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preview: goya’s ghosts (2006)
By vrtualme | July 8, 2007
Finally getting a limited release in the U. S. later this month is Goya’s Ghosts (2006). Brought to the big screen by two time Oscar winning director Milos Forman (Amadeus 1984 & One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1975). This is the story of painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård – probably best known by audiences as ‘Bootstrap Bill’ Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) and his obsession with his muse Inés, who he failed to rescue during the Spanish Inquisition. Inés is portrayed by Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala aka Luke Skywalker’s mother & Oscar nominee for Closer 2004) in her first on screen nude scene (one was filmed for Closer, but not used in the final cut). Adding to the cast are Javier Bardem (Oscar nominee for Before Night Falls 2000) as a monk who also falls for Inés and Randy Quaid (Oscar nominee for The Last Detail 1973) as King Carlos IV. No surprise here that this film got numerous nominations at Spain’s Goya Awards, but when asked why a film about such a quintessentially Spanish artist was made in English, Forman replied “I don’t speak Spanish.” Sadly, the official website is rather boring with limited information available.