MovieChat Forums > Albert Nobbs (2012) Discussion > Albert Nobbs struggles to survive...

Albert Nobbs struggles to survive...

posted 12 years ago by Mr.Big
3 replies | jump to latest

Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel,

"Where women aren't encouraged to be independent", unless you own Dublin's most posh hotel.

I love these Victorian "Lifetime Channel" stories where women are always portrayed as being basically helpless slaves. I think there were plenty of independent women in the world before the invention of the Harlequin Romance novel.

By the way, did anyone else wonder: "Didn’t they have BANKS in Ireland?"

I hated the fact that Mrs. Baker stole all of Albert's money.

Sad end to a zany tale.

Glen Close was excellent however.

[–] Capitolina 12 years ago

I hated the fact that Mrs. Baker stole all of Albert's money.

Sad end to a zany tale.

Glen Close was excellent however.

I think Albert has died the way she/he had lived: dreaming. Better than facing reality.

Poor Nobbs spent all her life pretending to be as tough as any man - and being so soft and naive - only working and dreaming, and at the end, it's Mrs. Baker, who claims she needs to be helped because she is only a woman, who is clever enough to get all she wants.

I liked the ending with Helen and Page, Helen is somewhat a compensation for Page losing Cathleen...

This movie is not a masterpiece, I agree, far from perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Please, forgive my English mistakes!

[–] SomervilleRed 12 years ago

Banks were not as safe an option as they are today. A poorly run bank could close and you would lose all your savings. Not that I didn't wonder about using a bank myself.

In a way, Nobbs's money ended up where he might have used it anyway. By hiring Page who was going to take care of Helen and little Albert (so it seems), Mrs. Baker put the money where Albert would have. Of course, it's a shame it went to the scheming Mrs. Baker first, but since Nobbs was an orphan with no family, it's not clear where else his money would have gone at his death. I'm sure he would have given it to Helen (or Page as a second option), but getting it to them in the form of payment for work is the next best thing.

[–] bootblack987 12 years ago

In the DVD extras, this hotel was referred to as a place where people who were once important stayed...that they were societal outcasts in some way. And that these people felt they were slumming it by staying at this hotel. So it was definitely NOT a posh hotel of any sort.

I assumed that the hotel belonged to Mr. Baker and he must have passed away and left it to Mrs. Baker. So her position was not because of living at a time where lots of opportunites existed for females.

One point that's missed is the class issue. For women who are owning class or middle class, they would have a better life, but for the most part I'd guess that depended on the man they married. For poor or working class women, especially if they are single, there would be much, much less opportunities.

:-(