The AFI Directors screening of “Goya’s Ghost” last night was the highlight of my social calendar this week. Producer, Saul Zaentz, and his wife invited me to see his newest film about the life of Francisco Goya. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown and a chronicler of history. He is regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided the basis for the introducing the story to the audience.
We were engaged throughout the 2 hour account of genius, madness and faith. In 1997, Zaentz received the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award ‘for a consistently high quality of motion picture production’ with good reason. He makes very fine pictures. When traveling, add The Prado to your list of must-see museums. It's one of the best in Europe.Pictured above: Goya's Los desastres de la guerra ("The Disasters of War"), 1810-14
