Goya in Bordeaux (1999)

Francisco Goya (1746-1828), deaf and ill, lives the last years of his life in voluntary exile in Bordeaux, a Liberal protesting the oppressive rule of Ferdinand VII. He's living with his ... See full summary »

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writers:

Carlos Saura, Luigi Scattini (dialogue: Italian version)

Stars:

Francisco Rabal, Jose Coronado, Dafne Fernández

12 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Francisco Rabal	...	Goya
Jose Coronado	...	Goya Joven
Dafne Fernández	...	Rosario (as Dafne Fernádez)
Eulàlia Ramon	...	Leocadia (as Eulalia Ramón)
Maribel Verdú	...	Duquesa de Alba
Joaquín Climent	...	Moratín
Cristina Espinosa	...	Pepita Tudó
Josep Maria Pou	...	Godoy (as Jose María Pou)
Saturnino García	...	Cura y San Antonio
Concha Leza	...	Mujer en Andalucía
Franco di Francescantonio	...	Doctor en Andalucía
Carlos Hipólito	...	Juan Valdés
Manuel de Blas	...	Salcedo
Pedro Azorín	...	Braulio Poe
Emilio Gutiérrez Caba	...	José de la Cruz

Storyline

Francisco Goya (1746-1828), deaf and ill, lives the last years of his life in voluntary exile in Bordeaux, a Liberal protesting the oppressive rule of Ferdinand VII. He's living with his much younger wife Leocadia and their daughter Rosario. He continues to paint at night, and in flashbacks stirred by conversations with his daughter, by awful headaches, and by the befuddlement of age, he relives key times in his life, particularly his relationship with the Duchess of Alba, his discovery of how he wanted to paint (insight provided by Velázquez's work), and his lifelong celebration of the imagination. Throughout, his reveries become tableaux of his paintings.

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Plot Keywords:

period drama | exile | duchess of alba | bordeaux | flashback | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and violent imagery

Did You Know?

Trivia

Strange coincidence: the actor Francisco Rabal not only plays the old Goya but in real life also died in Bordeaux, in 2001, two years after premiering the film.

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Goofs

In some copies on the film, when Goya's daughter Rosario is showing him her drawing, sitting on an easel in the background we see "La lechera de Burdeos/The Milkmaid of Bordeaux", one of the artist's last paintings. The image we see is reversed - the milkmaid is facing to the right and in the original she faces to the left. This is so due to the fact that the negative of some DVDs and some release prints is inverted in a brief middle section of the film that includes this scene. Another scene is that in which he is commissioned to paint the frescoes of San Antonio de la Florida Chapel.

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Connections

Referenced in Frida (2002)

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Soundtracks

No hay que decirle el primor
Unknown
Performed by Axivil Castizo and Patricia Paz
Conducted by Felipe Sánchez

User Reviews

A fascinating, evocative study of one of the greatest artists of all time.

As an art historian I found this film fascinating. It seemed to be true to its subject - a complex, gifted and liberal artist - and also an authentic study of the contrasts of late C18th Spain. It also provided interesting and accurate source material for anyone studying the art of the period and I use my off-air video of it to bring the life of this wonderful and under-rated artist to my students. It was a warm tribute to a man who was full of vigour even in old age, but did not over-romanticise him, showing us the flaws in his character as well as his innate humanity. The film worked well as drama, using good cinematic technique to underpin the story of an exciting and unusual life in a pivotal period of Western history. It also used the fantastic aspects of Goya's imagination to underline the paradoxes of his life. This is a typical European art house movie, of a type rarely made in the US or Britain, but non-specialist film watchers should not feel alienated by that. It is intelligent, witty, elegant, superbly acted (Paco Rabal in one of his last films is terrific - he was Goya to the inch), beautifully crafted, intense and dramatic. What more could we want from a movie?

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

Spain Italy

Language:

Spanish French Italian

Release Date:

12 November 1999 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Goya in Bordeaux

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,962, 17 September 2000

Gross USA:

$635,361

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$635,361

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lolafilms, Italian International Film, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1