Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Albert Nobbs Blu-ray Movie Review

It's hard to get Close to Albert Nobbs.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 17, 2012

Does Glenn Close secretly hate Meryl Streep? Streep has assumed the mantle of her generation’s most celebrated actress, a title made all the more obvious (as if it weren’t already) by Streep eclipsing Close (and three others) in the Best Actress Oscar sweepstakes this past year. But had Streep not come along, it’s at least arguable that Close would be regularly acclaimed as her generation’s most celebrated actress, and in some ways Close’s achievements are even more daunting than Streep’s. While Streep has proven herself adept at virtually every type of role she has essayed, and while she has at least slightly flexed her musical muscles in films like Mamma Mia!, Streep actually first made a name for herself in a couple of lesser known Broadway tuners (the Richard Rodgers – Sheldon Harnick collaboration Rex, based on Henry VIII, and Cy Coleman’s Barnum, about the circus magnate), and, later in her career, took home one of her three Tony Awards for her work in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicalization of Sunset Boulevard. When you add those types of achievements on top of Close’s wide ranging film and theater performances, it must be at least a bit frustrating for Close to seemingly disappear inside Streep’s rather formidable shadow. That element of frustration may have been exacerbated this year at the Academy Awards, as Close’s nominated work in Albert Nobbs was in recognition of a project that has been, well, close to Glenn’s heart for decades. Close first essayed the role of Albert Nobbs in 1982 on stage, and she has long harbored a dream of filming the project. While Albert Nobbs is in some ways the very definition of a vanity project, it also can’t be denied that it contains one of Close’s most fearless and unusual portrayals, one that easily shines a little light into that formidable shadow cast by Streep and her work in The Iron Lady.

Actors cross-dressing and portraying members of the opposite gender are usually in projects that are played strictly for laughs, especially if the cross-dressing involves men pretending to be women (something somehow more intrinsically silly than women pretending to be men). Films from Charley’s Aunt to Tootsie to Mrs. Doubtfire have delighted audiences for generations with the patently weird sight of a swarthy, stubble faced male “become” a woman. Rather interestingly, when the opposite tack is taken and a woman portrays a man, it’s quite often in dramatic films, such as Linda Hunt’s Oscar winning turn in The Year of Living Dangerously. But even in these ostensibly more “realistic” outings, a gambit featuring an actor portraying the opposite sex often seems like little more than a stunt. And in some ways, that’s one of the major problems with the well intended Albert Nobbs, despite the fact that the film is built around a central conceit that working class men in the 19th century had an easier time finding employment than women did, hence the charade that Close’s Albert character utilizes.

Albert Nobbs is a rather relentlessly dour film experience, simply by dint of the fact that Albert’s story is so unremittingly sad. Albert is a woman who has chosen a life of subterfuge, but it’s more than that, really. Albert in a very real way seems to be something of a nihilist, a character who doesn’t actually want to exist in any meaningful way, content (if that’s even the right word) instead to basically become part of the background, hoping no one will notice him (her). What that means is that the central character of this film is a repressed, introspective focal point, living a sad, colorless life, and leaving the film with a gaping hole at its center. Close’s performance is a marvel of craft, nuanced and never showy, but the character itself is so problematic that it almost defies a cinematic treatment.

What life there is in Albert Nobbs is left therefore to a coterie of boisterous supporting performances. Janet McTeer (also Oscar nominated for the film) shows up as another cross-dressing female, playing a character named Hubert Page, hired to paint the hotel where Albert works as a butler. Hubert’s arrival serves as a catalyst— however momentary—which forces Albert into a more serious reflection on his (her) choices and how and why the role playing seems so necessary, not only from an economic standpoint. The hotel is run by one of the few joyful characters in the film, Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins), a somewhat flamboyant woman who seems completely unaware of the “real” lives of Albert and Hubert. (Is there some hidden reason that both women pretending to be men have chosen names ending with “bert”?) Two other characters also play into the drama, and while colorful, they’re each tragic in their own ways. A repairman named Joe (Aaron Johnson) arrives and begins an affair with a young maid named Helen (Mia Wasikowska), leading to several disastrous repercussions which catapult the film toward its bittersweet conclusion.

The film is a fairly lethargic experience at its core, despite the impressive performances all around. When so much of the story centers on such an inward facing character, even the putative drama that is ginned up with regard to the supporting characters can’t completely overcome the vacancy that resides at Albert Nobbs’ center. Handsomely mounted and empathetically directed by Rodrigo Garcia, Albert Nobbs is best appreciated as a curiosity, a chance for Close and McTeer to give valiant, tour de force performances, but a film that never really connects with the audience and is so fundamentally depressing that any ostensible hope that is hinted at by the film’s close seems buried beneath a desperate masquerade of hopelessness.

Albert Nobbs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Albert Nobbs is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. This is a sumptuous production which is delivered with stunning results on this Blu-ray. Colors are gorgeously saturated and nicely variegated, and fine detail is exceptional, to the point where the fine hairs on Close's face are clearly discernable in several scenes where she's either back or side lit. The film features a wide variety of interior and exterior locations, and contrast remains strong independently of varying light sources. A couple of the outdoor sequences have been filtered toward the blue-gray side of things, but even here fine object detail still pops quite well. Black levels are also deep and consistent, and the entire presentation offers a really nice recreation of a cinematic experience. Videophiles should be well pleased with this transfer, another great contemporary release from Lionsgate.

Albert Nobbs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Albert Nobbs' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a fairly restrained affair, much like its titular character himself (herself?). The vast bulk of this film plays out in quiet, even hushed or subdued, dialogue sequences, and the DTS track offers sterling fidelity if not an overabundance of discrete directionality in these moments. There are some very nice ambient environmental effects placed throughout the film, and when Albert ventures outside, the sound field opens up considerably, subtly immersing the listener in all kinds of very real and convincing environmental sounds. Brian Boyle's delicate score is also very well represented on this track. Dynamic range isn't especially wide, and there's little if any LFE, but overall the track is nicely wrought, albeit on a small and intimate scale.

Albert Nobbs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with Actor Glenn Close and Director Rodrigo Garcia. This is a strangely reserved commentary, especially with regard to Close, whose efforts to get this film made have become almost legendary. This is a fairly scene specific affair with the actor and director discussing what's on screen without spending much time giving a lot of background information. One of the more interesting aspects to this commentary is the emphasis Garcia and Close place on the supposed humor of Albert Nobbs, an element which may be decidedly in the eye of the beholder.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 8:16) offers three brief scenes, all of which have to do with Helen and Joe in one way or the other.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:32)

Albert Nobbs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though it takes place a generation or so before the events of Downton Abbey, fans of that British television series may well find Albert Nobbs fascinating in terms of its portrayal of class differences, even if none of the characters quite rises to the Grantham level of the landed gentry. (Keep an eye out for Downton Abbey actress Maria Doyle Kennedy in a supporting role as one of the hotel's staff.) The none too subtle quasi-screed like aspect of sexual inequality is really rather deftly handled here, helped immensely by the towering performances by Close and McTeer. Nevertheless, the film is awfully distant and strangely uninvolving, as if we're watching a tableau without "real" people involved. Albert Nobbs never really connects with the audience, but it is still a textbook example of impeccable screen acting and will most likely be enjoyed by most who appreciate great performances, even if those performances are in lackluster films. Despite a dearth of supplements, this release features sterling video and audio, and (with the caveats above noted) comes Recommended.