IMDb > One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) More at IMDbPro »

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) -- 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.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) -- Clip: Opening Credits
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 February 1976 (Sweden) more
Genre:
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. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 11 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(63 articles)
Viola Davis Puts her 'Trust' in Indie Film
 (From ioncinema. 30 November 2009, 1:32 AM, PST)

Bww Interviews: Kaye Ayers-Sowell, A Life in the Theatre
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 24 November 2009, 1:01 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Poetic - Powerful - Simple: The Greatness of Cuckoo's Nest. more (506 total)

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 ... 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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
133 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The script called for McMurphy to leap on a guard and kiss him when first arriving at the hospital. During filming, director Milos Forman decided that the guard's reaction wasn't strong enough and told Nicholson to jump on the other guard instead. This surprised the actor playing the second guard greatly, and in some versions he can be seen punching Nicholson. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: After McMurphy hijacks the bus and is driving through town, there are some 1970s automobiles, including a Plymouth Duster and Chevy Nova, and a store with lots of color TVs in the window. The movie is set in 1963. more
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.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Moby Presents: Alien Sex Party (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Jingle Bells more

FAQ

What does the title mean?
Is this film based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
174 out of 211 people found the following comment useful.
Poetic - Powerful - Simple: The Greatness of Cuckoo's Nest., 22 January 2000
10/10
Author: Donald J. Lamb from Philadelphia, PA

The opening shot of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is a bleak glance at an Oregon morning. Stirring, haunting music plays gracefully on the soundtrack and a car approaches. Inside the car is one of film history's most remarkable characters. "Randle McMurphy" is about to bring hope, humor, and a glimmer of reality to some disturbed people in a mental hospital. Jack Nicholson as "McMurphy", is something of a paradox. Is this guy crazy or is he really the lazy, conniving criminal most believe him to be? That is the magical mystery and start to a journey into mental illness and the effect this man will have on some truly messed up men.

Milos Forman directs this all-time classic, which swept the Oscars deservedly, and holds up so well 25 years later. It is a simplistic film about small people living in their own small worlds. Manic moments are mixed with poignant acting all leading to an astounding climax. Not before or since CUCKOO'S NEST has a collection of different characters had such an impact on me. You could write a book report about each of the patients in the ward. The two most important people here are, of course, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher.

Nicholson has his greatest moments in this picture. One brilliant scene has him doing an imaginary play-by-play commentary of the 1963 World Series to the group, who are not allowed to watch the game on TV. It is a poetic sequence and Nicholson goes crazy with his delivery, describing baseball with colorful anecdotes and profanity. "McMurphy" immediately makes an impression on the crazies and shows them how they don't have to stick to the "normal routine". He knows their names right away, he sprays them with water, he makes impossible bets with them, he introduces them to fishing, and he even gets a suffering young kid (played well by Brad Dourif) a "date".

Louise Fletcher plays one of the more reprehensible human beings in film as "Nurse Mildred Ratched". She is a hardened woman, one who makes the daily meetings with the group a contest to see who will win. Her stubbornness and lack of compassion for the poor guys is rather one dimensional. That's perfect because that is exactly who she is. Her strong will to keep things monotonous leads to a final showdown with the free spirited "McMurphy" in what is easily one of the most shocking and disturbing climaxes in recent memory.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST does not try to make a statement about mental illness or how the unstable should be treated. Rather, it is a very simple portrait of the long days and hilarious scenarios that can come about when a mixed bag of suffering people are thrown together. Mental illness is nothing to laugh about, but the fact that Nicholson is not really crazy (at least in my opinion) allows us to be amused. He seems to love his compadres in the hospital. He is mislead, however, into thinking he can do as he pleases.

There is no denying the power of CUCKOO'S NEST. The two main powerhouse performances are golden, the cinematography is morbid and gritty like it should be, the "Chief" is great as Nicholson's right hand, ah, protagonist, and you care a lot about what will happen as the film moves on. The famous, final shot ironically happens to be an exit of a major character into that bleak, Oregon morning.

NOTE: I have never read the book and I find it hard to believe author Ken Kesey has never watched the filmed version. Comparing a book to a movie is impossible. They are 2 distinctly different artistic methods of story-telling.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A break down of Nurse Ratched... Lynchian3
Ex-Friend Said I Am a Dead Ringer For Billy/Dourif d_r_mckeever
What was the cut in jack's forehead in the last scene ?? ( SPOILER ) EgyptianNarrator
Jack Nicholsen looks like... saba_tiger
Holy *beep* I don't believe this film. bdunbar89
most evil character in movie history kodrury
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