Loosely based on events from the life of Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco Goya, the popular 2006 film titled Goya’s Ghosts – directed by Miloš Forman – provides audiences with a graphic depiction of Goya’s famed art and the historical horrors that inspired it. As shown in the film, Goya, who is played by actor Stellan Skarsgård, became popularized as an artist during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and then, later, the French and British invasions. The horrific practices that took place near the turn of the 18th century inspired some of Goya’s best and most renowned pieces, – mainly his prints – and, today, this specific form of art produced by Goya is known by the name of “black paintings”. Goya’s Ghosts successfully manages to display a substantial amount of the beloved painter’s artwork through both generous close-ups of his highly detailed portraits and prints and long-shots of his unveiled commissioned pieces. Through its use of dialogue and intense imagery, Goya’s Ghosts proves to be a beautiful, bold, and frighteningly true representation of Spanish artist Francisco Goya’s life and art.
As conveyed throughout most of the film, Francisco Goya communicated through his artwork in a rather expressive and emotional way. His artistic production seemed to be closely linked to traumas surrounding him, such as the violence stemming from military conflicts of the French and British invasions, the way in which wealth, religion, and power shaped the world around him, and his own struggles with his loss of hearing. Close-ups of some of his most famous prints are featured throughout the film’s opening sequence and end credits, giving the audience a glimpse of his work before the story unfolds and just as it has come to an end. Goya’s artwork then comes to life through the scenes masterfully directed by Milos Forman. Some audience members may be reminded of the artist’s disturbingly beautiful prints when, for example, Goya’s muse, Ines, – played by actress Natalie Portman – is being tortured by the men of the Holy Office, who are more commonly referred to as the Spanish Inquisition. The pain on Ines’s face and her screams of agony and desperate pleas to be released reflect the very way the subjects are portrayed in the dark images produced by Goya – with sheer terror and agony written across their faces. More often than not, the subject matter of Goya’s artwork was rather bleak and the color palette he chose to use was dominated by the color black.
Audience members may also be reminded of Goya’s famous “black paintings” when watching Brother Lorenzo’s trial and death scene. Brother Lorenzo, one of the Inquisition’s priests – played by actor Javier Bardem – is put on trial after the British invasion. This scene is a recreation of one of Goya’s most famous paintings titled The Inquisition Tribunal, produced between 1812 and 1819. The film comes to a dramatic close with the recreation of this piece. Lorenzo is then publicly killed after being begged by members of the church to confess to his many sins. Public forms of torture, such as the one that Brother Lorenzo had to endure, were often the subject matter of Goya’s prints. During this particular scene, Goya is even spotted standing in the crowd with a sketchbook in hand, drawing a disturbing image of the events playing out before his very eyes. And, for Goya, his eyes are all that he has left. The film shows how, over the years, he has gone completely deaf in both ears. Therefore, while his work is being inspired by the horrors he is witnessing around him, it is also being inspired by his own personal health and struggles. Essentially, through imagery, scene production, and character development, director Milos Forman successfully manages to translate an accurate depiction of Goya’s life, art, and the overall effect that the Spanish Inquisition had on his work.
Dialogue plays an important role in a film as remarkable as Goya’s Ghosts. Descriptive dialogue is an art form in itself. The film’s first scene includes many important lines and words that emphasize just how certain people – specifically religious people – responded to Goya’s work. One religious member calls Goya’s prints, “disturbing, demonic filth”. The character of Brother Lorenzo, however, is quick to respond with, “Yes, but these prints show us the true face of our world”, to which the first man then asks, “How can you call these hideous images the true face of our world?” It is rather expected that religious members would be left speechless when examining Goya’s work because of the dark themes featured throughout. One thing that the film may have portrayed incorrectly in this scene, however, was that Goya’s “black paintings” were for sale to the public. History says that the prints were not commissioned and, therefore, not meant for any kind of public exhibition. Therefore, this aspect of the film is slightly fictitious if not completely. When overlooking this historical error, however, dialogue still helps the film to convey an important quality of Goya’s work and life.
Throughout the entirety of Goya’s Ghosts, Milos Forman depicts Francisco Goya as a complex character, which history most definitely proved him to be. Although Forman depicted some aspects of Goya’s life as fictional, the film clearly reflects the life of Goya and provides audiences with a rather accurate depiction of historical events, such as the Spanish Inquisition and French and British invasions. Overall, Goya’s Ghosts is a film that should be seen by all.
