nadase Review of La sangre de Nostradamus

La sangre de Nostradamus (1962)

Mexican vampire movies are more about atmosphere and cater to populist superstition

[6/10 · 6 November 2014]

Just saw the last film installment (from the original 12-part serial) on DirecTV on the Spanish film network, Cine Nostalgia. For some reason the serial may no longer exist as the producers edited it into four feature-length segments, the first three are called, "La Maldicion de Nostradamus" (The Curse of Nostradamus)Pt. 1, 2 and 3. The fourth and last installment is titled "La Sangre de Nostradamus" (The blood {line?} of Nostradamus). Sadly, perhaps due to the editing, the films seem to suffer from incoherent, almost ad-libbed story lines, although one sees these noir, black and white films for atmosphere, more than the thrills and horror (very little of that). What fascinated me about "Sangre" were Nostradamus's tragic sociological comments that seem to have been echoed in Jacques Ellul's seminal, 1962 classic, *The Technological Society*! Essentially, Nostradamus (a Count of sorts, royalty, as in "divine rights," etc.) "represents"/symbolizes old throwback, hierarchical, medieval, pre-scientific man, who knew his place in the cosmos and human hierarchy. Pre-scientific method man respected custom, tradition and with reason (within this worldview) feared the powerful, unreasoning unknown and blind fate. Dr. Duran, the scientist, champion of the "scientific method" and modern technology and enemy of superstition (even religion?) is Nostradamus's sworn enemy. Duran and his assistant default into "vampire hunters." The problem arises when nobody in Duran's circle of scientists, including the modern detection-method police, believe in silly, throw-back, "mob superstitions" which Nostradamus personifies! The mob and the new, rising middle-classes (the bourgeoisie) have to learn to leave behind the forces of irrationality and embrace science and modernity ("technique" or modern, soul/creativity-killing efficiencies, according to Ellul). One can see how this parable of Nostradamus vs. Dr. Duran (duran is a pun on "remains"/"lasts" as in "outlasts"/dies hard) plays out. Nostradamus may in this context also be a pun of sorts. Nuestro = "ours, what belongs to us"; damos = "we give, we surrender, we relinquish." In essence, we surrender or give of ourselves {our souls} when we submit to technology, its efficiencies and modernity in general) The college-educated, scientific mind of Dr. Duran and friends remain persuaded that science and its methods will win adherents by virtue of its fact-and-proof based objectivity. Nostradamus wants to have the last word, using superstition, fear, magic and hypnotism. In essence, this story-line is a duel between world-views. That said, back to the plot. SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT!!! Nostradamus frames Duran at two levels: Since no one in Duran's circle believes in vampires, and no one has seen them, Duran is denounced by his scientific peers and the police as delusional! Every one of Nostradamus *predicted* murders has a "perfectly logical explanation" (shades of Dana Andrews/Jacques Tourneur's "Curse/Night of the Demon!") which tend to discredit Duran. The plot comes to a head when Duran gets "blamed" for the deaths--as they occurred when he started spreading the word about them. Yep, blame the messenger! But more insidiously, as Nostradamus is a master of hypnosis and ostensibly mass-hypnosis, hysteria, he riles the mob--joined by the bourgeoisie--to blame Duran and his science for the rash of deaths, to rise against Duran, his "lethal" science, to destroy Duran's lab and burn Duran at the stake. All of this happens just as Duran has finally perfected an invention in his Edison-like lab that will stop Nostradamus in his tracks and free the people from the scourge of the medieval world view and its values... After that... Sociological comments. Recall Mexico may be a unique cultural hybrid. The Spaniards who conquered it back in the early 16 century descended from Goths and Moslems who had been at each other's throats for 700 years. The Spanish Inquisition was vicious toward modernity and challenges to its theology, rules, and hierarchies. The moors had severe gender-segregation rules in place. These customs were transplanted in Mexico where the Inquisition and royalist rule ran roughshod over the Indians and mestizos. Native beliefs and superstitions went underground and merged with European superstition. Thus, science did not advance unless it clearly demonstrated its profitability. In between the Mexican economic wars, the 1812 rebellion against Spain and the 1910 civil war against the abusive landholding class typical, poor, ignorant Mexicans and peasants were kept docile and submissive with massive doses of religious superstition. Turn of the century "cientificos" (scientific thinkers, policy-making intellectuals) wanted to end this reign of error and fear and modernize Mexico but still keep it as a military/corporate dictatorship! Hence, the uniquely "cultural" and historical appeal of the Nostradamus movies in Mexico. Thus, "evil" Nostradamus represents subjectivity, the "dictatorship of superstition"; "benevolent" Duran the dictatorship of *militarized* efficient science. Guess which side won?