Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean

Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean is an engrossing made-for-television biographical film. The movie was produced by Multimedia Entertainment and aired in 1990 on CBS. Suzanne Pleshette, Lloyd Bridges, and Joe Regalbuto head the cast, delivering captivating and multi-dimensional performances that bring this story to life.

The film focuses on Leona Helmsley, a real-estate entrepreneur, hotel magnate, and more significantly, a convicted tax evader. Pleshette depicts Helmsley’s high-powered and high-profile lifestyle and her controversial characteristics that earned her the nickname "The Queen of Mean." Pleshette’s thorough personification of Helmsley is commendable, portraying her as a complex character - ambitious, ruthless, and domineering, yet at times vulnerable.

Lloyd Bridges plays the role of Harry Helmsley, Leona's husband and business partner. He delivers an impressive act, convincing and full of depth, portraying the dynamics of their relationship as one fraught with power struggles, as well as mutual advantage.

Joe Regalbuto plays Paul Summerton, a fictional character representing several employees who testified against Leona. His character delivers an inside view of the Helmsley world and reveals the extreme working conditions that the staff encounters.

The film is notable for its unflinching take on Leona's character. She is humanely flawed, ambitious, and relentless. Leona, alongside her husband, Harry, successfully builds an incredibly lucrative estate empire known as the Helmsley hotels. She often shows off her wealth with excessive extravagance that is as admired by onlookers as it is scorned. While Helmsley’s life appears to be extravagant and exciting on the surface, it quickly becomes apparent that there is more beneath the facade.

As the plot unfolds, the narrative cleverly addresses Helmsley's interactions and workings within her empire. The film remains as engaging in its business dealings as it is in its portrayal of the luxury and scandal that marked Helmsley's life. Much of the film dramatizes the internal politics within the Helmsley organization, shedding light on Leona's management style and her expectations from her employees.

As the ambitious woman who wanted to build an Empire State Building of her own, Helmsley’s lifestyle and her approach to her businesses and people around her puts her in the crosshairs of many. The script smartly showcases how her ruthless and hard-nosed business tactics not only led to her massive success but also sowed the seeds of her downfall. Despite the wealth and power she and Harry gain, we sense the tension and potential sabotage looming in the background.

Throughout the narrative, Leona's tyrannical rule and unethical practices create a web of disgruntled employees, such as Paul, and business partners. Their increasing resentment and the ongoing investigations into her business practices form a mounting tension that adds a layer of suspense, making the film more than just a tale of wealth and power.

The movie also presents a nuanced view of Leona's personal life. We see glimpses of the woman behind the mogul as she navigates her personal relationships alongside her business endeavors. As much as the movie is about her rise to the top, it is also about her struggle to maintain her reign and her ever-evolving relationship with the world around her.

Underneath the glitz and the bravado, Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean presents a tale that is enthralling, cautionary, and starkly human. It brilliantly captures the duality of Helmsley's public persona and her private life, all within the larger-than-life world of wealth and power she inhabited.

The director Richard Michaels handles the material with finesse. He brings the best out of his cast while maintaining the film's multi-dimensional character and authenticity. The cinematography is grand, providing just the right texture to bring the glamour, as well as the underbelly of high society, convincingly to the fore.

Overall, Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean is a compelling portrayal of the rise and fall of a fascinating character. It offers a remarkable look at the life, successes, and failures of an ambitious woman in a world saturated with power and wealth. One leaves with the distinct feeling of having caught a glimpse into a world and a life that is as intoxicating as it is sobering.