Goya's Ghosts

R

2006

1 hr. 57 min.

History

Drama

List

30%

87 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), a member of the Spanish Inquisition, seeks to curry favor with the Inquisitor General by arresting the muse (Natalie Portman) of artist Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard). Lorenzo's plan backfires when the woman's father, a wealthy merchant, captures and tortures Lorenzo, and he must flee the wrath of his fellow Inquisitors.

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Critics Consensus

Ornate costumes and a talented cast can't make up for Ghosts' glacial pace and confused plot.

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Audra O

I just watched it last night, in 2024. I hadn't expected to like it (1) because it's old, (2) because I'd never heard of it, (3) because when I see Natalie Portman my mind goes to her cringy performances in the Star Wars movies (even though I know that was bad writing), and (4) because, statistically speaking, most movies don't hold my interest. I'm giving this movie a 5 because, even though I can't say it was one of my favorite movies ever, I can't find fault with it. I thought it was very cleverly done, the acting was good, Goya's part in the whole thing was interesting, and fitting to the title. With the Inquisition being such a key part of this film, I think a lot of filmmakers would have included really graphic torture scenes. I was thankful that this film didn't overdo that aspect, and kept those scenes mostly to our imagination.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

rain b

Intense movie. Superbly written story. Outstanding performances from the actors. Great camera. Brings out Goyas art as very modern and timeless. This movie should be viewed in schools to lecture about religious fanatism. I cant agree with the bad reviews of the critics at all. In this case, they are the rotten tomatoes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

Full Review

Ari .

Not sure it builds a deep enough bond with its characters, nor says enough, to justify 2 hours from most people, but I found it a worthwhile brush against human absurdity on some of its various scales.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

S E

It contains a lot of emotions in details, just like the real life. But unfortunately they didn't go deeper about his artworks. Scenes that were meant to evoke brutality could have been made more brutal. They did a good job at explaining ignorance and helplessness and making me want to go crazy because of it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/23

Full Review

tony h

This movie has a great deal to say in the modern world about the place and relevance of religion and power-wielding maniacs; -Not only entertaining, but endlessly fascination, it is well worth watching on account of its extreme value as food-for-thought.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Una storia difficile da raccontare, forse troppo. Sono pochi gli eventi che segnano le vite dei personaggi che per il resto del film invece si trascinano alla ricerca di qualcosa che non è ben chiaro a nessuno. Ed il finale è assolutamente insoddisfacente; tanto da lasciare lo spettatore abbastanza interdetto sui personaggi che si separano come nulla fosse.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Milos Forman

Director

Javier Bardem

Brother Lorenzo

Natalie Portman

Ines

Stellan Skarsgård

Goya

Randy Quaid

King Carlos IV

José Luis Gómez

Tomas Bilbatua

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Cliff Doerksen

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

David Fear

Time Out

Rated: 3/6

Jan 18, 2008

Full Review

Marta Barber

Miami Herald

Captures the essence of the period -- an intriguing, backward era in Spain -- but without the emotional impact that such a film requires.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 24, 2007

Full Review

Kaleem Aftab

The List

Aside from the waste of great talent, the real shame here is that a film that takes the great master's name could at least try to evoke the raw visual power of his paintings.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 3, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A ridiculous biopic of the great Spanish artist.

Rated: C+

Jan 19, 2014

Full Review

Cynthia Fuchs

Common Sense Media

Intense historical epic is for adults only.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 16, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), a member of the Spanish Inquisition, seeks to curry favor with the Inquisitor General by arresting the muse (Natalie Portman) of artist Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard). Lorenzo's plan backfires when the woman's father, a wealthy merchant, captures and tortures Lorenzo, and he must flee the wrath of his fellow Inquisitors.

Director: Milos Forman
Executive Producer: Paul Zaentz
Screenwriter: Milos Forman, Jean-Claude Carrière
Production Co: Saul Zaentz Company, Xuxa
Rating: R (Nudity|Disturbing Images|Some Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 20, 2007
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M

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