The Queen of Versailles: Difference between revisions
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Washington Post columnist [[Ezra Klein]] described the documentary as "perhaps the single best film on the [[Great Recession]]", writing that one scene, in which Siegel recounts a series of transactions that allowed him to purchase at a fraction of its original value a loan on which he owes money, "might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery."<ref name=Klein>{{cite web|last=Klein|first=Ezra|title=‘The Queen of Versailles’: the best film on the Great Recession|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/11/12/the-queen-of-versailles-the-best-film-on-the-great-recession/|publisher=The Washington Post Wonkblog|accessdate=31 December 2012|quote=“The Queen of Versailles” began as a documentary about a time-share billionaire, his ditzy wife, and their grotesque quest to build the largest house in the United States of America. It ended as perhaps the single best film on the Great Recession ... Midway through the movie, there’s a scene that might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery ... As Siegel tells it, he owes the bank $18.5 million, and he can’t pay. But the bank won’t write down the loan. So Siegel tapped a third-party to approach the bank about buying the loan, which they were able to do, for a mere $3.5 million. And then Siegel bought his $18.5 million loan back from the third-party at barely more than a sixth of its original value. This, he says, is why the financial system — and the economy — are in the toilet.}}</ref> In a review of the film, ''The Economist'' wrote that the documentary is "an uncomfortably intimate glimpse of a couple’s struggle with a harsh new reality," concluding that "the film’s great achievement is that it invites both compassion and ''Schadenfreude.'' What could have been merely a silly send-up manages to be a meditation on marriage and a metaphor for the fragility of fortunes, big and small."<ref name=Economist>{{cite news|title=All fall down: A riches-to-rags story in America|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21560843|accessdate=31 December 2012|newspaper=The Economist|date=25 August 2012}}</ref> |
Washington Post columnist [[Ezra Klein]] described the documentary as "perhaps the single best film on the [[Great Recession]]", writing that one scene, in which Siegel recounts a series of transactions that allowed him to purchase at a fraction of its original value a loan on which he owes money, "might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery."<ref name=Klein>{{cite web|last=Klein|first=Ezra|title=‘The Queen of Versailles’: the best film on the Great Recession|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/11/12/the-queen-of-versailles-the-best-film-on-the-great-recession/|publisher=The Washington Post Wonkblog|accessdate=31 December 2012|quote=“The Queen of Versailles” began as a documentary about a time-share billionaire, his ditzy wife, and their grotesque quest to build the largest house in the United States of America. It ended as perhaps the single best film on the Great Recession ... Midway through the movie, there’s a scene that might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery ... As Siegel tells it, he owes the bank $18.5 million, and he can’t pay. But the bank won’t write down the loan. So Siegel tapped a third-party to approach the bank about buying the loan, which they were able to do, for a mere $3.5 million. And then Siegel bought his $18.5 million loan back from the third-party at barely more than a sixth of its original value. This, he says, is why the financial system — and the economy — are in the toilet.}}</ref> In a review of the film, ''The Economist'' wrote that the documentary is "an uncomfortably intimate glimpse of a couple’s struggle with a harsh new reality," concluding that "the film’s great achievement is that it invites both compassion and ''Schadenfreude.'' What could have been merely a silly send-up manages to be a meditation on marriage and a metaphor for the fragility of fortunes, big and small."<ref name=Economist>{{cite news|title=All fall down: A riches-to-rags story in America|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21560843|accessdate=31 December 2012|newspaper=The Economist|date=25 August 2012}}</ref> |
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==Admissions== |
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Siegel admitted in the documentary to covertly buying back his own $11 million bad debt loan from his bank for $3.2 million: |
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{{bquote|""I sent a third party to go see how much they'll sell that loan for (they wrote it down at 11). They sold the loan to the third party, they didn't know I was involved, for $3.2 million dollars.." Other person "Oh Yeah?", Siegel: "Yeah I'm getting it back. That's why banks are in trouble, who the hell's making, I mean I'm glad they did, but who the hell is making all those decisions?" (1 hour 6 minutes into the documentary)}} |
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Siegel also admitted in the documentary to engaging in possibly illegal activities in [[Florida]] during the [[United States elections, 2000|2000 United States elections]], which he claims were singularly responsible for getting [[George W. Bush]] into the [[White House]]:<ref>{{cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Adam|title=David Siegel, Florida Real Estate Mogul, Claims To Be 'Personally Responsible' For George W. Bush's 2000 Victory|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/david-siegel-george-w-bush-election_n_1725152.html|publisher=The Huffington Post|accessdate=15 January 2013}}</ref> |
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{{bquote|Interviewer "How were you personally responsible for the re-election of George Bush?" Seigel: "I'd rather not say because it may not necessarily have been legal." (9 minutes 20 seconds into the documentary).}} |
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Siegel later added:{{bquote|"Whenever I saw a negative article about [Al] Gore, I put it in with the paychecks of my 8,000 employees. I had my managers do a survey on every employee. If they liked Bush, we made them register to vote. But not if they liked Gore. The week before [the election] we made 80,000 phone calls through my call center—they were robo-calls. On Election Day, we made sure everyone who was voting for Bush got to the polls. I didn’t know he would win by 527 votes. Afterward, we did a survey among the employees to find out who voted who wouldn’t have otherwise. One thousand of them said so."<ref>{{cite web|last=Berfield|first=Susan|title=Why Time-Share King David Siegel Thinks He Got Bush Elected|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-03/why-time-share-king-david-siegel-thinks-he-got-w-elected|publisher=Business Weed|accessdate=28 January 2013}}</ref>}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 10:07, 1 February 2013
| The Queen of Versailles | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lauren Greenfield |
| Produced by | Lauren Greenfield Danielle Renfrew Behrens |
| Starring | David and Jackie Siegel |
| Cinematography | Tom Hurwitz |
| Edited by | Victor Livingston |
| Music by | Jeff Beal |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures Evergreen Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,401,999 |
The Queen of Versailles is a documentary film by Lauren Greenfield. The film depicts Jackie and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts, and their family as they build the largest and most expensive single-family house in the United States, and the crisis they face as the U.S. economy declines.
The documentary won the U.S. Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival,[1] the Grand Jury Prize from the Brisbane International Film Festival,[2] a Best Director Award from the RiverRun Film Festival,[3] and the Special Jury Documentary Feature prize from the deadCenter Film Festival.[4] "The Queen of Versailles" was also nominated for Best Documentary Film, 2012, by the International Documentary Association (IDA).[5]
Reception
The film has met strong critical approval, earning a critical approval score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes (95 of 100 reviews being positive), with an average score of 8/10 and the consensus statement, "The Queen of Versailles is a timely, engaging, and richly drawn portrait of the American Dream improbably composed of equal parts compassion and schadenfreude."[6]
Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein described the documentary as "perhaps the single best film on the Great Recession", writing that one scene, in which Siegel recounts a series of transactions that allowed him to purchase at a fraction of its original value a loan on which he owes money, "might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery."[7] In a review of the film, The Economist wrote that the documentary is "an uncomfortably intimate glimpse of a couple’s struggle with a harsh new reality," concluding that "the film’s great achievement is that it invites both compassion and Schadenfreude. What could have been merely a silly send-up manages to be a meditation on marriage and a metaphor for the fragility of fortunes, big and small."[8]
References
- ^ "Lauren Greenfield Wins top Directing honors at Sundance".
- ^ "Lauren Greenfield Wins 2012 BIFFDOCS Competition".
- ^ "Lauren Greenfield awarded Best Director, Documentary Feature by RiverRun Film Festival".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ ""The Queen of Versailles" wins Special Jury Documentary Feature from deadCenter Film Festival, June 2012".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ ""The Queen of Versailles" nominated for Best Documentary Feature, 2012 by the IDA".
- ^ "The Queen of Versailles". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ Klein, Ezra. "'The Queen of Versailles': the best film on the Great Recession". The Washington Post Wonkblog. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
"The Queen of Versailles" began as a documentary about a time-share billionaire, his ditzy wife, and their grotesque quest to build the largest house in the United States of America. It ended as perhaps the single best film on the Great Recession ... Midway through the movie, there's a scene that might stand as the single most complete vignette on the mechanics of the financial crisis and the subsequent slow recovery ... As Siegel tells it, he owes the bank $18.5 million, and he can't pay. But the bank won't write down the loan. So Siegel tapped a third-party to approach the bank about buying the loan, which they were able to do, for a mere $3.5 million. And then Siegel bought his $18.5 million loan back from the third-party at barely more than a sixth of its original value. This, he says, is why the financial system — and the economy — are in the toilet.
- ^ "All fall down: A riches-to-rags story in America". The Economist. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
