IMDb > One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

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

Photos (See all 59 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -- Clip: Opening Credits

Overview

User Rating:
Top 250: #13  (login to vote)
8.8/10   404,483 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Milos Forman
Writers:
Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 November 1975 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Drama See more »
Tagline:
If he's crazy, what does that make you?
Plot:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 12 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(336 articles)
5 Overlooked Late-Period Jack Nicholson Performances
 (From The Playlist. 22 April 2013, 9:00 AM, PDT)
How Many of the Movies from Roger Ebert's List of Great Movies Have You Seen?
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 10 April 2013, 4:28 PM, PDT)
How Many of the Movies from Roger Ebert's List of Great Movies Have You Seen?
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 10 April 2013, 4:28 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Both uplifting and disheartening, sometimes both at once See more (645 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Kay Lee ... Night Supervisor

Christopher Lloyd ... Taber
Dwight Marfield ... Ellsworth
Ted Markland ... Hap Arlich

Louisa Moritz ... Rose

Jack Nicholson ... R.P. McMurphy
William Redfield ... Harding
Philip Roth ... Woolsey (as Phil Roth)

Will Sampson ... Chief Bromden
Mimi Sarkisian ... Nurse Pilbow

Vincent Schiavelli ... Fredrickson

Mews Small ... Candy (as Marya Small)
Delos V. Smith Jr. ... Scanlon
Tin Welch ... Ruckley

Brad Dourif ... Billy Bibbit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Anjelica Huston ... Woman in Crowd on Pier (uncredited)

Audrey Landers ... Actress on TV Screen (uncredited)
Tom McCall ... News Commentator (uncredited)
James V. Shore ... Doctor (uncredited)

Saul Zaentz ... Captain on Shore (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Milos Forman 
 
Writing credits
Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay)

Ken Kesey (novel)

Dale Wasserman (play version "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")

Produced by
Michael Douglas .... producer
Martin Fink .... associate producer
Saul Zaentz .... producer
 
Original Music by
Jack Nitzsche 
 
Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Sheldon Kahn 
Lynzee Klingman 
 
Casting by
Jane Feinberg 
Mike Fenton 
 
Production Design by
Paul Sylbert 
 
Art Direction by
Edwin O'Donovan 
 
Costume Design by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers 
 
Makeup Department
Gerry Leetch .... hairdresser
Fred B. Phillips .... makeup artist (as Fred Phillips)
 
Production Management
Joel Douglas .... unit production manager
Irving Saraf .... post-production supervisor
Joel Chernoff .... executive in charge of production (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Saint John .... second assistant director (as William St. John)
Irby Smith .... first assistant director
 
Art Department
Joe Acord .... construction coordinator
Tom Bartholomew .... production painter
Terry E. Lewis .... props (as Terry Lewis)
Rudy Reachi .... assistant property master (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Mark Berger .... post-production sound director
Pat Jackson .... sound editor
Larry Jost .... sound recordist (as Lawrence Jost)
Mary McGlone .... sound editor
Robert R. Rutledge .... sound editor (as Robert Rutledge)
Kirk Schuler .... assistant sound editor
Veronica Selver .... sound editor
Gene Radzik .... Dolby consultant: 2001 5.1 remix (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Alan Gibbs .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Butler .... additional photography
Dick Colean .... camera operator
William A. Fraker .... additional photography (as William Fraker)
Hugh K. Gagnier .... camera operator (as Hugh Gagnier)
George Hill .... key grip
Gary Holt .... gaffer
Dennis Marks .... gaffer
Walter Nichols .... best boy
Peter Sorel .... still photographer
Robert M. Stevens .... camera operator (as Robert Stevens)
Bill Tenny .... gaffer
Robert C. Thomas .... camera operator (as Robert Thomas)
Doug Willis .... best boy
Kyle T. MacDowell .... electrician (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aggie Guerard Rodgers .... costumer (as Agnes Rodgers)
 
Editorial Department
Richard Chew .... supervising film editor
Arthur Coburn .... assistant film editor (as Art Coburn)
Constance Field .... assistant film editor
Bonnie Koehler .... assistant film editor
Jay Miracle .... assistant film editor
 
Music Department
Ted Whitfield .... music editor
 
Transportation Department
Tom F. Thomas .... transportation captain (as Tom Thomas)
 
Other crew
Natalie Drache .... script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald .... title
Rhonda Kramer .... production office coordinator
Leonard Lipton .... production assistant
Frank Noonan .... location auditor
Denise Schreiter .... location coordinator
Jim Young .... location auditor
Dean R. Brooks .... technical advisor (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
133 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
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 (Approved No. 24414) | West Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Canada:14+ (Quebec) (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (video rating) | France:-12 (re-rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Japan:G
Filming Locations:
Depoe Bay, Oregon, USASee more »
Company:
Fantasy FilmsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Louise Fletcher was in preparation to begin filming Nashville (1975) while Lily Tomlin was set to play Nurse Ratched. Ultimately the two actresses switched their roles in the two films.See more »
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When it is a first person view of McMurphy looking through the nurse's room, you can see the reflection of the camera man in the glass.See 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.
[...]
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "House M.D.: Nobody's Fault (#8.11)" (2012)See more »
Soundtrack:
The Star Spangled BannerSee more »

FAQ

How does the movie end?
What is the movie about?
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
313 out of 342 people found the following review useful.
Both uplifting and disheartening, sometimes both at once, 14 January 2005
Author: pyrocitor from Ontario, Canada

I went into this film with the knowledge that it had been the second film in history to win the 'top five' Oscars (for Best Picture, Best actor, Best actress, Best director and best screenplay) and has been praised as "one of Jack Nicholson's finest roles" and "one of the classics of the 70's". Naturally, after hearing all this, I had high expectations for One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. But nonetheless, I was surprised at how easily the film surpassed my expectations and easily led me to understand how it merited all that praise.

Based on the novel by Ken Kesey, the story follows Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), who, in an attempt to get out of spending more time in prison, pleads insanity for his crime, and is therefore sentenced to time in a mental institution. This was McMurphy's intention, as he believes the conditions in a "crazy house" will be significantly easier to contend with than another harsh stay in prison. However, he quickly finds out that surviving the institution with it's desolate patients (including Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Vincent Schiavelli and an absolutely brilliant Brad Dourif as the stuttering Billy Bibbit) and the monstrously repressive Nurse Ratchet (Louise Fletcher, in a career defining role) is considerably harder than he imagined. McMurphy plays pranks, horseplay, and is generally defiant to the rules of the institution in an attempt to raise spirits. His constant optimism and reckless defiance to the out of date rules in the institution can be very uplifting, and often quite funny as well, but much of the movie can be very depressing - the generally decrepit state of the institution is a consistently (and intentionally) bleak background to a superb story with a truly bittersweet ending.

Jack Nicholson is at his best here, head and shoulders above other excellent performances such as in 'Chinatown' or 'As Good as it Gets'. McMurphy is an apparently unquenchable optimist, refusing to succumb to the defeated spirit of all the other patients. His livewire antics, inspiring the patients are generally uplifting, and when his indomitable spirit is finally broken, we really feel for him and his fellow patients. Nicholson conveys the essence of McMurphy to perfection, demonstrating his excellent understanding and interpretation of the character. When McMurphy announces that he is going to lift a huge stone fountain and hurl it through the window to escape, the other patients are so caught up in his intoxicating spirit of freedom that they honestly believe he can do it, despite the fact it would be impossible for a man much stronger than him. When McMurphy finally discovers that despite his best efforts, he cannot lift the fountain, he is so openly crushed that we can't help but feel for him. Beneath the frequent profanities and livewire antics, there are real human emotions, which come across as truly touching.

What can be said about One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest which hasn't already been said? It has an excellent storyline, top notch acting, painfully bleak visuals, perfectly setting the tone for the movie, and alternates between being truly uplifting to devastatingly depressing. It features perhaps the most memorable film ending ever, next to a man on his horse riding off into the sunset, and leaves the viewer beaten down by the conflicting emotions, unaware what to think of the picture next to reveling in it's glorious entirety. It's hard to produce a final outcome any better than this.

-10/10

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (645 total) »

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
Electro shock therapy on Cheswick Uniom
National Nurses Week ReelIntoMovies
One of the worst endings I have seen easyloadfree
Why didn't they escape before? janjy1997
Happy accident made for better film bonjon
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Elimination Game LucyInTheSkyWithDiamondz
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Sally The Best of Youth House of Fools Freeway Kings & Queen
IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.