The Mephisto Waltz 1971
The Mephisto Waltz
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.
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.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 16 Photoscast
Full Cast & Crew... Myles Clarkson
... Paula Clarkson
... Roxanne Delancey
... Bill Delancey
... Dr. Roger West
... Duncan Mowbray
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews28 Apr 2022 by Wuchak
_**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
Genres:
Release Date:
Apr 09, 1971 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 55`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Mephisto Waltz
_**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
Cast & Crew of
The Mephisto Waltz
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
DH
David Hall... Assistant Director
Cast
... Myles Clarkson
... Paula Clarkson
... Roxanne Delancey
... Bill Delancey
... Dr. Roger West
... Duncan Mowbray
... Maggie West
... Abby Clarkson
...
... Conductor
... Agency Chief's Girlfriend
... Woman Writer
... Zanc Theun
... Bennett
... Raymont
... Member of Ely's Group (uncredited)
... Party Guest (uncredited)
... Party Guest (uncredited)
... Detective (uncredited)
CS
Cosmo Sardo... Party Guest (uncredited)