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"Creative story line with twists set in the Spanish Inquisition"

Written By: EugeSchu

Movie is worth renting alone for being set in the Spanish Inquisition.
Movie begins its engaging twists early. The transformations of Bardem's character are intrigueing and Portman gives a worthwhile performance as well. Wide historical swath and deceptive title uses Goya as a passive sounding board for the bizarre events unfolding around him. Excellent paintings by Goya abound, a very underappreciated historical painter.

"What went wrong with this movie?"

Written By: Arthur H. Roach

I kept thinking this was supposed to be a great movie. The performances are wonderful; the settings are sumptuous and astonishingly beautiful. But the story?? Was anyone watching?
At the beginning of the movie, it seems that Goya himself is in trouble with the Inquisition for the prints from his "dark period." But nothing comes of it. It is never made clear why the beautiful young girl is really singled out for torture and permanent imprisonment. If it is hinted that she is intended to implicate someone else, it never happens. When the beautiful young girl is released from prison and is found by Goya, why does she never clean up? Stringy hair until the end.
Many of the same problems as "Barry Lyndon."
Sure. Watch "Goya's Ghosts." Sit back and enjoy the beauty; just don't try to figure it out.

"Goya's Ghost"

Written By: Bob Cinema Critic

I really liked Goya's Ghost as I learned some insight of the Artist's life. It was a good period piece with suspense and drama in the storyline. I consider it a good film but not a great one. It was worth the price of the DVD.

"MILOS FORMAN, OPUS 12"

Written By: wdanthemanw

**** 2006. Written and directed by Milos Forman. The 1792-1812 period in Spain seen through the eyes of painter Francisco Goya. Don't expect here a biography of Goya, Milos Forman is only trying to demonstrate that the role of the artist can be but passive in history. In this perspective, GOYA'S GHOSTS is a very pessimistic film because we never have the feeling that Goya's interventions in order to save In¨s may help the young woman. The production is gorgeous and the actors top-notch. Highly recommended.

"Hints of greatness, which ultimately disappoint"

Written By: Jess Newman

SPOILER WARNING (Do not read the last paragraph if you have not seen this movie or do not want to know what happens)
Goya's Ghosts came highly recommended to me, and given Javier's fabulous performance in No Country For Old Men, I was sold. I bought it and eagerly popped it in. Unfortunately, I just couldn't buy the hype. Bardem is great, of course. This is just the type of devious role that he really breathes life into. Nearly every other actor, however, brings the film down. Natalie Portman, to start, is kind of a mixed bag. She plays a rather unremarkable young woman, who of course is Goya's heaven-sent muse. After being locked in a dungeon for years, she goes a little crazy and pasty, and this brings her overall performance in the film to a solid B as she imitates a broken jaw and a handful of psychoses. Then, she plays the DAUGHTER of her character, while they both are still alive, and goes back to plain old bland. I do wonder, however, if she has some kind of fetish for playing weird roles where they deform her (queen Amidala, V for Vendetta, perhaps others I can't remember...)
Also Randy Quaid plays the King of Spain. He has a wonderful air of regality. No, not really. This is the guy who played the dad in Independence Day and Cousin Ed in the National Lampoon Vacation movies. He hasn't got a regal bone in his body, and he's nearly the WORST actor I could think of for a dramatic role (except for maybe... Natalie Portman?)
Aside from this, the movie is just a little too wide in scope to be seen as an insular, complete story. It covers about 30 years and three generations in two hours, and kind of leaves each epoch a mess, with little or no sense of resolution. At the end of the film, Bardem's character is killed by the church for his rebellion and carted off through the streets of Spain while kids chase it, and a song that means roughly "oh, what a bad world, where a man hurts so bad he wants to kill himself" in Spanish plays. At that point, you realize that all the other stuff was just window-dressing and pretension of drama, while it was really an Inquisition-era No Country For Old Men, a film to give Javier Bardem a role that steals the show with little other reason for watching. The only other plus of this movie, beyond his acting, is the beautiful Spanish scenery and location design which simply cannot be beaten. Too bad, then, that most of the cast is less interesting than the backdrop.