The Queen of Versailles is the recent compelling documentary from filmmaker Lauren Greenfield about billionaire couple David and Jackie Siegel, who amassed a fortune as he was the proverbial king of the timeshare business. Greenfield had the fortuitous front-row seat from the family making headlines for building the biggest house on American soil to a financial tailspin on the heals of the market collapse. The film swiftly delves into the history of the ambitious Jackie, who, on the surface, initially comes across as a self-absorbed and superficial gold-digging mother of eight. An obliviousness may complement her opulent lifestyle, but there is surprising depth to her often cartoonish ways and frustrating choices. A taxidermied former pet and a closet the size of a one-bedroom house are enough to make one want to tear her hair out, yet she isn’t one so easy to write off. This reality show nightmare quickly turns into an upscale Grey Gardens. An exaggerated version of the American can-do spirit paused, as the filmmaker ruminates over the residual obscenely lavish effects. Luckily, there's a voice of consciousness in the form of an adopted member of the family who went from rags to riches over night.
The documentary has no agenda; the businessman does a fine job digging his own grave with his short-sighted and unfortunate view of humanity (his belief is that what everybody wants most is to be rich or, at the very least, feel rich for a week out of every year; if they don’t, then they’re probably dead inside). While David contributes to the economy and supplies employment, his virtue is filtered through a minimizing and saddening purely capitalist view. He honestly believes he is saving the lives of people he has no way or interest of having any meaningful connection to. He also suffers from a victim-complex that only seems to strike people during tough times. His saving grace, unbeknownst to him, is his wife, who makes it impossible to judge the couple’s wealth without considering: is excess often a symptom of job production?
After the screening, director Greenfield explained meeting Jackie Siegel randomly through a Donatella Versace connection. She had no problem accumulating the fascinating footage, as she was just another stranger of many passing through the Siegel home. Even though there is a pending lawsuit filed by David Siegel against the film, Greenfield said she had no intent to “make an ideological statement,” rather, “a profound one.”
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