Hollywood cash to restore Inquisition era palace

27 September 2005

MADRID — Czech-American director Milos Forman plans to invest USD360,000 to restore the facade of a Madrid palace chosen as a location shot for his upcoming film, ‘Goya’s Ghosts’.

Forman, whose 1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won five top Oscars, has been shooting this new film – to be set in Spain in the late 18th century and early 19th century – since the beginning of September.

The cast includes Spaniard Javier Bardem and Israeli actress Natalie Portman.

A historical drama, ‘Goya’s Ghosts’ tells the story of that period as seen through the eyes of Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, played by Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard.

The palace chosen for the film is that of Infante Don Luis, an 18th-century monument located in the Madrid suburb of Boadilla del Monte.

Its facade will be restored following an agreement between the production company and local officials.

The palace has gradually deteriorated over time, due in part to a legal battle over who owns the structure that has delayed restoration attempts.

‘Goya’s Ghosts’ tells the story of a group of people living at a time of political upheaval and historical change, when the Spanish Inquisition was drawing to a close.

Bardem plays the role of powerful monk Brother Lorenzo, who has an affair with Goya’s young muse – played by Portman – after she is falsely accused of heresy and sent to prison.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news