Customer Reviews

Albert Nobbs

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

*** 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 naļve, 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.

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 naļve 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.

I viewed this online and it speaks volumes to me. Having to be one person while wanting to be someone else entirely. It seems we all have some dream unobtainable. To be loved. To live a normal life. To be human, whatever that is. Just to be. I am a decidedly hetero male. While I can't relate to women's needs very well I can certainly empathize with them for the necessity to be whatever it takes. What else is human existence about but doing what it takes? This is a great movie. It's sad Albert Nobbs, a woman in drag in order to survive, who didn't get to live a normal life, who found it was possible to have a different life than a servant, and strove to get it only to have his/her hopes dashed, only to get his/her head bashed trying to defend his/her dreams, nor get to live a long life in retirement, that his/her insufferable employer reaped the rewards of his/her penny pinching, but his/her death was inevitable from the beginning. There was a very bright ending. I give it four stars. I will be purchasing when released on DVD.

Albert Nobbs is the type of film I knew nothing about going in. I hadn't seen trailers or any sort of promotional materials beforehand, but everything can be summed up in one simple sentence: Glenn Close is portraying a man. That's pretty much the entire film in a nutshell. In the early 1900s, Albert Nobbs (Close) disguises herself as a man to be a butler in Dublin at a rather extravagant hotel. She has been hoarding her money like a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter and she has some rather elaborate plans for her money; plans that would be a bit more difficult for a woman to pull off. Nobbs is completely content with her facade until she crosses paths with a painter named Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) and eventually craves more of a normal life because of their encounter. Nobbs is in love with Helen (Mia Wasikowska) some of the hotel help, but Helen is in love with Joe (Aaron Johnson) who dreams of taking Helen back to America. Nobbs must choose to either go all in and go for her dreams or continue living a half-hearted existence.

Glenn Close is obviously the heart and soul of the film. The message the film delivers becomes its main objective, but Close helps hand-deliver that message straight to each and every individual in the audience. Her performance is brilliant. Nobbs is a completely reserved individual who's almost completely devoid of emotion; not because she's incapable of feeling but because it's been a part of her charade for so long that it's kind of become habitual and it's almost as if she's forgotten how to feel. Nobbs spends the majority of the film talking to herself and thinking out loud. She is absolutely driven by this dream of hers. Janet McTeer comes along to kind of add a glimmer of hope to Nobbs and her quest; not to mention more than a little mutual understanding. I hadn't seen Mia Wasikowska in anything other than Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, but this was such a departure from that role. Helen is very outspoken, coldhearted, and completely blinded by love. Aaron Johnson took a rather obscure detour from Kick-Ass, as well. Joe wants nothing more than to get to America that when other obstacles present themselves he basically flips out in frustration. He seems more than willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, but also isn't afraid to beat any man or woman that gets in his way either.

With the majority of the story focusing on women in drag trying to find a wife, it's kind of a chore to try and mention anything else positive about the film in comparison because where do you go from there? Most of the film is very charming. Just about anything with Page and Nobbs gives you something to smile about, but the film's awkwardness becomes kind of charming as well. Nobbs eventually comes back around to her natural roots for one scene in the film and while it should be something to celebrate it's obviously very weird and unusual for the characters. It's kind of funny, but Glenn Close has a striking resemblance to Robin Williams in this film. It becomes almost uncanny by the time the film reaches its peak.

As one final note, the set pieces are absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere of the late 19th century is captured to perfection. The film also has some of the most effective use of snow in recent memory. Any scene featuring snow is something you should take note of.

Albert Nobbs is kind of incredible on one hand. The entire cast is filled with nothing but stellar performances, the set pieces are extraordinary, and the story is at the very least rather interesting. Trying to delve further into the film is a bit difficult though. I can guarantee I never would've seen this film if I hadn't been invited to a screening and while I don't regret attending I feel like a film like this isn't the reason why I go to the theater. Maybe it's because it's about women trying to be independent in the late 19th century, but it just isn't my type of movie. It's easy to admire the film's several strong points such as Glenn Close's amazing portrayal of Albert Nobbs and the solid script, but at the end of the day it just doesn't speak to me the way that it should. That doesn't necessarily mean that either side is to blame just that all films can't cater to everyone's tastes all the time; no matter how good or bad they may be.

Like the previous reviewer, I had no expectations prior to seeing Albert Nobbs. However, I disagree with the previous rating given. The story line was uniquely interesting, Glenn Close was brilliant,and the film gives a sensitive and empathic view of the difficulties facing working class women in the 19th century. I have no qualms in giving it 5 stars.
Vic Symons

Apparently bringing ALBERT NOBBS to the screen was a major passion for star Glenn Close. Having seen the film, it is hard to understand why. The central character is a curiosity at best, a cipher at worst. While always modestly interesting, the film is not emotionally captivating nor does it really make a point that has much relevancy today.

NOBBS is set in 19th century Dublin, at Morrison's Hotel, a nearly upscale place. We meet the various staff members who work there, in particular the peculiar looking, diminutive waiter Albert Nobbs. Early on, we discover that Nobbs is a woman disguising herself as a man, and that she lives virtually every day in near constant terror of discovery...which would lead to ridicule and loss of employment. The rest of the staff has known Nobbs forever and is generally kindly disposed to this meek little "man."

One day, Albert's world is rocked when he's forced by his boss to share his modest bed with a burly house painter who has been doing some work around the hotel. And it comes to pass that Albert is discovered and reduced to blubbering, pleading pile. So the painter reveals that he too is actually a woman (Janet McTeer...in a blistering performance that makes seeing the film worthwhile). The monumental nature of this coincidence made me wonder if women disguised as men was just incredibly commonplace in 19th century Dublin, or if the screenwriters just thought we would accept this wild coincidence on which the entire film turns as a matter-of-fact occurrence. I had to accept it, of course...but it was momentarily laughable at best.

Anyway, Nobbs becomes obsessed with the life this painter leads..."he" is married to a seamstress with whom a home is shared and apparently a comfortable life. Albert, who has always dreamed of owning a shop of some sort, decides that he will emulate this lifestyle and find "himself" a wife. He begins to court a maid (Mia Wasikowska, from ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT...but quite wan and unlikeable here) from the hotel.

Various misunderstands ensue, some mildly humorous and many quite serious. Albert doesn't understand the human heart and human desire very well (nor does he appear to understand real estate values or how much of the world works), and this gets him into one perplexing (for him) situation after another.

I supposed one could argue that the film is about the need to be who one is, rather than pretend to be someone else. Or how society can crush us when we can't just be who we are. Or something like that. But the society of the film is so removed from ours; it is hard to draw parallels. Yes, gay couples are not currently allowed to marry, for example...but to draw a line from this circumstance to those of the characters in this film is too much of a stretch. And Albert Nobbs is such an odd, otherworldly character that it's very difficult to say he/she is much like anyone we'd meet today.

Around this strange character, some interesting plot developments occur and there are some nice performances, especially the stellar McTeer, Pauline Collins (SHIRLEY VALENTINE) as the hotel proprietress and in a small role, the always welcome Brendan Gleeson...who after his work in THE GUARD this year, which the Oscars again ignored, I must call the most underrated actor in film today. Aaron Johnson (NOWHERE BOY, KICK-A*S) appears in a critical role and continues to have interesting charisma. But Glenn Close (perplexingly nominated for an Oscar) just doesn't convince while playing a character that isn't really believable. COULD the events of this film have happened? Absolutely. But the movie brings no urgency, no REASON for having been made. Thus, while I admired many smaller elements of the movie, I can ultimately only give it the most lukewarm of recommendations.

"Albert Nobbs" (113 min.) brings a gender-bender story in which Glenn Close, in perhaps/likely a performance of a lifetime, plays the title character, a waiter at hotel in Dublin. For reasons that only become later clear, the Albert Noss character decided to go through life as a man rather than a woman from the age of 15. Albert Noss is terrified that someone at the hotel will find out about her true idendity and in fact by some strange coincidence gets found out... by another character who is a woman going through life as a man! Things get a lot more complicated from there, and there is no point in divulging more, you'll just have to see it for yourself how it all plays out.

The performance by Glenn Close is simply amazing. I had assumed that, after seeing Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady", it would be a forgone conclusion that she would win the Oscar for best female lead actress, but after seeing this movie, I am not so sure anymore. Glenn Close's performance simply outshines the movie, similar to Meryl Streep's performance in her movie, although let's be clear, this movie is better than "the Iron Lady", which was a disappointment for me. The added fact that Glenn Close played this character on stage almost 30 years ago and for many years tried to bring this to the screen, only adds to the admiration for this. That said, the movie has not performed well at the box office (I saw it on the last evening of only a 2 week run here in Cincinnati). Bottom line: check this movie out for Glenn Close's performance, you won't be disappointed.