''After the Axe'' is a 1982 Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

about executive firings directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary Feature. The film explores the experiences of managers getting fired and the emergence of a new industry specialized in handling such terminations. Despite its Oscar nomination in the documentary category, ''After the Axe'' is closer to a

docufiction Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) a ...

film, made with the cooperation of members of the Canadian business community, which provided locations and helped script scenes during filming. The film's protagonist, D.R. "Biff" Wilson, is a

composite character In a work of media adapted from a real or fictional narrative, a composite character is a character based on more than one individual from the story. Use in film *Several characters in the movie '' 21''. *The character Henry Hurt in the docudra ...

based on the filmmakers' conversations with fired executives, while the other Canadian executives play themselves.

Premise

Wilson, a senior marketing executive, is laid off from a food company after fifteen years of good service. Losing his status and security, he is relegated to the role of dependent house husband, resented by his children and shunned by former colleagues.

Cast

James B. Douglas James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

as Biff Wilson * Janine Manatis as Wife * Anne Christison as Daughter * Randy Solomon as Son * Roger Mattiussi as Narrator (voice) * Eric Barton as Himself (relocation counsellor) * Jim Paupst as Himself * Stanley Warshaw as Himself (Forty Plus Club, N.Y.C.)

Production

The film was a co-production between the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

and was filmed in 1981. It had a budget of $452,017 (.

Reaction

Writing in ''

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which b ...

'', Gary Lamphier stated that Gunnarsson and Lucas "establish Biff's decline and subsequent resurrection with economy and a sense of style."

References

Works cited

External links

* *Watc
''After the Axe''

website {{DEFAULTSORT:After The Axe 1982 films 1982 drama films 1980s business films English-language Canadian films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Sturla Gunnarsson National Film Board of Canada films Canadian docufiction films Termination of employment in popular culture 1980s Canadian films