Goya's Ghosts (2006)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers (WGA):

Milos Forman (written by) &
Jean-Claude Carrière (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Tell me what the truth is

Plot:

Painter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.

Plot Keywords:

Costume Drama | Torture | Sketching | Prison | Dinner Bell

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Javier Bardem	...	Lorenzo
Natalie Portman	...	Inés / Alicia
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Francisco Goya
Randy Quaid	...	King Carlos IV
José Luis Gómez	...	Tomás Bilbatúa
Michael Lonsdale	...	Father Gregorio
Blanca Portillo	...	Queen María Luisa
Mabel Rivera	...	María Isabel Bilbatúa
Unax Ugalde	...	Ángel Bilbatúa
Fernando Tielve	...	Álvaro Bilbatúa
David Calder	...	Monk 1
Frank Baker	...	Monk 2
Ramón Langa	...	Hooded Monk
Manuel de Blas	...	Pyre Monk
Andrés Lima	...	Confiscating Monk

Also Known As:

Fantasmas de Goya, Los (Spain) (dubbed version)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, some sexual content and nudity.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:T | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Monasterio de Veruela, Veruela, Vera de Moncayo, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

Company:

Antena 3 Televisión

Trivia:

Milos Forman cast Natalie Portman after noticing her likeness to the girl in Goya's painting "Milkmaid of Bordeaux".

Quotes:

[Bonaparte and Lorenzo are looking at paintings of Maria Luisa]
Joseph Bonaparte: I met her once... don't recall her being quite so ugly though. How did she have so many lovers?
Brother Lorenzo: [smiling] She was the Queen, Your Majesty.

Don't believe the critics - See This Film!!!

There is one great flaw here that almost everyone mentions... and it's true. The accents of the non-Spanish actors clash terribly with the Spanish ones, as well as with each other. That's a real flaw, but if you can get past that, there's a great film waiting to be seen. I found I forgot all about it after the first 10 minutes. The critics just don't get this film. A lot of regular people seem to miss it too. They want a film with a typical "leading" role. They want their morality tales (which this certainly IS) delivered in easy shades of Black and White... no gray. They don't understand films where the title character is primarily an Observer. Sometimes that CAN be dissatisfying, but here the Observer is a genuine genius. Some people want him to be a moral giant, but he's not, he's simply an observer who has actualized the doctor's oath: First, do no harm. This is a brilliant story, and a morally complex one, too. There are some parallels to America in Iraq, though that is not the primary goal. This story illuminates the folly of any regime, liberal or conservative, as each picks its friends and foes, taking 180 degree turns from whoever was last in power. Javier Bardem gives an incredibly canny performance! Natalie Portman is totally unsentimental and totally committed to her multiple roles: just great! Stellan Skarsgard threw me off at first with the sound of his voice, but builds a performance of power and truth, in spite of it. Randy Quaid was a small revelation. And of course the film looks and sounds spectacular, with it's numerous and detailed textures, compositions and sounds. If you want to think; if you like having pat assumptions challenged; if you love people and history and art: see it!