[QUEEN
OF VERSAILLES opens
in Cleveland on Friday August 17th exclusively at the Cedar Lee
Theatre.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
When
we first meet husband and wife David and Jacqueline Siegel in the
documentary QUEEN OF VERSAILLES,
it's 2007 and the couple are riding high. David heads up the
largest privately held time share company in the world, Westgate
Resorts. When asked why he is building a 90,000 square foot home
modeled on the French palace at Versailles that, when finished, will
be the largest house in the United States, he answers smugly,
“Because I can.” Jacqueline, or Jackie as she prefers, is a
former beauty queen whose reasons for the new house are slightly more
pragmatic. She explains that her family, which includes eight
children (one an adopted cousin), is simply “bursting out at the
seams” in their present 26,000 square foot domicile. Hey, we all have problems.
Then
the financial crisis of 2008 hits, and David's company is suddenly in
trouble. Also in jeopardy is the new house, which was paid for in
cash and then mortgaged to finance a huge resort in Las Vegas, also now in trouble. It might be tempting to say that the Siegels
are only getting what they deserve, but the sad fact is those
who suffer the most are the people they employ. Westgate ends up
laying off 7000 people, and the staff of nannies, maids, and other
servants at the Siegel's house is reduced considerably, as well.
The
other thing is, the Siegel's don't come across as horrible evil rich
people. Okay, maybe David a little, at least when he does things like
brag about being getting George W. Bush elected,
going on to say he can't explain further because what he did
might not have been completely legal. That aside, though, both David
and Jackie came from fairly rough backgrounds and had to work hard to get
where they are. David sincerely believes that everyone who has known
him or worked for him is better for it, and he may well be right,
while Jackie seems like a warm, sincere person who lives her kids.
The problem is that the Siegel's wealth has distanced them from where they
started and given them a distorted view of reality.
The
film follows the family for roughly five years as David tries to
save his two dream projects. Meanwhile Jackie and the kids have to make
sacrifices like flying on commercial instead of private jets. It's
during this period that you can really see how out of touch they've
become. At one point Jackie goes to rent a car from Hertz and asks
what the name of her driver is. She's not stupid; she's just so been
so far removed from the world most people live in for so long that
she doesn't know any better. For his part, David seems intent
on blaming all his problems on the bankers. To be sure, the bankers
bear some responsibility, but the excuse that they got him hooked on
cheap loans that he couldn't say no to just doesn't wash.
Some
of the most emotionally compelling moments in the film aren't with
the Siegels, however, but with their mostly Phillipino help. One
nanny in particularly relates the heartbreaking story of how she had
to leave her own children behind so she could make enough money to
give them a better life, but in doing so she missed out on getting to
know them. She also talks about her father, whose dream was simply to
one day own a house made out of concrete. The closest he ever came was a concrete tomb.
QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
could very easily have been on the level of your typical reality show
about eccentric rich folks, and there are moments in the film that
certainly remind one of The
Osbournes
and the like (what is it about rich people having too many dogs and
letting them crap in the house?). Due to the unexpected effects of
the financial crisis on its subjects, however, director Lauren
Greenfield was able to get at something deeper and even offer up some
valuable lessons. That said, in shaping her film to fit a particular
viewpoint, Greenfield leaves some of the questions
viewers will likely want answered unresolved, most notably the
ultimate fate of the Versailles house. Regardless, the film is both
entertaining and enlightening. 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.
As published on Examiner.com
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