MovieChat Forums > Albert Nobbs (2012) Discussion > great acting, MADDENING story

great acting, MADDENING story

posted 12 years ago by Clothes-Off
4 replies | jump to latest

I LOVED Janet McTeer's confident swagger , and the supporting cast was sheer perfection in their roles as servants desperately needing to keep their jobs.

BUT it was hard to sympathize with Albert, as he seemed delusional pursuing someone so unworthy of devotion, a fact obvious to everyone else in the picture. He was behaving like a child around Helen. She didn't even pretend to have any affection for him at all. But the real infuriation part was the ending where it appears Helen at least seems to get some sort of comeuppance. You'd think Hubert would see right through her, to to make it appear as he's going to take care of this female scumbag was infuriating. I would have loved for Hubert to say, "I'll take baby Albert; now get out of town, tramp, I don't care where you go!"

"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!" C. M. Burns

[–] bootblack987 12 years ago

You mention that it is obvious to everone that Helen has no interest in Albert (which I'd say is debatable) in the same sentence you refer to Albert as a "he". Albert is not a he, Albert is a woman. I thought this was obvious. ;-)

Albert never had anything go her way and was forced into dreaming of what might be. So Albert dreamed that Helen might be part of a life that could maybe be true. I wonder if Albert was such an honest and innocent person that she could not understand why others would not be as honest. Why would Helen have gone out with Albert in the first place unless it meant there was interest on some level? I don't think Albert ever thought that her co-workers would conspire to use her. That idea is what is maddening to me.

As for Helen's "comeuppance". It seems to have gone over your head how poverty and oppression because of one's class background and gender leads people to live desperate lives and do horrible things. It's like you want to punish Helen for being born into a poor family and being born at a time where it was acceptable to treat females in an abusive way??

[–] Clothes-Off 12 years ago

Nah, I just want to punish Helen for being an ass. There were other female characters who did not do horrible things.

And I referred to Albert as he because that is how Albert would have wanted to have been referred.

"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!" C. M. Burns

[–] ats02171 12 years ago

Helen did get her punishment. She had a baby and the guy she wanted left her to fend for herself. She was having to work for free and she could have been kicked out and forced to go to the Magdalene Asylum or something.

http://wp.me/p1GTj0-i

[–] tody711 12 years ago

But remember how Mrs Page told ALbert that Hubert had mentioned Helen in the house once before? Maybe Hubert had eyes for Helen?