It's ironic that in 1978, Anthony Quinn played a fictionalized Aristotle Onassis, opposite Jacqueline Bisset as a fictional Jackie Kennedy. It was a huge bomb, but just a decade later, Quinn was back as a real Onassis, that is as Aristotle's domineering and somewhat envious father. Here, it's Raul Julia as Ari, aging throughout as the film explores his life as ambitious young man, then powerful businessman going through several marriages, and dealing with scandal as he courts the widowed Jackie (Francesca Annis) with interference from her former brother-in-law Bobby.
I didn't feel that Annis looked like Jackie at all, but James F. Kelly and David Gilliam were perfect Bobby and John F. Kennedy lookalike. It's only after Bobby's assassination that Aristotle is free to marry Jackie which brings animosity from his family. Jane Seymour gives a truly strong performance as long time mistress Maria Callas who is resentful of being cast aside for Jackie. The Greek locations are gorgeous, and of course this gives Quinn an excuse to dance. As for Julia, I thought him quite good even if he didn't look like the man he was portraying. Overall a nice try, but nothing really ground breaking or revealing.
I didn't feel that Annis looked like Jackie at all, but James F. Kelly and David Gilliam were perfect Bobby and John F. Kennedy lookalike. It's only after Bobby's assassination that Aristotle is free to marry Jackie which brings animosity from his family. Jane Seymour gives a truly strong performance as long time mistress Maria Callas who is resentful of being cast aside for Jackie. The Greek locations are gorgeous, and of course this gives Quinn an excuse to dance. As for Julia, I thought him quite good even if he didn't look like the man he was portraying. Overall a nice try, but nothing really ground breaking or revealing.