Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Goya's Ghosts (2006) - Forman's under-appreciated last major picture

1/23/2021

Goya's Ghosts (2006) - Forman's under-appreciated last major picture

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best Box Office Disaster of the Year

Intense stars and the painting element are prominent on this enticing poster for Milos Forman's Goya's Ghosts

Late in the 18th century, Francisco Goya is a popular and controversial artist in Spain, who paints a portrait of a powerful monk, who then takes up a fatal interest in one of the painter's other subjects, the girl Ines, which begins a terrible downfall for her.

Goya's Ghosts is written by Jean-Claude Carrière (The Night and the Moment (1994)) and Czech master filmmaker, co-writer/director Milos Forman (Black Peter/Cerný Petr (1964)), whose 12th and final big international film it was. It is a biopic of the real Goya, though with several elements and characters entirely fictional.

Forman does it once again here and creates an outstanding film. Stellan Skarsgård (Dogville (2003)), Javier Bardem (Jamón, Jamón (1992)), Randy Quaid (Cold Dog Food (1990)) and Blanca Portillo (Between Your Legs/Entre las Piernas (1999)) as Queen María Luisa are splendid in what is an intellectually presented, epic tragedy. It truly is a film that transports its audience to a distant era and lets us feel the wingspan of history.

Goya's Ghosts does not take the easy route but sticks to the importance of truth, (although paradoxically a substantial part of the story is made up.) Forman's genius shines through several times.

Natalie Portman (Knight of Cups (2015)) is possibly not mature enough for the double part she has here, - but she gives a worthy performance, even if she may probably be miscast.

Related posts:

Milos Forman: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Top 10: The best big hit movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Amadeus (1984) or, The Fool Genius and his Teacher

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Forman's 1970s gold-rimmed classic

Watch a short clip from the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $

Box office: 9.4 mil. $

= Box office disaster (returned 0.18 times its cost)

[Goya's Ghosts premiered 8 November (Spain) and runs 114 minutes. Forman cast Portman upon noticing her likeness to the girl in Goya's painting Milkmaid of Bordeaux. Skarsgård and Quaid were each paid 1 mil. $ for their performances. Shooting took place in Spain from September - December 2005. The film opened #32 to a 159k $ first weekend in 49 theaters in North America, where it only diminished from there, grossing 1 mil. $ (10.6 % of the total gross). North America was the film's 3rd biggest market. Biggest was Spain with 2.1 mil. $ (22.3 %) and Italy with 1.1 mil. $ (11.7 %). The film was nominated for 3 Goya awards (Spain's Oscar). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Forman returned with A Walk Worthwhile/Dobre placená procházka (2009), co-directed with his son Petr Forman. Bardem returned in No Country for Old Men (2007); Portman in My Blueberry Nights (2007); and Skarsgård in Guilty Hearts (2006). Goya's Ghosts is rotten at 30 % with a 4.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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William Friedkin has died

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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1/23/2021

Goya's Ghosts (2006) - Forman's under-appreciated last major picture

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