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Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Randy Quaid, José Luis Gómez ... see more see more... , Michel Lonsdale , Mabel Rivera , Blanca Portillo , Unax Ugalde

The lives of a great artist, a corrupted holy man, and a beautiful woman cross paths at a crucial moment in history in this epic-scale historical drama from director Milos Forman. Near the end of the ... read more read more...18th century, Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) is a gifted but controversial artist whose provocative and often satirical work has earned the enmity of the Spanish government as well as the Catholic Church, who hold tremendous power as the Inquisition rages. Surprisingly, Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), a monk involved in the Inquisition, has hired Goya to paint a portrait of himself, and to prove to the Inquisitor General (Michel Lonsdale) he's not in cahoots with the renegade artist, Lorenzo targets Inés (Natalie Portman), one of Goya's favorite models, as a possible heretic. Under torture from Lorenzo, Inés signs a false confession, and her wealthy and powerful father, Tomás Bilbatúa (José Luis Gómez), offers Lorenzo a taste of his own medicine by brow-beating him into signing a document confessing that his mother was an ape. Lorenzo flees Spain as his reputation lies in tatters, and Goya earns greater infamy as he paints a wildly unflattering portrait of Queen María Luisa (Blanca Portillo) under commission from her husband, King Carlos IV (Randy Quaid), but Inés remains in prison thanks to her coerced confession. Fifteen years later, Lorenzo has become a follower of the Enlightenment, and returns to Spain as Napoleon's forces storm the nation and the Inquisition finally collapses; Lorenzo attempts to liberate Inés from prison, but a shocking discovery awaits him. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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86 critics

R, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Milos Forman

Release Date: July 20, 2007

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DVD Release Date: February 26, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (1,897)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 9, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Film about the life of famed Spanish artist Francisco Goya, Goya's Ghost is a sweeping drama directed by masterful director Milos Forman. I feel that this is a phenomenal period piece. Goya's Ghost has a phenomenal cast and is one impressive historical drama. Not since Forman's f... read moreilm Amadeus has a film of this caliber looked this impressive. Goya's Ghost is set during the Spanish inquisition and shows the harsh period for what it is. Forman's film paints an impressive picture of a gifted artist. The cast that Milos Forman assembles here is an in impressive bunch of talented individuals. They truly bring this film up a notch. Goya's Ghosts is not a perfect film, but there's a lot to appreciate from this film. The story is well crafted, engaging and above all, entertaining. However, there were a few moments that just didn't cut it. For example Natalie Portman at times was overdoing her role, and she turned a rather great performance into a good one. Stellan Skaarsgard is of course, the best role here as Francisco Goya. He truly brought something unique to the screen. This is a near flawless picture that has wonderful performances and a very engaging story. A truly well made film that is almost perfect, Goya's Ghosts brings back elements of Forman previous period piece Amadeus, only this around he focuses on a unique painter.
  • pier007
    February 21, 2009
    pier007
    Master Spanish painter Francisco de Goya is confined here to be a mere middle man, a MacGuffin in a tasteless soap opera set in the midst of two centuries.
    Milos Forman is a good director, but neither he nor his co-writer, the famous Buñuel collaborator Jean-Claude Carrière could... read more follow a truly significant period of Goya's life.
    It pretends to cover a big span of time, but falls short.
  • puffchunk
    February 27, 2008
    puffchunk
    Nothing like the Spanish inquisition to make a movie good. Natalie portman gets hung up and tortured until she is a creepy crazy lady, and a Monk dies. It really didn't have much of a point other than to show what the time was like for Goya, but it was fun to watch.
  • jennifxu
    November 26, 2007
    jennifxu
    An interviewer asked Milos Forman why this wasn't filmed in Spanish. He answered: "Because I can't speak Spanish." I now officially love Milos Forman.
  • dunmyer
    July 28, 2007
    dunmyer
    [size=3]"Goya's Ghosts" is a remarkable film by legendary filmmaker [b]Milos Forman[/b]. It examines Spain in the terribly turbulent time of the French Revolution: a[/size][size=3]n epoch so much more violent and profound than the vast majority of Americans realize.[/size]

    [img... read more]http://eur.i1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/xp/yahoo_manual/20070411/15/3347186604.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]Kudos to Forman for bringing to the screen a glimpse of this colossal, two-decades-long upheaval. He only scratches the surface, but that's better than nothing. (It amazes me that the French Revolution remains virtually unexplored territory in cinema. It's an absolute gold mine for those interested in drama.)[/size]

    [size=3]"Goya's Ghosts" is not a great film, but it has moments of greatness, especially in the first hour. Forman's directorial choices in the second half were dubious. From my perspective, this is when the film runs aground. [/size][size=3]But the first half towers over the vast majority of what we've seen on the screen this year.[/size]

    [img]http://www.planb.no/images/pub/filmanmeldelser/goyas-ghost-a.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]The first half of the film is carried by an exquisite performance by [b]Javier Bardem[/b], who is headed for worldwide stardom. He plays a monk whose evil knows no bounds. Despite what the title might suggest, the film is not about the painter Francisco Goya. The film is about the Bardem character. He starts out as a monk leading a revival of the Inquisition, but then changes his spots to become a loathsome revolutionary despot.[/size]

    [size=3][b]Stellan Skarsgaard[/b] (as Goya) and [b]Natalie Portman[/b], who is in my mind one of the top five movie actresses of her generation (her performance in the masterpiece "Closer" will be studied for decades I am sure) offer strong support, but the film belongs to Bardem. The film really isn't about any particular character; it's about the terrifying socio-political cross-currents that everyone in that time had to navigate. There was no escaping it -- that is one of the major points in the film. Living in a revolutionary time has its consequences.[/size]

    [img]http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2007/05/36a_03_goya_48_243x296.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]The plot hinges on the way that Portman's character is victimized by the currents of the time. But the film cares more about how other characters deal with that victimization. [/size]

    [size=3]Portman plays an upper-class girl who is mistaken for a "Judaizer," someone who is outwardly Christian but who practices Judaic rituals in private and has Judaic sympathies. The reason the Inquisitors come to suspect her is so hilarious that I won't spoil it by giving it away. Suffice it to say, this girl ends up getting caught in the grips of the last conservative gasp of the ancien regime before the upheaval that washes it away in a tidal wave of blood in the French Revolution.[/size]

    [img]http://static.blogo.it/cineblog/goya_film_500.jpg[/img]

    [size=3]What was most interesting to me was watching her family, especially her father, navigate these terribly violent waters and do his best to get his daughter released. The power struggle he initiates is absolutely fascinating to watch. It's a real lesson in how terrifying the 18th century must have been for those living through it.[/size]

    [size=3]But just when we thought the film was going to be about the power struggles of the Inquisition, the French Revolution spills over the Pyrenees into Spain, and the film becomes much more complicated.[/size]

    [size=3]But to my absolute chagrin, the film gets cartoonish as it goes on. After the French Revolution succeeds in establishing some sort of stable social regime in Spain, the British arrive to overthrow things yet again. (Napoleon, who emerged out of the chaos of the French Revolution, was defeated by the British in 1815.) The reimposition of conservative power after Napoleon's defeat, including a re-establishment of the Catholic Church's power in Spain, is played almost for laughs. I had a real tough time understanding what was funny about this new round of socio-political upheaval and violence.[/size]

    [size=3]The film almost ends campy, after starting in a way that was stark, stoical and brilliant. It's almost weird, as if two different directors handled the film. The first half is very much worth seeing; the second half, not so much.[/size]
  • fb1144932598
    April 9, 2010
    fb1144932598
    A nightmare film about a very dark chapter in European history, when the Age of Enlightenment dawned and the forces of rationalism still waged war with the Catholic church and its Holy Inquisition. Natalie Portman played a dual role as mother and daughter, Ines, one of Goya's mod... read moreels who is swept up in the religious fervor of the Inquisition and also her orphaned daughter, Alicia, who became a street prostitute. The role of Ines was particularly wrenching and extremely well played. Javier Bardem as the priest, and leader of the Spanish Inquisition who was disgraced and returned with the French "liberators" was foreboding and dark in his machinations to protect his reputation at the expense of others. And Stellan Skarsgard did a masterful job as Goya, one of Spain's most celebrated artists. There were times that the script stretched credibility, and several scenes of brutality and human misery made this film difficult to watch at times. But the craft is evident and the the topic relevant to today, investigating knowledge versus faith and liberty versus security and the role of the artist to seek after truth no matter the cost.
  • gator681
    October 17, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Goya's Ghosts," Francisco Goya's(Stellan Skarsgard) art angers the Church in 1792 Spain but with friends like King Carlos(Randy Quaid) and Queen Maria Luisa(Blanca Portillo), the Spanish Inquisition cannot touch him. In their zealousness to fill their qu... read moreota, they arrest a young woman, Ines(Natalie Portman), for the sin of not wanting to eat pork(I would be so dead...) which places her under suspicion of being Jewish. Ines' father(Jose Luis Gomez), a wealthy merchant, asks Goya to intercede with Father Lorenzo(Javier Bardem) for him...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Milos Forman, "Goya's Ghosts" is an oddly engrossing and intelligent period piece with echoes of the present day, especially on the issue of torture, of course, and the French invasion in the second half of the movie. Overall, the movie is concerned with truth and how there is not one absolute truth, no matter what any particular fanatic or fundamentalist may yell at you about. The one constant is personified by Francisco Goya whose art survives to this day, long after the Spanish Inquisition has thankfully died out. And this might have something to do with his depicting his world as honestly as possible.[/font][font=Century Gothic] [/font]
  • fb704730572
    May 30, 2011
    fb704730572
    Certainly not a conventional film, Goya's Ghosts has an abundance of plot lines and melodrama. Some may not like its' methodical pace, but the setting and characters are so fascinating, I couldn't help but enjoy it. Especially recommended for those that like period pieces, or fin... read mored humor in having Randy Quaid cast as a king.
  • Yinali
    May 9, 2008
    Yinali
    Okay..Kinda.
  • wbgoose13
    August 26, 2007
    wbgoose13
    Initially interesting historical drama takes a turn for soap opera in second half.

View All Goya's Ghosts Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
August 23, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Think of it as an Amadeus that doesn't work. Full Review

Richard Nilsen
August 9, 2007
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

It's a richly seen and felt movie, but not one with a feel-good message. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
August 8, 2007
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

A modern sensibility afflicts much of the screenplay, with characters expressing thoughts and opinions for our ears rather than acting as people of that era.

Bruce Westbrook
August 3, 2007
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

A punishing misfire. Full Review

Tom Long
August 3, 2007
Tom Long, Detroit News

Misery, misery, misery. Full Review

John Monaghan
August 3, 2007
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

While there are probably computer-generated backgrounds and armies on screen, the movie still has the feel of an old-fashioned epic. Full Review

Colin Covert
August 2, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film's greatest moments of artistry are in the credits, which feature a breathtaking gallery of the painter's work.

Richard Roeper
July 23, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Wrong, wrong, wrong, every step of the way.

Richard Schickel
July 20, 2007
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

It has grand scale and grand ambitions, and in the midst of our annual silly season at the movies I would like to suggest that, flawed as it is, the film does reward our serious attention. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
July 20, 2007
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Rich in color and period detail, the film attempts an epic sprawl it never quite achieves, but the movie is always enjoyable and interesting. Full Review

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