Since we are allowed to choose our own topic for our final blog post, i have decided to write about one of my favorite documentaries The Queen of Versailles by Lauren Greenfield. I’ll admit, I am a sucker for movies that explore the lives of the rich and famous, simply for the fact that it is so extraordinarily different from my own lifestyle. When I began watching this film, I expected to see luxury embodied (how could you not with a title like The Queen of Versailles). It was almost too good to resist. But what started off as a film about those who reside in the lap of luxury, turned into something else entirely. Something decidedly unexpected.
The movie starts as a glimpse into the lives of David and Jacqueline Siegal, one of the richest couples in the United States. The film started off as a story of how the couple “accidentally” built the largest house in America. It is a sickly sweet story full of excess that almost makes yous sick to your stomach. You see the couples cars and glamorous lifestyle, filled with celebrity and designer clothes. But then something happened that neither the Siegal’s or director Greenfield could have expected: the economic recession of 2008. The market collapsed and the world of the Siegal’s changed forever. No longer are they able to afford their lavish lifestyle but are forced to “cut back”. Not only does this film, which at it’s start seems totally frivolous, provide an interesting perspective on how the lives of the upper-crust were affected by the recession, but also the lives of those around them.
We see the desperation of the folks who the Siegal’s have impacted. Their company is forced to lay-off thousands of employees, who at the start of the film were enthusiastic and ready for business. We see empty offices that were once filled with workers, now turned into ghost towns. The family which consists of 8 children goes from having 4 nannies to one nanny, who cares for the children out of love and receives no payment. The most interesting part of the film is how the Siegal’s have worked so hard to maintain their public appearance of wealth. We also see the deteriorating state of a marriage, which went from so-called bliss to utter annoyance. The previously sunny movie ends up quite bleak and rather tragic.
The film calls into question the nature of documentary and it’s ability to truly represent the reality of a situation. This film could be categorized into two different modes, the first being Participatory and the 2nd being Reflexive. We often hear the voice of the director asking different questions of the participants throughout the film. It is also possible that the individuals being filmed, since they are aware of the nature of the camera, are behaving differently than they would if there was no film crew around. The documentary could also be called Reflexive in that it is partially constructed. Many of the scenes depicted seem to be for the sake of the audience and film purposes. This causes the audience to call into question the truthfulness of the documentary.
The Queen of Versailles is a tale about the modern American dream and how easily it can come crumbling at your feet when least expected. This film shows that this is not a dream sacred only to the very rich, but deeply embedded in the minds and hearts of all Americans. It makes you wonder whether or not this dream is attainable any longer, or simply a memory of the past.
Either way, this film is worth a watch even if solely for entertainment purposes. Check it out on Netflix.