The episode of life of the Spanish painter Goya portrayed in this film is told through dreamlike anti-realistic settings and colours. One falls under the impression that the film belongs more to cinematographer Vittorio Storaro than to the actual director of the film, but that happens very often with this colour-crazy Italian (remember the Bernardo Bertolucci films). The last films of Fassbinder also spring into mind at times, especially when colour is achieved through projection of coloured light (instead of the objects themselves containing colour), which is understandable in the case of the German director, since he started off in theatre, but less so in Saura's case. And at certain moments the theatrical techniques used are stretched too far into the world of theatre, seeming to forget that what we are supposed to be watching is cinema and not a videotaped play, as in the use of a wall that at times is opaque and at other times becomes transparent. But all in all the film is a pleasure to watch, especially if you appreciate good photography.
Review of Goya in Bordeaux
