In Albert Nobbs, in theaters on limited release on January 27, Glenn Close stars as a woman who passes herself off as a man so that she can make a living for herself and survive in 19th century Ireland.
But, some three decades after first donning male clothing, she finds herself horribly trapped in a prison of her own creation.
Along with Irish novelist John Banville, and two others, Close wrote the screenplay, which is based on a short story by George Moore, along with the film’s original song. She is also its producer, while Rodrigo Garcia is in the director’s chair for the project.
The release of Albert Nobbs is the culmination of a long-term dream for Close, who played the main character on stage 30 years ago. She then spent 15 years working to make the story into a film. It almost went into production in the early 2000s, under director Istvan Szabo, but the project floundered when it ran out of money.
Also starring in the film are Jonathan Rhys Meyers, as Viscount Yarell, Australian Mia Wasikowska, who was stunning in Jane Eyre, alongside Aaron Johnson and Brendan Gleeson.
Wasikowska and Johnson replaced Amanda Seyfried and Orlando Bloom, and shooting began in December 2010, having originally been scheduled to start six months earlier.
It screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival last fall, and has so far garnered mixed rather than rave reviews. But decide for yourself, and check out the stills from the set which have already been released online.
Photo © sniper815 – Fotolia.com