David Traversa I was so impressed by this monumental film that even now, the day after watching it, It's still in my mind. Milos Forman must be one of the great directors on record in the history of movie-making.To me, this is a masterpiece, a flawed one, if we consider the language used in it (English) spoken by the different actors with different accents and some of them too strong (Bardem's) to make the character believable, specially when one was accustomed to see that actor acting in his native tongue and his self-consciousness to dominate the accent is evident, almost painful to hear, like seeing somebody walking on exceedingly high heels when not yet fully accustomed to them.But we can consider that a minor matter and at the same time appreciate that the actor made a considerable effort to learn his dialogue in a language foreign to him.Letting aside this minor objection, this film is an incredible jewel. Everything in it has been done impeccably and the story line is so forceful that absorbs one mind from the very beginning without letting go till the very end (the very end of the credits!!!).The film opens with jaw dropping drawings by Goya and ends the same way. After seeing this gallery of incredible artwork, one thinks that Goya must be the greatest painter on Earth from the beginning of times till tomorrow. Just looking at these pictures is worth the sitting time in front of the screen.The way the Spanish Inquisition conducted its deeds makes it a wonder to see that the catholic church is still going on, since they were no different in their conduct throughout all the centuries they ruled the coop, to Hitler and his crimes during the Twentieth Century. But obviously the human brain is wired in ways still unknown to us.I truly regret that this movie wasn't done in Spanish, because that took away the full flavor that Spain, one of the most colorful countries in all the World, could have enhanced its atmosphere enormously, and the proof we have it here and there, when we hear some exclamations shout in Spanish in the background and devastatingly so at the very end, when that last scene is accompanied by street children singing off camera a popular children's song in Spanish. All of a sudden the film becomes a 3D picture, now round and complete. We would experiment the same if a Shakespearean work was done in Spanish or Polish, or in any other language but English.Language authenticity is primordial for certain works, I remember seeing "The Barefoot Contessa" in a Barcelona's movie-house and when Ava Gardner (A Spanish Gypsy Girl???!!!) said, in a very heavily accented Spanish: ¿Qué hace usted aquí, no tiene derecho a entrar..." well, it was impossible to hear the whole phrase because the collective laughter from the audience drowned the rest of it."Los fantasmas de Goya", a Masterpiece.

pc95 Director Milos Forman has completely botched this disjointed mess of a story, "Goya's Ghosts". Direction, camera-work, and music are all distracting and confusing. Having Portman play Mother and Daughter was an awful choice - and the direction she takes is misplaced. Her characters are naive simpletons. By the end of the movie we've come full circle with societal changes and the mockery is complete and the dead horse continues to get beaten. Anytime you jump 15 years in story, you'd better be sure you have all loose ends tied up and they just don't seem so. How can the Head Priest not have passed away in 15 years, or the Lorenzo character actually look younger? These were technical problems. The revolution scenes seemed badly staged, and the Ines character's family some how dies the same day she's released. Give this one a miss unless you enjoy the period piece. It's worth repeating too, the music and score seemed woefully out-of-place - almost like James Bond music. A bad movie in a lot of ways.

jathton the makers of motion pictures told stories that appealed to the mind as well as the heart. 'Goya's Ghosts' is such a movie. Think about the film for a moment... it was the story of a young woman and a priest... told through the surrounding tapestry of the life of an artist. The visual portion of the movie was as richly painted and presented as some of Goya's finest and most provocative canvases. The colors, the juxtaposition of light and shadow, the close-ups, and the fleeting glimpses of artists works combined into a sensual feast for the eye. And the story was just as complex, just as beautiful, and edited as only an editor passionately attached to a work can edit. The music was hauntingly and precisely joined to the scenes and the screenplay. And the story itself was wonderfully thought-provoking... the principals' rise, fall, rise again, fall once more... a once beautiful young girl spends the final frames following the man who least deserves her heart... and we are left with a question, an enormous question, regarding the blacks and whites we love to paint reality & our issues with. I do not judge the movies that are produced today. Each has its audience. I simply wish that more movies as truly wonderful as this one were produced and released. "Goya's Ghosts" is a finely crafted and beautifully presented story to watch unfold.

farshidk An interesting film; good portrayal of Spanish Goya and his artistic work and genius. The credit at the end of the film does a superb job of showcasing some of his paintings with closeups. Two of my favorite artists -- Bardem & Portman -- are in this film and they are great as usual. good example of reversal of fortune caused by historical events -- the evil powerhouse of the Spanish inquisition falls apart by napoleon's attack on Spain and then they gain their power and influence when the English roll in.The film is also a great reminder for me of why I despise religion so much, in particular the theistic religions (Judaism, Christianty, and Islam). Probably more people in the history of humanity have suffered because of these religions than anything else. Much has been written on this topic elsewhere, such as Christopher Hitchens' "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything".On the negatives: I didn't really like Portman playing both herself and her daughter! It seemed strange. Also her makeup after she's released from the prison is overdone. As others have pointed out, there are also inconsistencies in the English accents of Spanish speaking artists such as Bardem vs English speaking ones like Portman.