One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Upon admittance to a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients to take on the oppressive head nurse, a woman he views as more dictator than nurse.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay), Bo Goldman (screenplay),

Stars:

Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, Louise Fletcher

Top 250 #13 | Won 5 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Berryman	...	Ellis
Peter Brocco	...	Col. Matterson
Dean R. Brooks	...	Dr. Spivey
Alonzo Brown	...	Miller
Scatman Crothers	...	Turkle
Mwako Cumbuka	...	Warren
Danny DeVito	...	Martini
William Duell	...	Sefelt
Josip Elic	...	Bancini
Lan Fendors	...	Nurse Itsu
Louise Fletcher	...	Nurse Ratched
Nathan George	...	Washington
Ken Kenny	...	Beans Garfield
Mel Lambert	...	Harbor Master
Sydney Lassick	...	Cheswick

Storyline

McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble with the law. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | patient | basketball | insanity | playing card | 

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Taglines:

If he's crazy, what does that make you?

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atrapado sin salida

Filming Locations:

Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,400,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$112,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fantasy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kirk Douglas, who owned the rights, planned to star himself, but by the time they got around to making the film he was too old.

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Goofs

During the meeting scene, when the men are tossing the cigarette around, it changes length in between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Attendant Warren: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Mr. Washington.
Miller: Morning.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Nurse Pilbow: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Morning, Bancini.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The cast is credited in alphabetical order in the end credits, except for Brad Dourif, who is listed last as follows: "and introducing / Brad Dourif as Billy Bibbit".

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Connections

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Normal Again (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Row, Row. Row Your Boat"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung a cappella by Mews Small

User Reviews

A great order vs. chaos tale that everyone can relate to

Based on the amazing novel by Ken Kesey, Randall Patrick McMurphy is an antisocial and dangerous man no different than a petty criminal, placed in a mental ward to have his behavior studied. He makes friends with lunatics and starts his own circle of admiration within the hospital, much to the dismay of Nurse Ratched, the central authority figure in the story and one of the greatest movie villains ever.

The movie exists to show not only how corrupt and poorly-constructed society's approach to the "mentally unstable" is, but it creates characters that we have all met in life and shows how the McMurphy-like figure that we all wish we had fights for freedom of choice and basic human rights. In addition to the movie's great spirit, the acting is fantastic. Jack Nicholson is at his best and Danny DeVito can be seen in his very first acting role ( which he absolutely triumphs in ). And of course, there's the unforgettable Chief Bromden. The directing by Milos Forman is very well-done, as the camera-work is excellent and follows the pace of the movie perfectly in how it is used. What really impressed me was the editing, especially as far as the use of audio goes: some parts just made me go "...wow."

My only complaint is that I believe the movie could've been slightly more effective if it were based more closely on the novel at certain points, but the modified point of view of the film does make a great point; anyone who has ever hated their job, been accused of something, had some person so self-righteous and convinced of their own authority and dependency on order get in your way, or attended the American public school system at any point in their life should be able to identify with this movie.