Goya's Ghosts on DVD

Description

Epic historical drama from director Milos Forman. Near the end of the 16th Century, Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgard) is a gifted but controversial artist whose work has earned the enmity of the Spanish government as well as the Catholic Church. Surprisingly, Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), a monk involved in the Inquisition, has hired Goya to paint a portrait of himself, and to prove to the Inquisitor General (Michael Lonsdale) he's not in cahoots with the renegade artist, Lorenzo targets Ines (Natalie Portman), one of Goya's favorite models, as a possible heretic. Under torture from Lorenzo, Ines signs a false confession, and her wealthy and powerful father, Tomas Bilbatua (Jose Luis Gomeza), offers Lorenzo a taste of his own medicine by brow-beating him into signing a document confessing that his mother was an ape. Lorenzo flees Spain as his reputation lies in tatters, and Goya earns greater infamy as he paints a wildly unflattering portrait of Queen Maria Luisa (Blanca Portillo) under commission from her husband, King Carlos IV (Randy Quaid), but Ines remains in prison thanks to her coerced confession. 15 years later, Lorenzo has become a follower of the Enlightenment, and returns to Spain as Napoleon's forces storm the nation and the Inquisition finally collapses. Lorenzo attempts to liberate Ines from prison, but a shocking discovery awaits him.