All the Money in the World The Real Story of the Getty Kidnapping
Sponsored Links
or those unfamiliar with the 1973 Getty kidnapping, the plot of Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World may seem ludicrous: the richest man in the world refuses to pay his grandson’s ransom—a paltry sum in comparison to his vast oil fortune; an Italian kidnapper is so disgusted by said action that he actually takes pity on his hostage, and finds himself reprimanding the hostage’s maddeningly slow-moving family members on their messed-up priorities; a body part is savagely sliced off and popped into an envelope as proof of life.
Alas, the major events in All the Money in the World—written by David Scarpa, based on John Pearson’s 1995 book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty—are rooted in truth. In fact, some of the scenes that unfold on-screen are even less dramatic than what happened in real life. Ahead, with help from screenwriter Scarpa, a thorough fact-checking.
The Kidnapping
In real life, 16-year-old Paul Getty had become somewhat of a fringe celebrity while living in Rome, thanks to his last name. The teenager—who had dropped out of formal schooling, dressed in bohemian clothing, and wore long, curly hair—had been nicknamed “the Golden Hippie” by the press.
....Read full article here