Liao Kang
's "Goya's Ghosts" (2006) This film does not express the poetic and pictorial meaning that is usually called. The poems here are tragic epics, and the paintings are twisted human figures. In this fusion of poetry and painting, innocent people are devastated and murdered by so-called noble ideas, and become ghosts of grievances. What we see is just a family change, but it is not difficult to imagine how many such tragic stories are behind the grotesque characters in the famous Spanish painter Goya, especially in his etching series "Essays" (Los Caprichos). .
The film begins as the Spanish Inquisition examines the distorted, exaggerated human figures of "The Essay." Immediately, I felt that this was a great deal: "Essay" with devilish human figures framing the solemn faces of those clergymen, with the drumming of executions, the ominous tune, the tolling of the death knell, the staccato of the violin, and the wordless whimper of the female voice Slowly opened the scene of this tragic tragedy. A priest resented the etchings: "That's how the world sees us!" Self-righteous people, whether in plain robes or luxurious court dresses, cannot face art if it faithfully reflects their essence, because they Can't face itself. Reverend Lorenza (Javier Bardem) said it well: "These etchings are nothing more than a true representation of our world." I thought he understood art, knew that reality is ugly, and that art is not the sin of art to show ugly. However, Lorenza took a different turn, and in this turbulent autumn — 17 years before the French Revolution — he was tasked with rehabilitating the world and restoring ancient practices.
The so-called ancient practice is cruel torture and severe punishment of infidels. Of course, what they say is nice, it's just an interrogation. Lorenza taught his subordinates: Voltaire was the culprit of subversion of the church; people who talked about atoms were heretics; if you see someone covering their private parts with their hands when urinating, it is likely to be a circumcised person, which is Judaism believers; these are all to be questioned. As a result, the heroine of the movie, Yin Naisi (Natalie Portman), was interrogated just because she didn't like eating pork. Under torture, she had to admit that she was a Jewish believer. In fact, her ancestors had already converted to Catholicism when they moved from the Netherlands to Spain nearly a hundred years ago, and she has been a Catholic since she was a child.
Innes' father argues with the priest of Lorenza that when a person is tortured, he admits everything. Lorenza firmly believes that God will give believers the strength to endure any pain, and the fear of God will make believers not afraid of any torture. Innes' father immediately experimented and hung Lorenza upside down. It was the simplest and most common form of torture by the Spanish Inquisition, causing dislocated arms and excruciating pain. Lorenza then admitted that he was a bastard of an orangutan who took the form of a human to destroy the church, and signed the confession. This confession will be burnt when Yin Ness is released home, or it will be released to the world.
I won't tell the story after that. There are some coincidences, but no more than in Les Misérables. The French Revolution "liberated" Spain, disbanding the Inquisition and freeing those who were persecuted. But violent revolutions also brought misery to ordinary people and innocent priests: massacres, trampling, rape, looting. The ideas of "liberty, equality, and fraternity" cannot cover up those crimes. No matter how beautiful the idea is, it is also carried out by people, and in the process of implementation, it is often accompanied by practices that run counter to it. What was the difference between the French Revolution and the Inquisition for those who perished? What Goya saw was still the tragedy on earth. He is not the protagonist in the film, but the observer, the recorder. He documents and manifests these sufferings through shocking pictures. The film is interspersed with some of Goya's representative works, but audiences who are looking forward to getting to know the painter through the film may be disappointed. The film is not about Goya's career, nor about his interpretation. Like Goya's paintings, the film shows the misery brought to people in that chaotic era, and the misery brought about by the crazy implementation of those brilliant ideas. In fact, this kind of suffering is not far away from us. The Russians, Chinese and Cambodians have all experienced it, and the Iraqis are experiencing it.
Those who have lived through the Cultural Revolution should understand all of this easily, and it should be easy to resonate with. But all this seems to be too far away from life in Europe and America. There are few people who can resonate with them. Most critics think that the rhythm of the film is too slow and the action is too little. If you appreciate fighting, exciting violence and sex, you will be disappointed by this film. Although there are nude scenes in the film, they are not provocative, but tortured and humiliated, which only makes people feel sad. The glamorous heroine later became haggard, and if the audience's feelings of beauty remained on the surface, it would be difficult to sympathize with the ugly mad woman. The iron law of visual art for mass appreciation—beauty is superficial and still works. It's no wonder that many critics feel that there are no characters in the film they can identify with. Yes, how many people can be as compassionate and compassionate as Goya? They go to the cinema to have a good time, why should they worry about the ancients and cry for ugly women?
Of course, there are also a few people, a few critics who like this film very much, thinking that it is the pinnacle of director Milos Forman's work, surpassing his award-winning film "Mozart" in terms of visual effects and depth of thought. If the subject matter is different, it is difficult to compare works of art. "Mozart" is a film about musicians, and it's natural to use music better. "Goya's Ghost" is related to painters. I have never seen any other than the shocking beauty and soul-touching beauty produced by the overlapping of static images and dynamic shots. Other ordinary shots, even the scene where the French army invaded the city and jumped with flying horses, made people feel immersed in the scene. Forman was also involved in the writing, and I felt the pacing was just right. The whole story revolves around a main line, orderly and compact. I watched this film twice in a row, and I really don’t understand why some people say that the story has too many clues. It made me think of Mozart’s answer when the German king accused the “Marriage of Figaro” of having too many notes, “Not much, not much! "Thoughtfulness is more difficult to compare. The envy shown in "Mozart" is probably older and more stubborn than any other human inferiority, and its harm is no less than any inferior quality, but envy is, after all, one of the seven deadly sins known to all. It is far more deceptive to fight for a shining idea, to sacrifice one's own interests and lives for the sake of the principles of all. Readers who have experienced the Cultural Revolution should have a fresh memory and should be able to see the value of this film more clearly.
The film shows not black and white pictures, but colorful scrolls. Lorenza counterattacked and tried the cardinal. Although his philosophy has changed, in essence, what he is doing is the same sin. Even such a person, Lorenza is not portrayed as a devil. Maybe that's why those critics downplayed the film, they couldn't find a terribly lovely person to shed tears on her. They also couldn't find a very hateful person, and put all the blame on him. They don't understand the ending of the movie, or why Innes would hold the baby in one hand and hold the hand of the "dead man" with the other, walking down the street to the cheerful singing of the children. They can't see the great love shown in the timeless lens, and they can't see that it is the most fundamental kindness in human nature. It's a pity that it was Cihang who could only be extradited by a person who was insane, and the other "sober" people started a new round of fanatical celebrations.
Having talked about these most valuable parts, the other advantages seem to be less important. But if in an ordinary film, the performances of the male and female protagonists can be so penetrating and show their personality changes, this alone is enough to be commendable. The change of the male protagonist is subtle, from serious calm to complacent to fearful and helpless. The heroine has changed tremendously, from childish innocence to half-crazy innocence and stubbornness, turning a young girl into an old woman from the outside to the inside. Critics are unanimously positive and optimistic about their excellent performances. Sure enough, a year later, the lead actor won an Oscar for No Country for Old Men. Five years later, the actress also won an Oscar for Black Swan. That's the line-up for the epic "Ghost of Goya," and it's the lesser achievement of the picture-perfect film.
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