The Mephisto Waltz 1971 123movies

Watch: The Mephisto Waltz 1971 123movies, Full Movie Online – Myles Clarkson, a classical piano player on the rise, befriends Duncan Mowbray Ely, a famous player himself who is at death’s door. Unknown to Clarkson, Ely is a Satanist, who arranges to have their souls switch places at his death, so that he can be young again and continue to play piano..
Plot: 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.
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Ratings:

	6.0/10 Votes: 2,848
	63% | RottenTomatoes
	47/100 | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 48 Popularity: 5.614 | TMDB

Reviews:

Jacqueline Bisset is the main reason for watching this retread of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’…
Whatever moral issues exist in this strange tale of the occult, they vanish as soon as you accept the premise of this story–that a woman would kill another to repossess her husband with both of them in the guise of someone else’s body!! It’s about as weird as any Tales from the Crypt!

On the plus side, all of it is stylishly photographed and played with a certain amount of relish, at least by Jacqueline Bisset, Curt Jurgens and Bradford Dillman. Biggest flaw is casting Alan Alda in the central role as the pianist who inherits the musical talent of Curt Jurgens when the Satanist dies, bequeathing Alda with his body and soul. Bisset is the wife who slowly comes to suspect that her husband has been taken over by someone else.

Not quite as strikingly original as “Rosemary’s Baby”, it does have some effective horror moments, notably involving scenes with a rather ferocious black dog and a scene where the Devil is summoned but we never actually see him. Imagination is given free reign here (at least fleetingly), shades of Val Lewton. Perhaps a technique that should have been used more often throughout.

None of it quite makes sense and the ending is a distinct letdown, but there are some chilling moments nevertheless. Bisset and Parkins are beautifully photographed, with Bisset coming out ahead in the acting department, playing the stressed out wife with appropriate fear and tension. Parkins, on the other hand, seems to rely on one frozen expression, sleepwalking through her role, relying solely on her looks to get by in a way that Hedy Lamarr was often accused of doing in films of the ’40s.

As for Alan Alda, he is much too bland, lending neither interest nor credibility to a role that demands a strong romantic lead. His career suggests that he is clearly more comfortable in character roles requiring comic flair, not straight dramatic parts. Bradford Dillman is at least a stronger presence in a lesser role.

All in all, not bad for watching when you’re in the mood for a tale of the occult. I seem to recall enjoying the book years ago and the film doesn’t quite measure up. It emerges as one of those films that could have been much more satisfying with better casting and direction.

Occasionally eerie bloodcurdler which falls agonisingly short of its potential.
If you know the story of Dr Faustus, you’ll know that’s it’s about a medieval man who sells his soul to the devilish Mephistopheles (Mephisto for short) in return for extra life. The Mephisto Waltz is a 1971 horror film which brings a similar story into a modern day setting. While moments of this psychedelic bloodcurdler are quite intriguing, other parts are downright risible. Alan Alda is clearly miscast in the leading role but the others do rather well, especially creepy Curt Jurgens and Barbara Parkins. And for once Jacqueline Bisset gets the chance to rise above her usual pretty-but-wooden presence, giving a strong (some might say career-best) portrayal as a woman caught up in something more sinister than she can comprehend.

Journalist Myles Clarkson (Alan Alda) once dreamt of being a concert pianist, but gave up his dream when his debut performance was heavily criticised. However, he still has extraordinary musical talent, and this is something that has not escaped the notice of a dying pianist named Duncan Ely (Curt Jurgens). Ely suggests an interview with Clarkson and the latter, flattered, is only too keen to oblige. But the reality of the matter is that Ely is actually a dedicated Satanist who plans to use occult magic to “switch” bodies with Clarkson when his inevitable death from leukaemia eventually occurs. As anticipated Ely soon passes away, but Myles’ wife Paula (Jacqueline Bisset) quickly notices strange and inexplicable character changes in her husband. He is more aggressive and perverted in bed, oddly colder and crueller towards her, and full of renewed vigour towards his musical compositions. He also seems rather taken with Ely’s daughter Roxanne (Barbara Parkins), making Paula feeling less and less wanted. Paula gradually pieces together the mystery with a little help from Ely’s ex-son-in-law Bill (Bradford Dillman). She discovers the history of Ely’s satanic practices and also learns that Ely had an incestuous relationship with his daughter – a relationship he plans to renew now that he has taken over her husband’s body. But Paula isn’t prepared to accept defeat without a fight, and goes to extraordinary lengths to have her twisted revenge ..

The Mephisto Waltz has moments that are effectively eerie, such as a few shuddersome dream segments and a memorable sequence involving a masked ball, but more often than not it is rather predictable. The open-ended climax is also rather heavy-handed. I usually like movies with unusual and thought-provoking endings, but this one just seemed excessively hokey. The whole concept of Paula summoning the Devil to help her get her own back against Roxanne – by BECOMING Roxanne (!!) – spoils the film for me. Paula is the one character with whom we can sympathise throughout the film, but at the end she fights evil with evil and this strips away any audience appeal her character might bear. Jerry Goldsmith provides a suitably creepy music score, and the flashy cinematography of William W. Spencer generates occasional suspense, but on the whole The Mephisto Waltz narrowly misses the mark. While some will enjoy its dark playfulness and interpretable ending, others – like myself – will find it frustratingly underdeveloped.

Other Information:

Original Language en
Runtime 1 hr 55 min (115 min), 1 hr 49 min (109 min) (FMC Library Print) (USA)
Budget 0
Revenue 0
Status Released
Rated R
Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Director Paul Wendkos
Writer Ben Maddow, Fred Mustard Stewart
Actors Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins
Country United States
Awards 1 nomination
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Aspect Ratio 1.85 : 1
Camera Mitchell BNCR
Laboratory DeLuxe, Hollywood (CA), USA (color)
Film Length N/A
Negative Format 35 mm
Cinematographic Process Spherical
Printed Film Format 35 mm