Albert Nobbs

extract from theaterofthecommonman.com

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Throughout the history of film the attributes of what makes an actress successful have gradually changed, there has been one constant however: Beauty. As far back as the pioneers of silent film beautiful woman have graced the silver screen. After all the beautiful actresses sell tickets don't they? Let's face it, men didn't flock in their millions to see Marilyn Munroe or Grace Kelly for their intellect, though if they had they may have learnt one or two things about the world. No, men watched these starlets to escape from reality; they didn't want to see a depiction of their wife on screen, they wanted a fantasy. This attitude is still very much the doctrine throughout the movie business, though the days of beauty before ability are slowly fading. Sadly, this will always will be part of the game - just look at Megan Fox (Transformers). For that reason Glenn Close is a rare commodity, she doesn't define Beauty in the traditional sense, so her rise as young actress must have been hard fought in an industry that is less than rational or forgiving even to those with her Talent.

To me Glenn Close has always had an underlying masculinity, a mannish quality to her presence and delivery; she has often played characters in positions of high authority. Her roles in The Paper as the despotic newspaper editor & the Vice President she played in Air Force One are generally (but not always) roles written for men. Evidently she has embraced this characteristic and written herself a seemingly perfect part, that of Albert Nobbs.

Albert Hobbs is a woman! Though, for the past 30 years she successfully pretended to be a man. Set in an exclusive hotel in 19th Century Ireland, Albert Nobbs is the story of the titular character's battle to maintain the secret of her true identity, and to keep her employment as a Hotel Servant to the rich & wealthy. Too late to revert back her gender, Albert seemingly traps herself in a world of her own creation, that is until she meets Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) a similarly afflicted woman who shows her the possibility of a different life and offers her an outlet for her dream of becoming a small shop owner.

I was conflicted in my opinion of the film. Glenn Close's portrayal of a man is faultless, she captures the stature and pitch of a an elderly butler to perfection. It should be noted she has been playing Albert Hobbs on stage since the early 80's, so she has had plenty of time to perfect it. The same cannot be said for Janet McTeer's depiction of Hubert Page - she is clearly a woman and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why the other characters couldn't see this and just out her. As strong as Glenn Close is an actress, she couldn't prop up an under-developed screenplay & generally poor casting. The plot isn't as intriguing as the characters, which naturally makes the film unbalanced. The supporting actors vary greatly in ability, Brendan Gleeson as the Hotel's doctor, Pauline Collins as Mrs Baker the hotel Mistress and Mia Wasikowska as Albert's love interest all provide strong performances but are let down by those they are playing off against. The redeeming factor for Albert Nobbs is that it's not a story you are likely to see often, men masquerading as women has been done to death. The inverse however is rare, only in the last 10 years is it becoming more palatable to the cinema going public.