The Man Who Saw Tomorrow (1981)

Director:

Robert Guenette

Writers:

Robert Guenette (writer)
Alan Hopgood (written by)

Release Date:

January 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Hosted by Orson Welles, this documentary utilizes a grab bag of dramatized scenes, stock footage, TV...

Plot Keywords:

Prophecy | Nostradamus | 1500s | Hitler | 1900s

Cast

Orson Welles	...	Presenter / Narrator
Philip L. Clarke	...	Nostradamus (voice)
Ray Laska	...	The Warlord
Bob Ruggiero	...	French Soldier
Roy Edmonds	...	French Soldier
Ray Chubb	...	French Soldier
Richard Butler	...	Nostradamus
Jason Nesmith	...	Nostradamus, as a child
Howard Ackerman	...	Nostradamus, as a youth
Brass Adams	...	The Grandfather
Terry Clotiaux	...	Nostradamus' Father
David Burke	...	The Friar
Bob Bigelow	...	The Dinner Host
Marji Martin	...	The Maid
Thor Nielsen	...	The Cook

Also Known As:

Nostradamus (Europe: English title) (TV title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:15 (video rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Although the movie gets many of its predictions of the future wrong (Ted Kennedy winning the 1984 Presidential election) some are very close, especially the speculation about a massive earthquake in California which the movie predicts will happen in 1988 but in fact happened in 1989. Also the movie predicts that America would be at war with the middle east and that the war would begin early in the 1990s and in fact, at the beginning of the decade the country was in the Persian Gulf War.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The movie opens with a text that refers to "the preceding film" which should be at the end.

Quotes:

Presenter: [about the predictions of the future] But before continuing, let me warn you now that these predictions of the future are not at all comforting - and I might go on to add that these visions of the past, these warnings of the future, are not the opinions of the producers of this film. They're certainly not my opinions.

Movie Connections:

Features War and Peace (1956)

Dated but entertaining.

Of course this documentary is now viewed with a certain amount of hilarity. However when it came out in 1980 it was received quite well. Chock full of stock footage from David L. Wolper past productions it tells the tale of the legendary Nostradamus and his predictions of the future. The tale of the three anti Christ make up a bulk of the film. The third (and yet still unknown) is the mysterious Blue Turbaned man from the middle east who will cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war in the 90's. The film is entertaining in it's own little way even though it is now obviously riddled with predictions that didn't happen. Then again who knows maybe the dates of the predictions are wrong. Orson Welles adds his special touch