Goya's Ghosts

Drama, War

Javier Bardem	Brother Lorenzo
Natalie Portman	Inés/Alicia
Stellan Skarsgård	Goya
Randy Quaid	King Carlos IV
Blanca Portillo	Queen María Luisa
Michael Lonsdale	Father Gregorio
José Luis Gómez	Tomás Bilbatúa
Mabel Rivera	María Isabel Bilbatúa
Balbino Acosta	Familiar
José Alias	Coachman

Director	Milos Forman
Producer	Mark Albela; Denise O'Dell
Writer	Milos Forman; Jean-Claude Carriere
Musician	Varhan Bauer

In the late 1700’s, Spain instituted the Spanish Inquisition as a reaction to anti-Roman Catholic practices. Self righteous religious officials cruelly tortured scores of people into false confessions. At this time, Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem) is in charge of intensifying the Inquisition. He hires renowned painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard), whose works had been under anti-Church scrutiny, to paint his portrait while at the same time imprisoning Goya’s muse, Ines (Natalie Portman), for refusing a meal of pork at a tavern, a practice consistent with Kosher Jewish rituals. Ines’ father, merchant Tomas Bilbatua, and Goya ask Brother Lorenzo to help her, but he rapes her and tells her family she must be guilty because she confessed. The two men convince Lorenzo that it is the torture, not guilt, that forces people to confess by torturing him into signing a false confession of his own. Lorenzo tries to help Ines, but is banished as a traitor by the Spanish Church. Fifteen years later, the tables turn when the Inquisition is abolished, Ines is freed to look for the daughter she bore in prison, and Lorenzo is part of the French army, prosecuting his former allies.