The Glenn Close Machine

Glenn Close won the Best Actress prize at the just wrapped Tokyo International Film Festival, adding her first competitive piece of software of the season for her Oscar-entry Albert Nobbs.  Based on the play, in which she starred in the first production in 1982, this has long been a passion project for the Oscar-less Close, despite five previous nominations and a miraculous run the 1980s that rivaled Meryl Streep.  What this means, well not terribly much-- the Tokyo International Film Festival and the membership of the Academy likely have little overlaps, but a small validation and the nice piece of ink on a future For Your Consideration ad, that is until better ones arrive.  It's the cynical nature of the industry and the hunt for statues...which is as disgusting and as it is enveloping.  Still however, it's hard not to root for an actress as remarkable as Close, whose alternating warmth and iciness have encapsulated a remarkable career.  Added points for the fact that she championed this film for more than decade, and even garnered a screenplay credit.  It all sorts of builds an assuming hopeful awareness for a film that earned mixed reviews when it debuted during the fall festival circuit.  Bring on the onslaught and ticklish fun of an Oscar dominated by Glenn Close versus Meryl Streep (whose sight-unseen The Iron Lady stands more than a fair chance merely because of it's Streepiness.)  Whatever the quality of either film\performance, one knows that the press between the friends will be priceless...

Albert Nobbs trailer

The first taste of Albert Nobbs, or the great hunt to netting Glenn Close a long overdue Academy Award, as it might have been called to begin with.  The relationship with the story and the actress is decades long, as she starred in the original play, and has championed for a movie ever since...she is even a co-author of the screenplay (all of which reads, as long labor of love for a great veteran actress, which might even be enough for the Academy.)  Even despite a mixed reception at the fall film festival circuit, she's freaking Glenn Close, and a playing a man in a period drama at that; gimmicks work more often than not.  It's hard to remember now, but she was once an Academy stalwart, earning five nominations in the 1980s, including one for her very first feature, The World According to Garp.  Roadside Attractions picked up the film, and had a healthy awards season last year with hard sells like Winter's Bone and Buitiful, and the film is directed by Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives, Mother & Child.)  But it almost matters little at this point the quality of the actual film, nor the reception the film gets, isn't the great media hook of Close going head to head with Meryl Streep's Margaret Thatcher The Iron Lady enough to merit attention...  All the films lacks at the present time, is a release date.

Albert Nobbs

One of the interesting curiosities of the fall 2011 film slate has to be Albert Nobbs, a passion piece for Glenn Close about an English woman who disguises herself as a man and becomes a butler in in 19th century male dominated Ireland. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia, who has knack for putting together interesting pieces for women...Mother and Child, Nine Lives, Thing You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her and co-starring Mia Wasikowska, Jonathon Rhys-Meyers, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson and Aaron Johnson.

I'm hopeful that this could be a reminder of the great power of Glenn Close.  It's been too long since she's truly dominated a movie before.  Remember, she was a giant in the 1980s, earning five Oscar nominations.  She pretty much sat the 1990s out, and reigned on television in 2000s...it's time for a triumphant return.

Love the teaser poster.