McMurphy, a man with several assault convictions to his name, finds himself in jail once again. This time, the charge is statutory rape when it turns out that his girlfriend had lied about being eighteen, and was, in fact, fifteen (or, as McMurphy puts it, “fifteen going on thirty-five”). Rather than spend his time in jail, he convinces the guards that he’s crazy enough to need psychiatric care and is sent to a hospital. He fits in frighteningly well, and his different point of view actually begins to cause some of the patients to progress. Nurse Ratched becomes his personal cross to bear as his resistance to the hospital routine gets on her nerves.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
  • Rating: (308,358 votes)
  • Tagline:If he's crazy, what does that make you? »
  • Runtime:133 minutes
  • Director: Milos Forman
  • Country:USA
  • Actors:
    Ellis
    Michael Berryman
    Col. Matterson
    Peter Brocco
    Dr. Spivey
    Dean R. Brooks
    Miller
    Alonzo Brown
    Turkle
    Scatman Crothers
    Warren
    Mwako Cumbuka
    Martini
    Danny DeVito
    Sefelt
    William Duell
    Bancini
    Josip Elic
    Nurse Itsu
    Lan Fendors
  • Genre:Drama
  • Producers:
    Michael Douglas
    producer  
    Martin Fink
    associate producer  
    Saul Zaentz
    producer  
  • Plots: 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. Written by Jacob Oberfrank
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • User's comment:Poetic - Powerful - Simple: The Greatness of Cuckoo's Nest. by Donald J. Lamb

    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.


  • Quotes: McMurphy: Which one of you nuts has got any guts? McMurphy: That's right, Mr. Martini. There is an Easter Bunny. Chief Bromden: My pop was real big. He did like he pleased. That's why everybody worked on him. The last time I seen my father, he was blind and diseased from drinking. And every time he put the bottle to his mouth, he didn't suck out of it, it sucked out of him until he shrunk so wrinkled and yellow even the dogs didn't know him.
  • Also known as: Atrapado sin salida (Argentina), Atrapado sin salida (Mexico), Atrapado sin salida (Peru - imdb display title), Пролетая над гнездом кукушки (Russia), Пролетая над гнездом кукушки (Soviet Union - Russian title), Einer flog über das Kuckucksnest (Austria), Einer flog über das Kuckucksnest (West Germany - imdb display title), Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou (Canada - French title), Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou (France), Στη Φωλιά του Κούκου (Greece), Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (Spain), En flög över gökboet (Finland - Swedish title), Gökboet (Sweden), Gøgereden (Denmark), Gaukshreiðrið (Iceland), Gjøkeredet (Norway), Guguk kusu (Turkey - Turkish title), Kakkou no su no ue de (Japan), Ken Ha-Cookiya (Israel - Hebrew title), Lendas üle käopesa (Estonia - imdb display title), Let iznad kukavicijeg gnezda (Serbia), Let iznad kukavicjeg gnijezda (Yugoslavia - imdb display title, Croatian title), Let nad kukavicjim gnezdom (Slovenia - imdb display title), Lot nad kukulczym gniazdem (Poland), Prelet nad kukaccím hnízdem (Czechoslovakia - imdb display title, Czech title), Prelet nad kukucím hniezdom (Czechoslovakia - imdb display title, Slovak title), Prelet nad kukucim hniezdom (Slovakia - TV title), Qualcuno volò sul nido del cuculo (Italy), Sti folia tou koukou (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Száll a kakukk fészkére (Hungary), Um Estranho no Ninho (Brazil), Vlucht boven een koekoeksnest (Netherlands - informal literal title), Voando Sobre Um Ninho de Cucos (Portugal), Yksi lensi yli käenpesän (Finland), Zbor deasupra unui cuib de cuci (Romania - imdb display title),

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