for its stylistic imagery and soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. All Movie Guide noted Alan Alda's performance as the film's only weak point, praising the "offbeat cinematography", "truly shocking setpieces", and Jacqueline Bisset's "chillingly effective" performance, stating that these elements build a pervading sensation of doom.[1] The New York Times gave the film a poor review.
Varese Sarabande issued an album of Jerry Goldsmith's score in 1997, paired with a suite from his score for The Other.
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