Nostradamus Files Reviews

Boil It Down: Two previously released discs thrown together in a new package designed to capitalize on 2012 hoopla.
THE FLICK
When a normal person looks at the night sky, we see tiny dots of light on vast, black canvas.  When Michel de Nostredam (aka Nostradamus) looked at that same sky, he saw the story of the world's major events layed out in front of him.  Well, that what he and people who believe his predictions think he saw, based on the three programs collected on The Nostradamus Files.  All three are History Channel-now just History-pieces running around 90-minutes each.  They all come at the material from vastly different points of view.  Lost Book of Nostradamus, for example, focuses on a brand new set of prophecies found on a dusty bookshelf.  Nostradamus: 2012 explains in detail terms such as galactic alignment and serves to fill in the historical gaps left by Lost Book.  And the bonus program, Nostradmus: 500 Years Later, delves into the man's life.

I can't help but feel this set, the programs and the viewer would have been better served if all the information presented had been distilled down to a single, 90-minute documentary.  It's almost like a jigsaw puzzle in the end.  With so many facts and tidbits being thrown out, there's no guiding hand to put it all together.  How does the galactic alignment fit into the lost book?  If the Vatican suppressed the lost book, why didn't they try to suppress the man?  By taking all the elements and scattering them by subject, it's hard not to get the feeling the filmmakers were trying to string out the story instead of making the best doc they could.  Imagine getting a cooking demonstration over the course of one week.  Day one could be how to combine three types of meat for a hamburger.  Day two features adding seasonings.  Setting up the grill, toasting the buns, cooking the burgers, applying condiments...all different steps shown without the thrust of what came before to help them.  That's what happens here.  All the information is on the screen, but it's spread over 188-minutes.  Out of order, I might add.

Yes, I did say 188-minutes, roughly speaking.  That's an epic film, let alone a series of docs on the same person.  Nostradamus was a brilliant man ahead of his time and led a fascinating life, but over three hours of content on someone who didn't stop a war, change history or do anything of real note?  Maybe if each program had been cut down in 60-minute segments instead of bloated 93-minute tomes, they would be easier to digest.  While I don't film the network or the filmmakers for wanting to get their money's worth out of interview participants and production values, at some point enough is enough.  Especially in the bone-dry Nostradamus: 2012. 

With the talk focusing on constellations and the sun rising in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy, it's incredibly hard not to tune out the discussion, chalk it up to science fiction and call it a day.  This is especially true as the Sagittarius (the archer) constellation is shown to be pointing his arrow into the sun.  In turn, the response is when the galaxy lines up in this way, the beginning of very bad things is upon the world.  The most interesting nugget presented in the entire running time is 2012 will not necessarily be the worst time for the planet.  Rather, it marks the beginning of the dark times.  What dark times?  Well, no one really knows.  And that's the thing about predictions and prophecy: with hindsight, they can be correlated to anything. 

For instance, it is widely believed Nostradamus predicted the events of 9/11 in the lost book when he drew a picture of a brick tower with flames coming out of the windows.  Further evidence comes in the form of a place he calls the New City.  Several quatrains describe fire engulfing the New City, after which two great rocks will wage war.  And this is the genesis of his place in history, dubious as it may be.

This set isn't totally without merit.  For anyone interested in Nostradamus or the supposed dark times in 2012, the three programs presented have more than enough information to wade through.  It is rather exhaustive also, featuring interviews with a wide range of historians, scholars and enthusiasts.  None come off as self congratulatory or preachy; rather, they genuinely believe Nostradamus had a unique gift he was sharing with the world.  Also of note are the recreations, a staple of this kind of film making.  Instead of having talking heads tell about the man and his travels, we get to see a reasonable facsimile of them.  These interludes keep the docs moving without becoming too bogged down in information and trivia.

THE LOOK
Since we have two different programs (three, really, with the bonus material) utilizing any number of different video sources, it is impossible to make any encompassing judgment on the video quality.  Lost Book of Nostradamus is presented in letterbox format (ie. black bars on all sides of the image...more on that in a moment) while Nostradamus: 2012 is a 1.33:1 production.  For the most part, the new interviews and reenactments are rendered without much issue.  Blacks and other dark colors don't have great texture of depth, but appear to be accurate representations of their cable network roots.  Graphics and computer animation present no issues; archival footage runs into the ravages of time.  Scratches, blurriness, ill-defined images...but that is par for the course when older video is used.  There is a small amount of pixelation in certain scenes, though nothing to be worried about.

Now, about the lack of an anamorphic transfer.  Lost Book was originally aired back in 2007 so it is fair to say it was produced around the same time.  Other television programs which aired before this one have been released in anamorphic format.  So why not content clearly produced in 16:9 format?  Is it a simple case of the doc not being produced in high definition-which is strange, considering the major push toward high def started in that same year.  Does it have anything to do with the added cost of an anamorphic transfer?  This same disc was released in early 2008.  Online listings claim a 1.33:1 transfer.  Should we be grateful this is a step up?  (Nostradamus: 2012 has also been released before, though, being the older of the two specials, gets more of a pass for not being in widescreen, let alone anamorphic widescreen.) 

THE SOUND
All the content on both discs comes with English 2.0 audio mixes (no subtitles are included).  They're acceptable, pretty good even, considering the source and the issues with the video specs.  Dialogue is never obscured by sound effects or the soundtrack.  The ominous music has a bit of a bass edge to it, enhancing the end of the world predictions being talked about on screen.  Aside from the obvious problem with dubbing foreign speakers in English-the words and mouth movements never match, creating a disconcerting feeling for the viewer-I can't find much fault in any of the mixes.  Should they be in full 5.1?  Maybe, but I won't hold the disc's proverbial feet to the fire.

THE STUFF
The Nostradamus Files is a two disc set packed in a black keepcase; disc one is housed on a swing tray with the second in standard configuration.  No insert is provided.

Both Lost Book of Nostradamus and Nostradamus: 500 Years Later are included on the first disc.  The former is the main feature while the latter is labeled as a bonus.  A dozen chapter stops are available for each.  Aired at the end of 2003 to celebrate his 500th birthday, this 1.33:1 production is very long on the man's personal history and relatively short on analyzing predictions and prophecies.  It's a good side piece to the main features, yet at an hour and a half, it's entirely too long (just like the other programs), provided there's some interest in getting behind the predictions.

Also on disc one are a selection of deleted scenes from Lost Book.  They each run a hair over two minutes and turn out to be arguably more educational than the program they were excised from.  Here, concepts such as Symbology and the Numerology are discussed.  11, for instance, is called a master number.  An example of its power?  The numbers in 9-11 (9 + 1 + 1) add up to be 11.  Additionally, 2 shows conflicts and opposites.  The example?  The Twin Towers, 2 pillars which could look like an 11.  (There is no Play All option.)

Over on the second disc is Nostradamus: 2012 (the main feature) along with a selection of deleted scenes.  These five are available only in a Play All option and run 15:41.  Their focus is on the Egyptians, Free Masons and Hopi Indians and how they form a giant narrative about galactic alignment and beliefs.  It's not nearly as involving or captivating as the previous disc's deleted scenes.