Goya's Ghosts
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bardem, Portman, SkarsgardBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Goya's Ghosts
Movie Review: It's nothing personal.
Summary: 4 Stars
It's not the masterpiece some would have you believe, nor is it the failure that others say it is.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Personally, while I did not consider it brilliant, I did appreciate it.
I liked Natalie Portman's performance as the naive Inez who unwittingly gets caught up in the political intrigues of the Spanish Inquisition, and is put to the question, (euphemism for torture). Found guilty of confessing she gets put in jail where she meets Brother Lorenzo of the ruling council (Javier Bardem), who takes advantage of her naivete.
Set against the backdrop of the French revolution and Bonaparte's invasion of Spain, will she ever find freedom, will the Inquisition ever be brought to account for its actions, and will Lorenzo get his comeuppance.
I found it's historical background to be quite interesting, I did not know that Bonaparte installed his own brother as King of Spain. In some ways, it's quite a good movie. It has to be said that some of the coincidences are too contrived.
If this movie has any failing it's at the directing level. If you're doing a movie where the artist is a central character, an observer of history and atrocity, the art needs to be integrated into the story in a more compelling way.
I kept thinking of the movie Frida, starring Salma Hayek about the artist Frida Kahlo, which is a visually stunning work of genius in terms of how it integrates the art, the character, and the story. It got nominated for 6 Oscars and won two.
I hope you will enjoy this movie.
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Summary of Goya's Ghosts
Academy Award? nominees Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem star in two-time Academy Award? winning director Milos Forman's thrilling new romantic drama! Goya's Ghosts is a sweeping historical epic, told through the eyes of celebrated Spanish painter Francisco Goya (Skarsgard). Set against the backdrop of political turmoil at the end of the Spanish Inquisition and start of the invasion of Spain by Napoleon's army, the film captures the essence and beauty of Goya's work which is best known for both the colorful depictions of the royal court and its people, and his grim depictions of the brutality of war and life in 18th century Spain. When Goya's beautiful muse (Portman) is accused of being a heretic, renowned painter Francisco Goya (Skarsgard) must convince his old friend Lorenzo (Bardem), a power-hungry monk and leader of the Spanish Inquisition, to spare her life.Even Milos Forman's most ardent supporters are sure to have mixed feelings about Goya's Ghosts. As expected from the Oscar-winning director of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, the production values are strong and the performances solid. Unfortunately, his fictional take on the life of subversive painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsg?rd), circa the Spanish Inquisition, feels undercooked compared to previous issue-driven works, like The People vs. Larry Flynt. As in that film, censorship and hypocrisy take center stage. Co-written by Luis Bu?uel scenarist Jean-Claude Carri?re (That Obscure Object of Desire), Goya's Ghosts concerns the painter's relationships with two subjects, Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem) and artist's model Ines (Natalie Portman). When Ines is suspected of practicing Judaism, she's tortured until she confesses, leading to her incarceration. With Goya's assistance, her family enlists Lorenzo to fight for her freedom, but to no avail. For his own transgressions, Lorenzo flees the country, while Ines lingers in prison. The story then skips ahead 15 years. Goya has since lost his hearing, Ines remains imprisoned, and a defrocked Lorenzo is living a life of leisure in France. After Napoleon invades Spain, the three are once again thrown into each other's orbit. Of the trio, Goya emerges as decency incarnate, Ines as a victim of religious fundamentalism, and Lorenzo as a man who found his conscience far too late to save anyone--least of all himself. The humor that bouyed Amadeus might not have been appropriate in this case, but Goya's Ghosts is a real downer. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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