Business as Usual (1987)

Business as Usual Poster

After seeing her husband fail in fighting a battle to keep his factory open, a manageress loses her job in a disagreement with the manager over sexual harassment of her staff. She accepts the advice of her father and joins his son, a left-wing organizer, and takes her plight to the union.

Title: Business as Usual (1987)

Summary:
"Business as Usual" is a 1987 British drama film directed by Lezli-An Barrett and starring Glenda Jackson and John Thaw. Birthed in the middle of the Thatcherist age, the movie is anchored on the problems of labor unionism, sexism, and specific versus collective action.

Plot:
Jackson depicts Babs Flynn, a Liverpool shop-steward who is unjustly fired from the fashion company where she works, due to leading her coworkers in a sit-in protest versus the management's decision to make her friend redundant. Thaw plays the function of Kieran Flynn, Babs' hubby, an ex-docker-turned-taxi-driver, dealing with his pride and the monetary stress of his spouse's unemployment.

Establishing a growing dissatisfaction with the business's unfeeling management and increasing numbers of personnel layoffs, Babs initiates a demonstration movement among her colleagues. The management's heavy-handed retaliation leads to her termination, setting the stage for an extreme labor conflict.

Declining to crumple under the unreasonable dismissal, Babs enlists the help of a regional union representative and takes part in a heated battle to renew her task. Despite the failure of the trade union to sustainably support her, the neighborhood rallies behind Babs, gathering limelights, inspiring other workers in similar situations, and making complex the photo for management.

Key Themes:
"Business as Usual" checks out essential concerns concerning employment rights, sexism in the office, union representation, and the power of community assistance. Babs' journey from stoic approval of unjust treatment to strong, outspoken defender of workers' rights stirs challenging questions about the individual and public implications of withstanding unreasonable labor practices.

Performances:
The film is driven by Glenda Jackson's powerful performance as Babs Flynn. She is strong, resigned, and compassionate, embodying the universal plight of workers everywhere who face unjust actions from employers. John Thaw likewise provides a splendid efficiency, perfectly embodying the frustration and battle of his character who is attempting to maintain his self-respect in the middle of turbulent circumstances.

Conclusion:
"Business as Usual" is an impactful social drama that reflects its time while likewise illuminating universal concerns of labor rights and social justice. While the film casts a vital eye on the weak points of trade unions, it ultimately celebrates the possibility of little triumphes versus overbearing systems when neighborhoods rally together versus them. The movie paints a vibrant image of the complexities of commercial relations in the 1980s, and its expedition of sexism and labor rights is still extremely appropriate today. Glenda Jackson's performance is the soul of the film, making "Business as Usual" an interesting and thought-provoking watch.

Top Cast

  • Glenda Jackson (small)
    Glenda Jackson
    Babs Flynn
  • John Thaw (small)
    John Thaw
    Kieran Flynn
  • Cathy Tyson (small)
    Cathy Tyson
    Josie Patterson
  • Mark McGann (small)
    Mark McGann
    Stevie Flynn
  • Eamon Boland (small)
    Eamon Boland
    Mr. Barry
  • James Hazeldine (small)
    James Hazeldine
    Mark
  • Buki Armstrong (small)
    Buki Armstrong
    Paula Douglas
  • Stephen McGann (small)
    Stephen McGann
    Terry Flynn
  • Philip Foster
    Tim Flynn
  • Natalie Duffy
    Rosa
  • Jack Carr
    Brian Lewis