Goya's Ghosts Reviews

Since I have always been a fan of Milos Forman's work, I was really eager to check this movie and I think it took me about 10 years to finally see the damned thing. Well, I wish I could say it was worth waiting for so long but I 'm afraid the whole thing turned out to be rather disappointing. First of all, even though I didn’t mind the international cast,  I think it was a rather odd choice to have a Swedish actor to play this Spanish master. However, it wasn't even the biggest issue here. No, the main problem I had is that the story was just a mess. Indeed, it was basically about the rise and fall of the Spanish inquisition, the invasion of Spain by Napoleon, the rise and fall and rise and fall of a Spanish priest and some family melodrama involving a poor girl being tortured and put in prison for many years for something completely ridiculous. Obviously, with all this going on, it was rather tricky to add Goya in the mix and the guy just shows up from time and time without having much impact on the proceedings.  At least, the whole thing looked fine and the actors involved were pretty good (especially Javier Bardem) but it was certainly not enough. Anyway, to conclude, I think I'm being rather generous with my rating here but I guess it is still worth a look, especially if you're interested in Milos Forman's work.

Though it certainly looks like your run of the mill period piece, Milos Forman's Goya's Ghosts is a strange beast indeed. Its successes lie in some fine performances by Stellan Skarsgard and Javier Bardem but the story meanders through vaguely defined periods of Spanish history. It's often disarmingly funny - carrying a vibe that doesn't fit the costumes and high drama of the depicted period and Natalie Portman borders on brutal at times. Its a movie that never really finds its way and never really seems to have anything particularly important or interesting to say. It is gorgeous to look at and entertaining in a vaudevillian kind of way but never reaches the peaks of Forman's finest work.

Goya's ghosts is a film that i found really bizarre because we see lots of medieval-like sceneries that is set in the 15th or 16th century. It is a film with a lot of bizarre yet dramatic consequences. I don't know how to fully explain what this film was like to watch. All I can say is that it was a very emotional and depressing story, a story with a little taste of Amadeus to it and it has very good characters. The best keyword I could describe Goya's Ghosts is weird. It is a very indescribable film to me. Javier Bardem was good as Lorenzo because he showed that lovable and weirdness to the character but I somehow feel he was quite villainous because I have a sneaky feeling that he raped Inés while she was in prison. He had that slightly scary look like he was in No Country For Old Men.


Natalie Portman was good as Inés but was like a real prisoner and was a very powerful character with a hard life. I was blown away by how nude Natalie went in one of the scenes in this film. She went rather nude in Closer when she had the stripper clothes on.


Milos Forman's directing was very different compared to his best film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest but on the other hand it was similar to Amadeus because of the costume drama storyline. The script was rather lame on occasions but there were some scenes that were quite entertaining. I couldn't fully understand the story for some reason. The art direction was absolutely awesome with a Sweeney Todd/Gangs Of New York type of design. The costumes were fantastic as well with a very similar sort of design as those two films. The make-up was really good on Natalie Portman because she really did look old when Inés is released from prison. She portrays her own daughter aswell and yet she looked really young. That is where Goya's Ghosts was really weird to watch.


This is not my favourite Natalie Portman film at all but it is her weirdest performance yet. Goya's Ghosts certainly isn't Javier Bardem's best film either. A good film with a very bizarre dialogue.

Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) works on a series of paintings, one of which is of Father Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), who is captivated by his painting of Ines Bilbatua (Natalie Portman). When Ines is enquired by the Church about her religious activities and beliefs, her father Thomas contacts Goya with the hope that his connection with Lorenzo will ensure the release of his daughter. What follows is a captivating account of politics and religion during the Spanish Inquisition, that will change their lives.

Not being a fan of Forman films, I was a little skeptic about this movie.
While there certainly are some inaccuracies in the script, the movie is still very enjoyable thanks to its storyline, as well as its cast. Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman give good performances, especially Portman since she handles the mother/daughter roles to perfection.
The costumes and decors are quite well done.
Recommended to anyone who enjoys historical movies.