Movie Summary of Albert Nobbs by Michael The Moviegoer.

ALBERT NOBBS = ***

“The Remains Of The Dames”

The idea of Glenn Close playing incognito as a male butler in Victorian-era Ireland is impossible to resist. As the title character in “Albert Nobbs”, Close’s close-ups amaze us with how the make-up and costume departments have pulled off this magical feat. After a slow-ish start, “Albert Nobbs” finally begins to take shape once we accept the idea that the other characters on screen can’t possibly see Glenn Close under her costume.

Directed by Rodrigo Garcia who gave us “Mother And Child” (one of last year’s best films), “Albert Nobbs” is the story of a woman who made a desperate choice to make her way as a man in a man’s world. He/She works as a service butler in a hotel. Exposure is threatened with the arrival of Hubert Page, a man who is forced to share Nobbs’ bed. But this only exposes the fact that Page, too, is a woman disguised as a man. Played by a totally unrecognizable Janet McTeer, the two women instantly become fascinated by each other’s secret lives.

Nobbs is taken with the fact that Page, masquerading as a man, is married to a woman. She dreams of making a similar life for herself and begins courting the young Helen wonderfully played by fresh-faced Mia Wasikowska who plays hard-to-get with Nobbs.

“Albert Nobbs” is a movie that actually grows on you as it goes along, gaining quite a bit of steam in its third act. It’s a luscious period portrait with sumptuous cinematography and strong performances that showcase the considerable talents of its cast.

DVD Double Feature:

Despite the best attempts, if you, yourself, have trouble seeing Glenn Close as a man, it might help to understand that the other characters in the movie are easily fooled by Nobbs’ appearance because they inhabit a world where trans-gender cross-dressing is kept deep in the closet if it exists at all. It was equally difficult for audiences to accept Barbra Streisand playing a man in 1983’s “Yentl.” But considering the period the story is set in, it should be easy to believe that the characters do see her as a man. Streisand tackles this role as both star and director and she gives the concept an epic feel and then musicalizes it. Makes me wonder if “Albert Nobbs” might one day be adapted into a Broadway musical.

Michael The Moviegoer