Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

For the discussion of Toho produced and distributed films or shows released before 1980.
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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Technically I`m a government employee for both the Japanese Government, and sponsored through my program through the United States so if I ever went back to DC I could probably state I am viewing it for education/research purposes :lol:

Maybe when I decide to do my masters or get a PHD.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Wed Jun 12, 2019 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by AllosaurHell »

This movie NEEDS to be released on Blu-Ray, it's a product of it's time but it can still be enjoyed today, granted I haven't seen the movie fully but from what I've read, it definitely deserves a proper release.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Tamura »

LSD Jellyfish wrote:Technically I`m a government employee for both the Japanese Government, and sponsored through my program through the United States so if I ever went back to DC I could probably state I am viewing it for education/research purposes :lol:

Maybe when I decide to do my masters or get a PHD.
Good luck. Like Joseph, I also doubt it is so easy to make research viewings anymore.
Last edited by Tamura on Thu Sep 05, 2019 4:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Orichalcum »

To those who've actually watched this- how good is it? I've got a copy arriving soon and I'm eager to check it out but would like to get the consensus around here.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Terasawa »

I think the Japanese version is overrated. The English versions (especially the "WTF am I watching" U.S. version) are so-bad-it's-good material.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

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Terasawa wrote:I think the Japanese version is overrated. The English versions (especially the "WTF am I watching" U.S. version) are so-bad-it's-good material.
Would you mind explaining, I'm not sure I understand.

I know next to nothing about this flick mind you
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

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Orichalcum wrote:
Terasawa wrote:I think the Japanese version is overrated. The English versions (especially the "WTF am I watching" U.S. version) are so-bad-it's-good material.
Would you mind explaining, I'm not sure I understand.

I know next to nothing about this flick mind you
See my post on the previous page, though keep in mind I spoiled the ending . :P
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Tamura »

The editing and character development are pretty poor even in the uncut Japanese version, but it's a hypnotic oddity no matter which version you see. The music is dope, probably the best soundtrack of the Showa era... a pop rock/synth/orchestral masterpiece by one of the fathers of electronic music. The cinematography is gorgeous, although it's difficult to appreciate or even make out how good it is through the watery, awful picture quality of all available copies.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Terasawa »

Tamura wrote:The cinematography is gorgeous, although it's difficult to appreciate or even make out how good it is through the watery, awful picture quality of all available copies.
For real. Even in the horrible Japanese bootleg you can tell there are some astounding shots.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Tamura »

The themes of the film are hammered into your head mainly through skits that come in two classes - gross out visuals and special effects set pieces that you can trim, cut out entirely, rearrange in almost any order or even place anywhere in the film without affecting the continuity or narrative in any serious way... a bunch of shit explodes! Cut to: A kid jumping over a tree! Cut to: a plane blowing up! Cut to: some giant slugs! A skit starts and ends or abruptly stops, then we cut to another one, and then maybe a third one for extra measure, none of which are ever referenced again, and then we're back to the Nishiyama family and the Japanese government. The social, economic and geological toll of each skit is never driven home appropriately - you're just left with mostly shock value and spectacle. The interpretation of the toll is left up to you.

An attempt was made to show how pollution and famine weave into a few characters' lives, but it's pretty weak... Nishiyama's wife becomes ill, but she's an irrelevant character that isn't really developed enough for me to have very much emotional investment in. The prime minister shoulders the weight of environmental and social problems... he looks serious and gives an inspiring sounding speech. Nishiyama and the cameraman guy who doesn't have a name embark on a traumatizing journey to radioactive cannibal-infested Papua New Guinea - they're pretty shook by the end of it, but once they come home, the whole affair is never referenced again. Most of the speaking characters live in relative comfort most of the time, considering how terrible the film's world is, and this fact is even acknowledged when the characters discuss the economic inequality that led to the global food crises, but this angle isn't driven home in a way that makes you care enough. Why not have a B-plot involving characters living in these third world countries that are getting hurt the most? Tokyo does get flooded, exploded and hit by massive riots by the end, which is also pretty rough, but the Diet Building still survives for another scene filled with politicians and Nishiyama giving a speech.

It's not quite the deep, intelligent film that it's cracked up to be. It's like a bloated, talkier than normal mondo film complete with graphic stock footage, a slightly higher budget, better use of widescreen and tons of scenes featuring politicians in meetings. It has that unfinished feeling that some Toho films have - these are movies that have a lot of promise and could have been complete masterpieces if they had been rewritten, or in production for maybe another year or so. I still love the film, don't get me wrong. It's possible to dislike a lot of aspects of a movie you love. Its power mostly comes from its visuals and the score. If it didn't have either of those assets, I think the film would be less highly praised. It also has the offbeat, obscure, weird factor going for it in droves.

I also don't understand why Toho can't just release the film with the "offending" scenes cut out. Again, these are just skits that can be cut without harming the film in any way. So what if two or three arguably offensive scenes are cut? It's not like Song of the South where the offending aspect permeates the entire film. The gross-out scenes in PoN are like a bug's limbs... you can cut a few off, and the creature will still survive.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Terasawa »

Tamura wrote:I also don't understand why Toho can't just release the film with the "offending" scenes cut out. Again, these are just skits that can be cut without harming the film in any way. So what if two or three arguably offensive scenes are cut? It's not like Song of the South where the offending aspect permeates the entire film. The gross-out scenes in PoN are like a bug's limbs... you can cut a few off, and the creature will still survive.
I wonder if it's just the stigma around the film itself. Consider the somewhat similar situation TPC has faced with "From Another Planet with Love": there, the offending content came in supplementary material several years after the episode's initial broadcast, but that was enough to create a controversy regarding the episode itself, and after that TPC concluded the damage was done and pulled the previously non-offensive episode.

With PON, the offensive content is within the film but as you said could conceivably be removed with little effect on the film itself. However, perhaps Toho considers the backlash from 1974/75 enough of a deterrent to keep the film locked away.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

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Orichalcum wrote:
Terasawa wrote:I think the Japanese version is overrated. The English versions (especially the "WTF am I watching" U.S. version) are so-bad-it's-good material.
Would you mind explaining, I'm not sure I understand.

I know next to nothing about this flick mind you
Its one of the strangest films I've ever seen but in a good way. I think you'll enjoy it as long as you go in knowing that. Soundtrack rocks. Go check it out on YouTube
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

It might also be that Toho might feel like it’s not a film they want to monetize or exploit. Like it also might not be something they want associated or stacked on shelves next to other films like WoG or Godzilla.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Orichalcum »

Well doesn't the film feature stock footage of dead children and animals? Maybe that's a part of the reason, idk
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Terasawa »

There's a lot of information pertinent to Toho's self-imposed ban here; in short, there were two sequences depicting radiation/nuke survivors as monsters that prompted the protest of a group of Hiroshima survivors.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Orichalcum »

So basically the Ultraseven controversy all over again.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Godzilla21 »

Those old TK "Banned" profile pictures are the mutants from PON
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Orichalcum »

That I knew lol, wish they’d bring it back
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Terasawa »

Orichalcum wrote:So basically the Ultraseven controversy all over again.
Sorta, yeah. But with Seven the controversy only came about later, apparently nothing in the episode itself was deemed controversial at the time. The protests started because Spell-seijin was referred to as "Hibakusha-seijin" in some TPC-authorized promotional material (trading cards? I don't remember) in the early '70s. The controversy then extended back to the episode and to avoid a future PR disaster TPC decided the best way to play it safe was to bury the episode along with the Spell character.

With PON, the offensive material was in the film itself, and despite Toho making some changes to the film during its theatrical run, the damage was done.
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Re: Prophecies of Nostradamus 1974

Post by Orichalcum »

I'm watching this rn, I'll give my thoughts after, I'm watching the Japanese fansubbed version mind you.

Just got to the main credits, this movies soundtrack is amazing :lol:
Last edited by Orichalcum on Tue Sep 10, 2019 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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