One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients.

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay), Bo Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson

Top Rated Movies #18 | Won 5 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	R.P. McMurphy
Louise Fletcher	...	Nurse Ratched
Will Sampson	...	Chief Bromden
Michael Berryman	...	Ellis
Alonzo Brown	...	Miller
Peter Brocco	...	Col. Matterson
Scatman Crothers	...	Turkle
Dean R. Brooks	...	Dr. Spivey
Mwako Cumbuka	...	Warren
Danny DeVito	...	Martini
William Duell	...	Sefelt
Josip Elic	...	Bancini
Lan Fendors	...	Nurse Itsu
Nathan George	...	Washington
Ken Kenny	...	Beans Garfield

Storyline

McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. 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:

mental institution | mental illness | nurse | escape | tragicomedy | 

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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:

13+

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emotionally strained by a demanding shooting schedule that kept him three thousand miles from his future wife, Rhea Perlman, Danny DeVito developed the coping mechanism of an imaginary friend, with whom he would have nightly chats. Concerned that his own sanity might be slipping away, DeVito sought the advice of Dr. Brooks, who assured him that there was no reason to worry, as long as DeVito could still identify the character as fictional.

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Goofs

In the "Voluntary/Involuntary" scene, McMurphy goes from having a "five o'clock shadow" to being clean shaved, then back to having stubble.

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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 Stroker and Hoop: The Wrath of Kahn'Ja (2005)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
(1857) (uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Played on a record

User Reviews

Best film of its era

Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a landmark (one of the few I might add) in cinema. Pretty much everything in this film is at or close to perfection. And rightfully so, it became only the 2nd (1 in 3 films in history along with It Happened One Night and Silence of the Lambs) film to win the top five Oscars- Best Picture, Actor (Jack Nicholson), Actress (Louise Fletcher), Director (Forman), and Screenplay (Bo Goldman).

The story (based on Ken Kessey's astounding, though not too similar, novel) focuses on a rowdy misfit named Randle Patrick McMurphy (Nicholson) who is put in a mental hospital with other people (some voluntarily in) who are not all there. Some of these guys include Danny DeVito (in his first role), Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif (in his Oscar nominated role) and the never forgettable Will Sampson who played the Chief. The film, It's actors and scenes will always be terrific achievements in cinema and is one of my favorites.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 November 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou

Filming Locations:

Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$108,981,275

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$108,997,629

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fantasy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1