Hey48 Review of The Mephisto Waltz

The Mephisto Waltz (1971)

Has everyone forgotten.....................

[7/10 · 6 January 2006]

that this film *was* made in 1971, a time of psychedelia, drugs, and bad horror film-making? Rosemary's Baby was, in truth, a film about paranoia, with the trappings of devil worship the engine that made it run. It was also blessed with an excellent cast, and what was clearly a healthy budget for the time. In contrast, Mephisto Waltz concerns the ruthless desire for immortality, with a dollop of devil worship to make it possible. Therefore, I think it unfair to compare the two. Finally, while I've never been an Alda fan, his character was required to be colorless and malleable. Had his character been a strong one, he'd surely have intuited what was happening, and never have allowed himself to be overtaken. Considering the decade in which the film was made, and a real dearth of truly good 70s "chillers," I don't think Mephisto fared quite so poorly. I, too, read the book. As with most books-to-film, a good deal is lost. However, it nonetheless gave me a chill or two, not an easy feat for someone who's read and seen nearly every "horror" novel or film made until the last five or so years.