Albert Nobbs began as a short story by Irish novelist George Moore. The first play based on the story was produced in Paris, then, in 1978, Susannah York starred as the title character in London’s New End Theater. In 1982, Glenn Close appeared in the Off Broadway production at the Manhattan Theater Club. Ever since then, Close has waged a battle to bring the story to the screen.
After 30 years, she finally accomplished her goal. Albert Nobbs opened in the U.S. In September, 2011. The film cannot be called a box office success, but it is certainly an artistic one. Close and her costar, Janet McTeer, have been nominated for Oscars, Close for Best Actress and McTeer as Best Supporting Actress. That recognition is well deserved. These are two very strong performances. Close is virtually unrecognizable, thanks, not only to her makeup and costume, but also because of her countenance and mannerisms. McTeer, too, leaves behind any feminine trace that might make her character less believable.
Perhaps it’s not a bad thing that Albert Nobbs has taken this long to reach a wider audience. The film gives us a glimpse of what it was like to be a homosexual in England in the late 1800s. Albert Nobbs is a woman disguised as a man. Alone and fearful about her safety (we learn later in the movie why she’s frightened), she takes on the appearance of a man and gets a job working in a hotel run by Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins). Nobbs excels at his job, a waiter who is meticulous and inconspicuous. His service is top notch, but he never presumes to interfere with the guests. There’s a reason he keeps his distance from the guests and other hotel employees. He has a secret he wants no one to uncover.
Mrs. Baker hires a painter and asks Nobbs to share his bed with the worker. At first, Nobbs refuses, then relents. During the evening, the painter, Hubert Page (McTeer) discovers that Nobbs is really a woman. He promises to keep Nobbs’ secret and Nobbs soon discovers why—Page, too, is a woman.
Even though Nobbs is living life as a man, he is naive about what that all means in a larger sense. He begins to court one of the young housemaids, Helen, a winsome but confused Mia Wasikowska. When Nobbs plots his marriage proposal, he wonders aloud about whether to reveal his true identity beforehand or wait until the wedding night. When he sees the happiness Page has found with his wife Cathleen (Bronagh Gallagher), he imagines finding similar bliss with Helen. Unfortunately, Helen has begun an affair with Joe (Aaron Johnson) and the two are plotting to take Nobbs’ money to pay their passage to America.
As women disguised as men, Nobbs and Page are polar opposites. Nobbs is slight and retiring. He has worked so hard to keep his true identity under cover, that he can’t open up, even during his walks with Helen. Close is marvelous in these scenes, outwardly trying to express his feelings for Helen, but afraid to demonstrated those feelings physically. Close’s face registers the struggle and it’s painful to watch. Page, on the other hand, is outgoing and affectionate. We can see that he is more comfortable with the lifestyle decisions he has made. When Nobbs visits Page and Cathleen he is impressed that they are able to express their love so openly.
When Nobbs’ true identity is uncovered, it’s too late for answers. No one who knew him truly understands the struggle he faced trying to manage his deception. No one but Page.
