The Mephisto Waltz

"...The Sound of Terror"

1971 1h 55m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 74

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“...The Sound of Terror”

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Cast

Alan Alda
Myles Clarkson
Jacqueline Bisset
Paula Clarkson
Barbara Parkins
Roxanne Delancey
Bradford Dillman
Bill Delancey
William Windom
Dr. Roger West
Curd Jürgens
Duncan Mowbray
Kathleen Widdoes
Maggie West
Pamelyn Ferdin
Abby Clarkson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Wendkos
Writers: Ben Maddow
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Wendkos, shot by William W. Spencer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard K. Brockway shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alan Alda and Jacqueline Bisset and Barbara Parkins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "...The Sound of Terror".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0067419 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Wendkos directs. William W. Spencer behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Richard K. Brockway cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
3Directed by Paul Wendkos, shot by William W. Spencer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Richard K. Brockway shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Alan Alda and Jacqueline Bisset and Barbara Parkins carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "...The Sound of Terror".
8IMDB entry: tt0067419 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "satanist", "family secrets", "pianist", "devil".

The technical file

Cinematography: William W. Spencer
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Richard K. Brockway
Costume design: Moss Mabry
Makeup / hair: Pat Abbott
Sound: Don J. Bassman
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

Also by

Paul Wendkos

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-04-28
★ 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 one that I can't name (so as not to spoil). 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

Production companies