Goya's Ghosts
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Movie Reviews of Goya's Ghosts
Movie Review: Goya, Los Caprichos, and the Decline of Rationality
Summary: 5 Stars
Milos Forman has a gift for combining fine art subject matter in period pieces that are not only entertaining but also educating. In GOYA'S GHOSTS he not only explores the multifaceted aspects of the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya as a painter of court portraits as well as canvases of dramatic collisions between the factions of people versus military cruelty of 18th and 19th century Spain, but he also dissects the infamous Spanish Inquisition, not only by defining characters who represented the Holy Office and the victims of the 'purging' but also by subtly remarking on the tenor of the times by focusing on Goya's 80 etchings titled 'Los Caprichos'. This is a richly realized film that captures the horror of the times while it offers insights into the changes that occurred in Spain in a rather comprehensive fashion.
1792 and while Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) is painting portraits of the royal family (Randy Quaid and Blanca Portillo) as well as portraits of his favorite model Inés (Natalie Portman) and of the Inquisition activist Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem). Corruption abounds in Spain and the fear of the Inquisition headed by Father Gregorio (Michael Lonsdale) penetrates all of society. When Inés is called before the Inquisition because she doesn't like the taste of pork offered at a public banquet, she is tortured for not confessing to be a Jewess and imprisoned. Despite the pleadings of Goya and the money offered by her family (Brother Lorenzo is asked to intervene on her behalf), Inés remains in prison for 15 years and when Brother Lorenzo visits her he impregnates her and the resulting girl child is sold upon her birth). France invades Spain (courtesy of Napoleon Bonaparte) and when the French Revolution begins to spread through Europe the chastised Brother Lorenzo travels to France where he assumes a new life away from the church. During the trauma of these years Goya loses his hearing and in response to the disintegration of society, creates the Caprichos - etchings that stress the brutality and madness to which the country has succumbed. Lorenzo returns to Spain, the prisoners of the Inquisition are freed, and Inés (now pitifully ugly) searches for her daughter, confronting Lorenzo with the paternity. How all of the pieces of the Caprichos come to life brings an end to the story fills the final moments of this fine period piece.
Javier Bardem is particularly strong in his role of the mutating Lorenzo and Stellan Skarsgård makes Goya an understandable genius. In addition to the named cast there are excellent cameo roles for such fine actors as Unax Ugalde, Wael Al Moubayed (Goya's interpreter), José Luis Gómez and Mabel Rivera among others. The cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe captures the flavor of the period and the musical score by Varhan Bauer and José Nieto quotes some 20th century compositions (Shostakovich) and blends Spanish court and dance themes into a rich musical tapestry. This is a fine film despite the lack of critical acceptance and certainly deserves a large audience, especially those who appreciate historical drama. Grady Harp, February 08
Movie Review: An interesting perspective on a master painter: Goya
Summary: 5 Stars
Goya's Ghost is an excellent film that surfaces the great contributions of Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes. Born on March 30th, 1746, Goya was a famous Spanish painter and printmaker who served to record history through his art during the Spanish Inquisition.
During his life, Goya was given great commissions, such as decorating the bare stone walls of El Escorial and the Palacio Real del Pardo, where Spanish monarchs were to reside, therefore, Goya was given access to the royal court and painted many of the portraits of the time.
Goya was a favorite of King Carlos III and became a friend to Crown Prince Don Luis, living in his house while he was painting the portraits of the Queen. After an illness where he contracted a high fever, Goya is left deaf and became introspective and reserved. Goya becomes rather informed about the French Revolution because while recuperating he dedicates his idle time to reading the philosophical writings of the rights of man.
During the reign of Charles III and IV, Goya becomes the royal painter, finally promoted to First Court Painter and assigned a salary of 50,000 reales, which was a fortune at the time. Goya is not given to flattery and paints subjects as he sees them, and the Queen of Spain is rather upset when she sees her image interpreted by Goya because the result is that of a rather ugly female.
In this movie, we see Goya's relationship to Brother Lorenzo, played by Javier Bardem and to a model he uses, played by Natalie Portman. The movie surfaces how Judaism was persecuted. Anyone suspected of respecting or following any of the traditions of Jews ended in jail, put the test, the famous "Question" which through torture tested those accused on their resolve to tell the truth. But the cruelty of the torture was such that anyone put to the test would end up asking: "What is the truth you seek?" and they would confess to anything so they would be left alone.
Ines, Goya's model, is suspected of practicing Judaism simply because she refuses to eat pork during a night out with her brothers. Her father asks that Goya intercede with those in power to obtain the freedom of his daughter and because he is a rather wealthy merchant he donates a large fortune to the Church in exchange for his daughter. But the Church representatives are not moved and while they accept the donation, they do not return Ines and the father proves to Brother Lorenzo how any man / woman put to "The Question" would confess anything for the torture to stop.
Brother Lorenzo visits Ines in prison and is taken by the young beauty, and he takes advantage of her situation... much ensues... and we learned lots about the Spanish Inquisition and how Spain is influenced and transformed by the French Revolution and Napoleon's invasion.
We enjoyed the film, learned about a subject that we rarely find in films, the Spanish Inquisition, and were very impressed with Natalie Portman's ability to play multiple roles for she is Ines... young and old, and a daughter that is born while in prison, fathered by Brother Lorenzo. Enjoy!
Movie Review: Highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
The painter Francesco Goya played by Stellan Skarsgård, becomes involved with the Spanish Inquisition when his mus Ines (Natalie Portman) is arrested and tortured by the inquisition for refusing a pork dinner publicly, and accused of secretly practicing Judaism.
one of the chief inquisitors Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem) has also become on of Goya's clients. He visits Ines after she has been tortured and forced to sing a confession . He prays with and then rapes her. Goya accompanies Lorenzo to the mansion of Ines' father Tomas Bilbatua (José Luis Gómez). Lorenzo refuses to intervene to free his daughter maintaining that she was put to the 'question' and if one is innocent G-D will give one the fortitude to withstand the pain of torture and not to confess.
Bilbatua then prevents Lorenzo from leaving , has him tortured and forced to sign a confession that he is the bastard child of chimpanzees who has infiltrated the church
to destroy it.
When Lorenzo cannot secure Inez release, Bilbatua delivers his confession to the King Carlos IV and Lorenzo is declared an enemy of the Church and forced to flee Spain
15 years later the Napoleonic forces 'liberate' Spain but soon prove that the revolutionary principles of equality liberty brotherhood and 'reason' they aim to force on Spain can be practised with the same amount of brutlaity and evil as can religious fundamentalism. Revolutionary fanaticism in the 20th century would destroy half the world
Lorenzo return to Spain as a fiery revolutionary. The victims of the Inquistion are released but the new order is no better than the old and Ines finds her family have been massacred
She seeks Goya and asks him to promise to find her daughter who was taken away from her.
Lorenzo has Ines cast into an asylum and when her daughter is discovered working as a prostitute attempts to have her shipped to America
I will end the narrative there so as not to spoil the ending.
suffice to say Portman's versatility as a beautiful young woman and cast as a haggard ,crippled and half mad victim of torture and incarceration is mind blowing.
An expose of the horrors of religious and ideological fundamentalism and of human nature. Horrors greater than the Inquisition are practiced in Islamic regimes such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Magnificent cinematography, costumes, scenery, acting and overall effect
An artistic but highly spellbinding historical drama which I highly recommend.
Movie Review: Holly Inquisition, your memories still remain!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's 1792. Spain as well as the rest of Europe is at the eve of one of the greatest breakthroughs of the Humanity. Francisco de Goya is the real painter of the King and certainly the best of Spain at that moment. His muse is an alluring teenager Ines, daughter of a wealthy family.
But the wings of the moral degradation dressed with Holy clothes finds a reason to imprison her once the Brother Lorenzo a sort of little Savonarola induces the Holy Office to restore the moral authority and bring back the Church the ancient fears and missed respect in those times of sacrilege and heresy.
Ines is captured in the tavern and supposedly accused of Jewish rituals because her linage involves her with a Jewish converted to Catholicism, 168 years before.
This fact will become the dramatic premise for this tragic story when the Brother Lorenzo will use and exert all his influence to abuse her. Soon he is unmasked and expatriated to France where the new airs of the French Revolution will transform this chameleon and faker in the most conspicuous delegate of the new moral order. He has left Ines pregnant, but he returns from France fifteen years after ignoring this fact.
Goya will make all the unimaginable efforts to make mother and daughter could meet themselves, but the converted Lorenzo with his twisted morality moves his pieces to stay clean before his new wife.
From the times of Ken Russell's The devils, we had not had the chance to experience this abominable atmosphere of hypocrisy and hidden vices in this horrid times of prohibition and censure. Milos Forman will convey us through these labyrinths of the horror where the political circumstances will interchange roles for the beast, profane, opportunist and sacrilege human being.
Javier Bardem is outstanding as the hated Brother, Stellar Skarsgard as Goya is remarkable too and Nathalie Portman makes a resplendent and effective role as the suffered and fallen in disgrace Ines. Michael Lonsdale (the untiring investigator who will pursuit to The Jackal) as the Supreme authority in the town, performs a worthy role.
With this film, Forman dives us for third time in the hellish atmosphere of the madhouse (One flew, Amadeus are the other two) expressing perhaps with his admirable genius that despite the elapsed years, the human condition is certainly irredeemable.
Formidable and totally recommended.
Movie Review: One of the greatest films of all time. Criminally underrated.
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1975 Milos Forman made One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. In 1984 he brought us Amadeus, winner of 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Now, 23 years later, he brings us Goya's Ghosts, a brand new epic masterpiece on par with his previous critically acclaimed Academy Award winners.
The only difference is, Goya's Ghosts not only didn't get a single Oscar nomination, but it was slammed and hated by most critics. I'll make this part of my review short and simply say that this film must be so brilliant that it went right over the critics heads. The script is complicated, and the meaning of the title has been misinterpreted by almost everyone i've talked to about it.
Now, for the film itself. Perfection. Absolute perfection. Do not believe any of the negative reviews from the critics. This film is a masterpiece in every way. Music, acting, cinematography, script, everything. It's a breathtaking period drama that grips you from the first frame to the last and leaves you barely able to wrap your mind around just how perfect and brilliant it was. This is not a film to miss. It has taken the spot of #3 in my top 10 films of all time, #2 and #1 being One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus. At the request of the first person who commented on my review, I've edited my review here to say that Milos Forman could testify to the fact that i'm not related to him or to anyone involved in the creation or publicity of any of his films.
I'm not going to go into any plot details about the film. I'll simply say once more that it is possibly the greatest artistic achievement ever executed in the world of cinema. Buy the DVD when it's released. You won't regret it. Thank you Milos Forman!