Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988)

Biography of the life of Aristotle Onassis, a Greek who rose to become one of the world's most wealthiest men, detailing his rise to power and unhappy marriages.

Director:

Waris Hussein

Writers:

Peter Evans (book), Jacqueline Feather

Stars:

Raul Julia, Jane Seymour, Anthony Quinn

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raul Julia	...	Aristotle Onassis
Jane Seymour	...	Maria Callas
Anthony Quinn	...	Socrates Onassis
Francesca Annis	...	Jacqueline Kennedy
Elias Koteas	...	Young Aristotle Onassis
Beatie Edney	...	Tina
Anthony Zerbe	...	Livanos
John Kapelos	...	Costas Gratsos
Robert Krantz
Lorenzo Quinn	...	Alexander Onassis
Richard Chaves
Simón Andreu	...	Examining Officer
Silvia Tortosa	...	Claudia Muzio
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Meneghini
Dimitra Arliss	...	Artemis

Storyline

Biography of the life of Aristotle Onassis, a Greek who rose to become one of the world's most wealthiest men, detailing his rise to power and unhappy marriages.

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Plot Keywords:

greek | wealth | rise and fall | ex husband ex wife relationship | death of daughter | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Richest Man in the World: The Story of Aristotle Onassis

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company,Televisión Española (TVE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 60 min (2 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

Title ran 200 m. on first airing. Has been cut to 100 m. in rerun

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Jonathan Winters/Kristen Banerjee (1988)

User Reviews

Too Little Historical Insight Elapsing Over Far Too Many Years

I can appreciate how difficult it must be for a screenwriter and director to try and condense such an interesting man's life story that spans over 50 plus years of history into a two hour time capsule. Having said that, when you have such superb leading actors as Raul Julia and Anthony Quinn (Academy award nominee Best Actor in Zorba the Greek) you have an opportunity many other films do not get for instant credibility.

Even with the benefit of top notch actors like Raul Julia and Anthony Quinn I was not impressed with the movies stop gap approach to how the years (and in some cases decades) progressed in Aristotle Onassis life. In one scene Onassis's hair is jet black, in another scene his hair changes to silver grey, and in the very next scene his hair is completely white. I know life passes us by when we don't expect it, but this bio movie was almost laid out in bullet points, rather than with any depth of character and story basis.

I was very disappointed with the choice of Jane Seymour to play Maria Callas. I like Jane Seymour in some of her other movies, but as Maria Callas? You have got to be kidding? Her accent was so bad and her teary scenes for the love of her life breaking her heart again and again were just not very good.

I know this review is critical but I would have preferred the biography to concentrate on a specific time period in Onassis's life, whether it was as a teenager when his father's wealth and home were taken over by the military and he stayed behind living with the commander as his male geisha, or how he built his shipping empire, or even the time period his passion for both Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy were in full bloom.

The film Onassis, the Richest Man In the World, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Unfortunately it is not one of the greatest films of the now deceased actors Anthony Quinn and Raul Julia's body of work. I prefer to remember these two great actors for some of their other performances such as Raul's Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Anthony's Across 110th Street.