The multi-layered documentary Goya, Carrière and the Ghost of Buñuel takes you on a journey through the worlds of three like-minded and intrinsically connected thinkers and artists. Filmmaker Jose Luis Lopez Linares had the good fortune to film French writer Jean-Claude Carrière a year before his untimely death as he retraces Goya’s footsteps, all the time expounding lyrically on art, history, humanity and love.
The Spanish/Mexican film director Luis Buñuel (1900-1983) and French writer Jean-Claude Carrière shared a profound love for the work of the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828). The two are also connected through their work: Carrière co-wrote all of Buñuel’s late period French films, such as Belle de Jour and That Obscure Object of Desire.
López Linares had previously collaborated with Carrière when working on a documentary on Buñuel. When he was contemplating a film on Goya, he decided to contact the writer again – he wanted him to retrace Goya’s footsteps in Spain, all the time commenting on his life and work. It is very obvious from the resulting documentary that Carrière loved doing this – his love, admiration and knowledge of Goya is contagious and shines through his every word and gaze. As Lopez was shooting the film he could not have foreseen it would be the last footage ever shot of Carrière, as he unexpectedly died in February 2021.
Apart from Carrière’s journey, the film presents a colourful ensemble of contributors who widen the film’s gaze. This approach keeps you on your toes, as you have pay attention to who specifically they are talking about. It is not just Goya who is been paid tribute to, but also Carrière and Buñuel. Film director Julian Schnabel, who also worked with Carrière on many occasions is one of his admirers. “You have to think of Luis Bunuel and Jean Claude in the same breath as you do Goya”, he says in the documentary. He refers to their shared view of humanity – their genuine interest in people from all walks of life, their loving eye for detail and beauty and their deep sense of compassion.
Goya, Carrière and the Ghost of Buñuel is made with the same (com)passion and attention to detail as displayed by its subjects. Carrière’s journey makes up the majority of the film, travelling to and talking about Goya’s place of birth, commenting on defining pieces of work, such as the Duchess of Alba, which represents the period in Goya’s life and work after his sudden deafness, and the paintings of the Countess of Chinchon, which serves as fertile soil for contemplation on Goya’s love life as well as his fascination for both royalty and feet. In The Treshing Ground Goya’s sympathy for common people clearly shows. The film equally displays López Linares’ meticulous approach to his craft, such as when Carrière registers how the colours of the landscape correspond with the colours in Goya’s paintings.
The film’s meticulousness also shows in its precise and sensitive editing – it is not an easy task to connect all of the different components in a comprehensive way. Sometimes the director will isolate a short quote from one person to complement a theory advanced by someone else. In combination with the carefully chosen classical music, the film feels like a joyful, flowing and cohesive celebration of a genius by fellow geniuses.
France/Spain/Portugal, 90 mins, 2022
Director: José Luis López-Linares
Production: Mondex et Cie
Languages: French, Spanish, English
Sales: Reservoir Docs
