Goya in Bordeaux (1999)

This is a highly theatricalized vision of the notorious exiled painter. Picture was originally directed by Carlos Saura and filmed with a pervasive melancholy that does for slow drama . It is is an emotive biography (1746-1828), involving 18-19th century famed Spanish painter named Francisco De Goya Lucientes (Francisco Rabal and as young played by Jose Coronado) and famous model (Maribel Verdu) for the famed painting . It's a slow vision of Saragossan painter Francisco Goya Lucientes' last days in Burdeos , ill and deaf , as he wanders through the streets and remembers the citizens uprising against Napoleon troops . It portrays his relationship with historic personages as Duchess of Alba (Verdu) , Moratin (Joaquin Climent) , Bayeu and the scheming favorite Godoy (Jose Maria Pou). As Goya observes and reminds events, dances , parties , inquisition , French invasion that inspired his work ; as his reveries become tableaux of his paintings . As the highlights of the movie result to be when are brought to life scenes of known paintings as ¨Disasters of war¨, ¨Saturn devouring his sons¨, ¨portrayal of Carlos IV family¨,¨, ¨Los Caprichos¨ , ¨Black paintings¨ , and lithographs , among others . Two of Goya 's best known paintings are The Nude Maja and The Clothed Maja . They depict the same woman in the same pose, naked and clothed, respectively. Without a pretense to allegorical or mythological meaning, the painting was "the first totally profane life-size female nude in Western art" . The identity of the Majas are uncertain. The most popularly cited models are the Duchess of Alba , with whom Goya was sometimes thought to have had an affair, and Pepita Tudó, mistress of Manuel Godoy; Godoy subsequently owned them .This is a costumer based on facts but predominates the slow-moving drama full of flashbacks with surrealist images , nightmarish scenes and colorful set-pieces . The picture relies heavily on relationship between Goya , his wife Leocadia played by Eulalia Ramon (real life spouse to Saura) , his daughter performed by Dafne Fernandez and Duchess of Alba acted by Maribel Verdu . Glamorously and sumptuously photographed by Vittorio Storaro , Bernardo Bertolucci's usual . Lavishly produced by Andres Vicente Gomez , the gowns are extravagantly magnificent ,luxury rooms and paintings pass by in front of your eyes and spectacular though theatrical production design . The sets are superb, at least as good as any other period piece films directed by Saura , furthermore great intervention by the group Furia Del Baus who carries out rousing choreography . Emotive and evocative musical score by Roque Baños. The motion picture is well directed by Carlos Saura , a good Spanish movies director. He began working in cinema in 1959 when he filmed ¨Los Golfos ¨(1962) also dealing with juvenile delinquency . Saura is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes among which there are the following ones: Silver Bear in the Berlin Festival for ¨ La Caza or The Chase¨ (1966) his most successful film , and for Peppermint Frappé (1967), in 1967. Special Jury Awards in Cannes for La Prima Angélica (1974), in 1973, and for Cría Cuervos (1976), in 1975. Also, the film Mamá Cumple Cien Años (1979) got an Oscar nomination in 1979 as the best foreign film, and it also won the Special Jury Award at the San Sebastian Festival. In 1990, he won two Goya , The Spanish Oscar , as best adapted screenplay writer and best director. Saura became an expert on Iberian musical adaptations as ¨Carmen , Amor Brujo , Bodas De Sangre , Sevillanas ,Iberia , Salome, Fado, Flamenco ¨ and even recently Opera as ¨Io , Don GiovanniOther films dealing with Goya's life are : ¨The Naked Maja¨ (1958) by Henry Koster with Anthony Franciosa and Ava Gardner ; ¨Goya¨ by Nino Quevedo also with Francisco Rabal ; ¨Los Desastres De Guerra¨ TV series by Jose Ramon Larraz with Enric Majo as Goya , ¨Volaverunt¨ (1999) by Bigas Lina with Penelope Cruz , Jordi Molla and Jorge Perugorria as Goya .

The story is presented to us very much like a mosaic....many colourful pieces which have to be put together in order to discover the real Goya, official court painter of Spain. Unfortunately many of the pieces are missing.Sorting through his host of memories, the aging Goya tells his daughter who happens to be interested in art herself about the importance of freedom of expression...to be original and to follow her own path. To have an old sick man narrating the story tends to slow things up and the film at times becomes rather dreary and boring.However, some of the incidents expressed in his works of art are very interesting and very familiar e.g. the painting of the Duchess of Alba posing as the naked Maja and the execution of the Spanish by the hostile French army under Napoleon.In the early part of the film (which happens to be rather slow) the theatrical device of using transparent wall with back lighting is effective.No one can quibble about the overall artistry of the film....the dancing, music, wonderful costumes of the courtiers in their finery and powdered wigs...all very correct for the period.There were a couple of errors worth noting. When the lightning storm strikes and the windows blow in and Goya goes over to shut them, the curtains cease moving before he actually shuts the windows. And again, if you watch carefully, Goya as a young man paints with his left hand and as an older man paints with his right. Strange, don't you think?

The photography is admittedly fascinating as is the dance and music, but the movie is very talkey and with no sustaining plot it soon seems clautrophobic and dull. Occasionally their are scenes outside which comes as truly a breath of fresh air. True this is supposed to be about Goya dying, but there is little drama in that since it is a foregone conclusion.

I loved this movie, although it started out slow, and there was much symbolism. I found some scenes very touching, and found myself thinking about other scenes after the movie. The movie was very picturesque, but I found the music even more impressive. There was one score that was repeated all through the movie and during the end credits and I cannot get it out of my head. I hope to find the soundtrack somewhere. I should mention that there is not much of a storyline. This is the story of Goya's life, which as I understand is not very eventful. However, the story telling is just beautiful, and I couldn't keep my eyes of the screen, while my husband slept all through the movie.