Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988)

Great showcase for Raul Julia, Despite miscasting

The death of Raul Julia closed the door to a career still peaking, This film provides one of his great showcases, and fans will savor his powerhouse performance.

Taken as a Citizen Kane-type film about a self-made Greek billionaire, this is very entertaining and would be an excellent story. However, as a biography of Aristotle Onassis it falls flat.

Though powerful, Julia looks nothing like Onassis. He's the wrong height, build, nationality, and is certainly much handsomer. Though great to watch, he never is able to convince you that he is Onassis.

Supporting cast is unimpressive. Elias Koteas is awkward in his first-act showcase as young Aristotle, and I can't see how Jane Seymour received an Emmy for her overblown performance, while Julia was not even nominated. Francisca Annis fairs better as Jackie Kennedy, but the presentation of Jackie is too quaint for it's own good, all information provided can be found in an encyclopedia entry.

Oddly enough, Anthony Quinn as Julia's father looks significantly more like Onassis than Julia, but his hammy appearance indicates why he would not have served well in the main role.

Recommended strongly for fans of Raul Julia, everyone else would probably not be interested. September 13, 2008

onassis dvd review

I have been looking for a dvd version of this movie for some time
.....the story and legend of this man is amazing

this dvd shows his full life story ...from his humble beginnings to the opulent life style he had as the then richest man in the world

a great movie...well worth watching March 18, 2007

Truncated Version Terrible

I agree with the reviewer who noted that the original mini-series was more like 200 minutes long & included a lot more interesting background. I recorded the original broadcast, & was very disappointed in the abbbreviated version. Hopefully the longer version will be released on DVD before my VHS copy wears out.... February 13, 2007

Interesting but the casting left something to be desired

I watched this on the WE station 10/16/06 with commercials. I must assume it was not the abreviated version as there was Part I and Part II. Seymour was very good, altho when I saw her in the credits I could not believe she would be playing Callas. Onassis was a short, not too handsome a man and the casting was not good here altho a fine actor, J. is tall and handsome. The contrast between Onassis/Jackie would have been more real with another actor nearer to Onassis' looks/stature... The Jackie actress was super.

Young Onassis had a gay affair with the Turkish soldier for self preservation? Has this been known?

I agree the reason for Jackie marrying him was known but well scripted in this movie. I thought Onassis' quote (I assume) that women all marry for money was interesting. In Jackie's case it was a matter of price.She ended up living in NY and without fear.

Worth a look. Rent if you can. A bit different than the Anthony Quinn/Bisset TV movie. October 17, 2006

The uncut version needs to be released

According to a couple of internet sources, this DVD is a drastically truncated version of what was originally a 200 min. miniseries. This could explain many of my problems with the film, which seems to skip briefly over the biographical and emotional high points of Aristotle Onassis's life, without giving us much insight into his character or much depth to his romantic relationships. Jane Seymour won an Emmy for her portrayal of Maria Callas, but I suspect that much of her performance that prompted the award has been cut from this DVD, leaving mostly over-the-top moments (even in the context of the character being played) from this usually very subtle actress. While I admire Raul Julia's body of work, I think he may have been miscast as Onassis. While, again, more subtle, character revealing aspects of his performance may show up in the full version of the film, his acting choices here were awkward and abrupt, and he never convinced me that Onassis was anything more than a shallow, unpleasant, not particularly interesting character who never would have a film made of him were it not for his wealth and taste in women. Anthony Quinn (who here is cast as Onassis's father), at a (not too much) younger age would have done a better job of portraying what I suspect the scriptwriter wanted us to see in Onassis: a charming, often likeable rogue. The most powerful emotional moment on this DVD came from Francesca Annis as Jacqueline Kennedy, who convincingly conveyed what was probably the core reason for the latter's marriage to Onassis: stark fear that her entire family would share the same violent fate as John and Robert Kennedy, resulting in her search for protection. I hope that a full version of this miniseries will be released on DVD, so that viewers can discover how much more depth to Onassis's story might be found in the missing 82 minutes. August 28, 2006

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