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; he's a bit of a Chaplinesque character, and although her pursuit of Helen is naïve, 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.
'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; he's a bit of a Chaplinesque character, and although her pursuit of Helen is naïve, 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.