Prophecies of Nostradamus

Prophecies of Nostradamus is a 1974 Japanese science fiction drama about a scientist who becomes convinced that humanity is heading toward catastrophe. Professor Nishiyama has spent years interpreting the writings of Nostradamus, and he concludes that the predicted end is approaching. His warnings go unheeded while environmental damage worsens around the world: radioactive smog spreads, animals mutate, and the ozone layer deteriorates. As governments fail to respond, the crisis builds toward a final confrontation. The film was controversial in Japan and was withdrawn from circulation, and no official release of the uncut version followed.

Toshio Masuda directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Yoshimitsu Banno. It was the twenty-sixth of the thirty-three films Masuda directed, arriving between Shadow Hunters in 1972 and My Blood is the Blood of Others in 1974. Tetsurō Tamba plays Dr. Nishiyama, with Toshio Kurosawa, Kaoru Yumi, Yōko Tsukasa, Sō Yamamura and Katsuhiko Sasaki among the credited cast of twenty; forty-seven crew members are credited.

The film took about 3 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 from 353 votes, while on TMDB it has a 5.7 from 17 votes, so the two audience scores sit at a similar middling level, though the much smaller sample on TMDB makes that figure less firm.