One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 February 1976 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Patient | Basketball | Playing Card | Mental Institution

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

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	...	Jim 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	...	Charley Cheswick

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Quebec) (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Austria:12 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1976) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA

Company:

Fantasy Films

Trivia:

This story was based on author Ken Kesey's experiences while working at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, California.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the final scenes when McMurphy is brought back from his lobotomy there is a distinct line across his forehead which appeared to be an incision. In a lobotomy (at least for the time period) no cranial incisions were needed as the prefrontal cortex is accessed through punctures placed behind the eyes. He would have only appeared to have bruises around the eyes.

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.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Memory (2006/II)

Soundtrack:

The Star Spangled Banner

Maybe He Did Not Finish His Cereal At Breakfast!!

This is undeniably one of the best films ever made in the history of movie making.. In 1975, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" swept all four major academy awards... Best Actor (Jack Nicholson) Best Actress (Louise Fletcher) Best Direstor (Milos Foreman) and of course Best Picture!! Very seldom does this occur... Only a handful of films may lay claim to such an honor!! "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" is a stunning portrayal of mental illness, and how even the most affluent nation on earth (The U.S.A.) is totally unequipped to deal with it properly!! Jack Nicholson's performance in this movie is one of the greatest performances ever by an actor... The array of all the psychologically debilitating diseases was itemized to a flawless state of depressing realism.. The emotional explanations for the dysfunctional dispositions with everyone in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" were so astutely broken down that it evoked a concise indication that not just any producers, directors, actors or actresses could partake in this film!! Such a depiction upholds the proverbial contention that if you are not mentally disturbed when you go into the "Booby Hatch" you will be when you get out of it!! In the case of Jack Nicholson's character, he seemed relatively non-culpable for any intense psychiatric affliction, it was a matter of slight discrepancies!! It is as if he was severely punished for not finishing his cereal at breakfast time!! The talent in this movie is incredible.. I liked the television show "Taxi" and it stands to reason why... So many of the actors who starred in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" were in the T.V. Show "Taxi" too!! The gripping conversation which dealt with a man who was impotent was perhaps the single most poignant part of this film!! The line I remember in particular was "Do me a favor and don't be on my side, okay"... In the "normal" world, the average person is burdened in his ability to communicate with someone else due to a conflict of interests!! In the case of a poorly funded mental health facility, this apocalyptic predicament manifests itself horrendously, and thus has an intolerable proliferation!! Authorities in the mental hospital are restricted by a serious lack of funding, so they are quick to generalize!! The overall situation which garners societal sympathy at a mental health facility is categorized as "sad" and platitudes such as "we will do all we can" are everybody's precarious form of consolation!!! Mental illness gets a generic label, and, from there, becomes something which is basically swept under the rug!! Here is where the film "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" expounds on their abysmal dissertation concerning mental illness!!

"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" was based on a true story!! Mr McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) was a lone rebel from start to finish with this film!! Whatever the orderlies or the nurses would say, he would disagree with!! It was always an issue that could not be looked at rationally by one patient or the other that compounded the dilemma of mental anguish... Such a plight became the culprit to a lack of thorough communication, and thus invoked an overreaction from the administration of the hospital!! You are branded mentally ill and that is all anyone has to know!! The total lack of egalitarian commiseration with administration was why McMurphy was so belligerent!! The status quo was to subject patients to grave consequences for their actions... Are the nurses and administrators wrong for doing this? Usually not!! It was the gray matter in this film that made it so intellectually riveting!! Mental health patients are often times aware of the fact that they are vilified in the same manner you would a bunch of seven year old kids for not doing their school work!! Their self respect gets relegated to a bureaucratic mandate, and all of this is subconsciously and consciously demoralizing!! If someone were to have a conversation with Charles Manson, they would realize so many depraved patterns of illogical behavior to him, however, if Charles Manson were to say that two plus two equals four, the correct answer does not get changed to five!! What is the point of this example? Mental health patients are not inaccurate in every assessment that they make, just because they are labeled mentally challenged!! What was Mr McMurphy's contention with so many issues is that he would assume a premise of mutual self respect when engaging in an argument with an orderly... This is not a case of defiance, rather an instance of a one on one debate... How quickly the administration would then resort to the cop out of "Well!!" "What do you expect!!" "This guy is mentally ill"

I have never seen a film like this one!! "Woman Under The Influence" which was made around the same time was incredibly spellbinding as well... "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" however, is something which should be put in a category all by itself!! Director, Milos Foreman articulates cerebral despondence to a state of dissonant plausibility with this film!! This becomes an avenue for political debate... Foreman's movie breaks ground on mental illness being one big cacophony of our nation's failure to communicate!! Louise Fletcher is tremendous as Nurse Ratched, her dedication to the tenets of disciplinary policy became vicariously ruthless, her devotion to this standard was extremely deep rooted!! Nurse Ratched's insolence was an aspect of infuriation that was in of itself amazingly thought provoking!! As I have previously mentioned, Jack Nicholson was excellent as McMurphy, the mental health patient who reoriented the ideology of what it means to deal with mental illness... Tremendous film, maybe the best American film ever made... Do you think that sounds strong? Watch the movie first and then tell me I am exaggerating!! REMARKABLE!! UTTERLY REMARKABLE!!