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Goya's Ghost

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

In "Goya's Ghost," set in late 18th-century Spain, the great craftsman Milos Forman attempts to shed a harsh light on the infamous Spanish Inquisition through the eyes of three characters. The film begins with the renowned Spanish painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard), whose paintings and sketches expose the Church's intolerance. Fortunately for Goya, a reserved and conservative monk Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem) is the only one who comes to his defense, totally sticking up for his vision while proposing to reinstate the Inquisition.

One of their targets, Ines (Natalie Portman), is a daughter of a wealthy merchant who is unaware her ancestors were Jewish. When she unwisely refuses to eat a plate of pork at a fiesta, her Grand Inquisitor father Gregorio (Michael Lonsdale) wrongfully subjects Ines to questioning (a euphemism for torture) to make her confess that she practices the outlawed Jewish rituals, and she's  thrown into the dungeon. Ines's father, Tomas (Jose Luis Gomez), begs Goya to help in his daughter's recovery due to her being a muse to his painting, but the painter is rather terrified that his response and effort will be mostly useless. In Tomas' desperate attempt, he manages to bring Brother Lorenzo to the dinner through Goya's help, and blackmails him by hanging him upside down with a rope and torture him to sign a document says "I'm a offspring of monkey."

During his visit in dungeon he rapes her and disappears, and Ines is left to rot in prison. 
Then, the saga jumps ahead fifteen years later, with Goya a court painter to King Carlos IV (Randy Quaid), a hunting buff, and to the unattractive Queen Maria Luisa (Blanca Portillo). All are caught in a provocative period illustrating the ravages of war in an unstable era. Although Goya stands on the sidelines to witness this terrible drama unfold, Napoleon is overrunning Europe, taking charge of the church and Father Gregorio and his apprentices. Ines is finally freed, and Lorenzo becomes Napoleon's prosecutor. Amidst all the chaos, the mentally distraught Ines still searches for her daughter who is now a prostitute (also played by Natalie Portman).

This film is possessed with dishes of colorful ingredients that the characters could easily play along with while struggling to achieve dramatic  moments. It is also structurally messy throughout, with lousy dialogue and misguided direction. You really can't root for any of these characters. We know that Goya had a fascinating life, but it hasn't been captured in this movie. Despite so many vivid colors, we are unfortunately left with a white canvas.

Directed by Milos Forman
Written by Mr. Forman and Jean-Claude Carrière
Director of photography: Javier Aguirresarobe
Edited by Adam Boome
Production designer: Patrizia Von Brandenstein
Produced by Saul Zaentz
Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Running time: 113 minutes.

Cast: Javier Bardem (Brother Lorenzo)
Natalie Portman (Ines/Alicia)
Stellan Skarsgard (Goya)
Randy Quaid (King Carlos)
Michael Lonsdale (Grand Inquisitor)
José Luis Gómez (Bilbatua),
and Mabel Rivera (Maria Isabel Bilbatua).