4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thirty Years In The Making, Glenn Close Finally Brings The Quietly Powerful "Albert Nobbs" To The Big Screen, February 2, 2012
This review is from: Albert Nobbs (DVD)
The film incarnation of "Albert Nobbs" exists as a tremendous example of perseverance and fortitude. Glenn Close first performed a stage version of the play (adapted from a short story from Irish author George Moore) in 1982. She fell in love with the material and spent the next fifteen years trying to put together a film deal. About ten years ago, the film was finally green-lit but then scrapped when financing fell through. Now almost thirty years after appearing on stage as Albert Nobbs, Close has her opportunity to share this quiet little story with a larger audience. In addition to starring in the piece, she co-wrote the screenplay, acted as a producer, and even wrote the lyrics for the closing song. I think you could call this a labor of love! Although mainstream press reaction has been somewhat mixed, Close has received numerous accolades (as has co-star Janet McTeer) including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. It seems hard to fathom that Close lost out on her previous five nominations and hasn't been in the running since 1988 with "Dangerous Liaisons." But it's certainly good to see her steadfast efforts being recognized.
Close is quite restrained and stoic as the titular Albert Nobbs. Set in nineteenth century Ireland, the film tells the story of a woman (Close) who has dedicated thirty years of her life passing as a man in order to make a living. Stolid and reliable, Albert has squirreled away a small fortune through the years and hopes to realize the dream of becoming a shopkeeper. Seemingly content, Albert's life is upended when he meets McTeer--a painter who has a lot more in common with Albert than it seems possible. This new friend opens up a number of interesting possibilities for Albert, making the point that life does not have to be lived alone. Albert starts to court a young co-worker (still as a man) who may have ulterior motives of her own. The film starts as a study of manners, gets a bit more frisky with the introduction of McTeer, and turns a bit darker as a number of unexpected tragedies strike (both large and small). The play of genders is always fascinating and the idea of living a lie just to get by ends up having quite a bit of resonance.
Close is tight-lipped and reserved throughout. It's a strong performance highlighted as much by what she doesn't say as what she does. McTeer really energizes the picture with enthusiasm and humor, and much of the film's success rests on her shoulders. Two terrific up-and-comers, Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson, also play pivotal roles (much more interesting casting than the originally slated Amanda Seyfried and Orlando Bloom). As Close becomes closer to Wasikowska, the gender bending dynamic evolves in an interesting way. Displaying both male and female impulses inwardly, Albert both wants to take care of the young lady and have a confidante. The cast is rounded out by a stable of reliable British actors including Pauline Collins, Brenda Fricker, Brendan Gleeson, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The movie has a quiet power. In the long run, it may not be for everyone. It's a little reserved at times, at others the plotting veers toward melodrama. But in the end, the actors ground the piece and make it worth investing in. Close and McTeer really provide one of the year's most fascinating screen couples. KGHarris, 2/12.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting, bittersweet gender swap period piece proves illuminating, January 20, 2012
This review is from: Albert Nobbs (DVD)
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Having seen director Rodrigo Garcia's excellent 'Woman and Child' at last year's Spirit Award screenings, I was surprised to see him tackling a period piece, 'Albert Nobbs', which is based on a 1927 novella by the Irish novelist, George Moore, and later turned into a stage production in 1982, starring Glenn Close, who now again tackles the title role, this time playing the part decidedly as a middle-aged character. Garcia is one of today's leading directors as he has a reputation for being sensitive to the needs of women and extremely competent in directing them.
'Albert Nobbs' is set in the late nineteenth century in Dublin and focuses on Glenn Close as Albert, a woman who works as a servant at the Morrison Hotel and who's been pretending to be a man since the age of 14. When Mrs. Baker, the pretentious proprietress of the hotel (brilliantly played by Pauline Collins, known for her role in the famed TV series, 'Upstairs, Downstairs'), orders Albert to put up house painter Hubert Page (played by a fantastic Janet McTeer), for the night in her room, Albert can no longer hide her disguise when she's compelled to strip off her corset due to an infestation of fleas inside her clothes. It looks like Page is going to end up blackmailing Albert but in a great plot twist, she reveals that she's a woman too, by revealing her pendulous breasts.
Albert, who is extremely reserved, is shocked at Page's revelation but nonetheless is impressed how Page conducts herself as a man. While Albert is deathly afraid of being found out, Page is self-assured and cocky. She even is legally married to a woman and they have a loving relationship (Albert seeks to learn if they're on intimate terms, but Page refuses to tell).
Albert dreams of opening up a tobacco shop and has been hoarding her money underneath a floorboard in her room. With Hubert as a model, Albert becomes a infatuated with Helen, a very pretty, young servant girl. While Mia Wasikowska practically sleep-walked through her recent role as 'Jane Eyre', here director Garcia turns her into a powerhouse of vacillating feelings and emotions. Soon, Mrs. Baker hires the young 'bad boy' boiler repairman, Joe, and Helen falls for him hook, line and sinker.
There are actually two antagonists in 'Albert Nobbs'. First is the Victorian society itself, that forces women such as Albert and Hubert to deny their true selves, in order to survive. It was all about economics, as women were paid very little or weren't allowed to work at all. Often, they were brutalized by alcoholic husbands and some (or should I say, a few) chose to run away and hide their identities, acting as men. The epitome of those men who put women in such a position, is the ne'er-do-well, Joe, who can't control his anger and refuses to accept the idea that he has a responsibility to act as a caring father.
While 'Nobbs' is often sad, director Garcia wisely inserts some humorous scenes to balance the tragedy. There's a great scene where Albert and Hubert take a stroll on the beach, dressed as women. Ever so briefly, Albert actually gets to experience feelings of joy, as she runs down the shore for the first in women's clothes. They seem to revel in their awkwardness but Albert soon trips and falls. The joy is short-lived and we immediately cut back to the hotel, where Albert must re-assume his role as the stiff-necked servant.
Tragedy is unavoidable when a typhoid epidemic claims the life of Hubert's wife, Kathleen. And Joe, in his anger, knocks Albert against a wall, after the two tussle for Helen's affection. The blow against the wall is the coup de grace, as Albert does not survive.
Garcia also depicts the brutal class differences in the late nineteenth century. The guests at the hotel are for the most part quite arrogant and treat the servants as inferiors. Not everybody back then was unkind though. Dr. Holloran orders Mrs. Baker not to throw Helen out on the streets after she becomes pregnant.
'Albert Nobbs' ends on a bittersweet note. Dr. Holloran bemoans Albert's fate when he discovers that she's a woman on her deathbed. But Hubert plays the role of the redeeming angel. He learns from Helen that soon child welfare officials will come for the baby and Mrs. Baker will indeed throw her out on the streets. But Hubert assures her that it won't happen--that soon she will take Helen as a wife and protect her and the baby from any harm.
There has been some criticism that the Albert character is underdeveloped and needs more of a back story. One critic writes: "Nobbs is so emotionally stunted by the very act of living as to almost cease to exist." There may be some truth in that opinion but by the same token, we do learn about Albert's childhood and how she came to adopt her role as a man. You can probably appreciate Albert's character more if you place it in contrast to Hubert. They should be looked as a team, reminiscent of 'Laurel and Hardy', sans the comedy. Albert's demeanor is both dour and precise; she's a bit of a Chaplinesque character, and although her pursuit of Helen is naďve, it's quite heartfelt. Hubert is always comfortable in her own skin, and is much more confident than Albert. In a sense, Albert lives on in Hubert, who must be seen as a great 'protector' of all women.
'Albert Nobbs' is a very impressive film with a top-notch cast. Close and McTeer work wonders in difficult roles and are supported by equally impressive supporting players. The cinematography evokes the bygone era of turn-of-the-century Dublin with director Garcia most ably conveying what it was like living in such a repressed atmosphere. Maybe that's why James Joyce eventually left Dublin and never came back.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An uneven gender bender period piece, January 27, 2012
This little film about a woman living as a man in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century is a labor of love for star Glenn Close who also co-wrote and produced. While we do get an explanation of sorts as to why she has gone to such extraordinary lengths to live as a man, she also seems quite without emotion or sexual needs. Nobbs (Close) is all about her ability to earn a decent wage so she can save to open a tobacco shop. One thing is missing. A companion.
In an awkward scene Nobbs must spend the night with a man at the behest of her employer, the owner of the upscale hotel where he (I'll continue to use the masculine pronoun) has a small room. The man named Hubert (Janet McTeer) is a painter. He is tall, rugged and formidable. Nobbs secret is discovered by Hubert, only to be surprised by Hubert's own secret. He is a woman too, as he convincingly displays his/her breasts to Albert. All of this sexual identity confusion is just that, confusing. My take is that Hubert is a lesbian. He has a sweet, meek wife and he sure looks more like a dude than Close's Nobbs. Nobbs sees a female partner as a business proposition even though you can see him trying to figure out how all the parts go together with Hubert and his wife. He keeps asking himself. Did he tell her before or after the marriage?
It would appear Nobbs is just asexual. Nobbs sets his sights on a comely chambermaid he works with named Helen (Mia Wasikowska). Now Helen has taken up with another young worker at the hotel. He is a studly handyman named Joe who only wants to get to America. Nobbs is undetered and continues his persuit of Helen, even after she becomes pregnant. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia, the film plods along in a quiet unassuming way. Close's performance is excellent in her portrait of the naďve waiter. He really has no life, but has grown to be more a man than a woman. Even better is McTeer. She is quite believable and a very interesting character. In the end, we still have a lot of questions about who Albert Nobbs is. The film is uneven throughout, but has its share of poignant moments.
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