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  • Film & TV Moderators: ghostfreak

FILM: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch

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Harding on his marital problems: "I'm not just talking about my wife, I'm talking about everybody. I'm talking about form! I'm talking about context! I'm talking about inter-relationships!!! I'm talking about God, the Devil! HEAVEN! HELL! Cant I get that through to you!!!"

Chris Loyd's Character: "Ya, Harding you're so fucking dumb I cant believe it!"

Many people have not seen this film as basically the only way you got to see it is when it was in theater's a while back or you activelly seeked it out to buy. It will never air network TV, or premium channels cause of whatever legal mumbo jumbo.

I just bought this movie on DVD because I once seen it in psychology class and it's even better then I remember ... even when I'm not hitting on the hottest girl in school who wont give me the time of the day. Jack Nicholson gives such an excellent performance and whats more impressive is that even the supporting roles are such good actors.

The DVD disc contains bonuses such as:
Feature length commentary from the Producer and Director
Remastered picture and sound quality
The making of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Deleted scenes
Cast Information
Awards

If you're looking for an artful and realistically acted presentation of psychologically ill folks, a great message embedded with Jack Nicholson's character and are interested in psychology in general, then buy this movie.
 
the only time i've seen this movie was on Bravo or AMC or one of those channels. amazing film btw, isnt it weird seeing Nicholson as a young[er] man?
 
michael said:
this is a case of where you should read the book and completely ignore the steaming pile of crap movie they made from it.
Click to expand...

The first time I heard someone think as this movie as a steaming pile of crap.
 
Edvard Munch said:
The first time I heard someone think as this movie as a steaming pile of crap.
Click to expand...

you either don't get out much or never talked to anyone that read the book. the book is an absolute masterpiece; the movie a bland, insipid version of said masterpiece further compounded by having jack nicholson as randle p. mcmurtry.
 
michael said:
you either don't get out much or never talked to anyone that read the book. the book is an absolute masterpiece; the movie a bland, insipid version of said masterpiece further compounded by having jack nicholson as randle p. mcmurtry.
Click to expand...

And what would you have thought of the movie if you didnt read the book?
 
I watched the movie before I read the book... and yes, of course the book is better; but I'm not going to pretend that I didn't like the movie when I saw it first.

This order, watching the movie, reading the book seems to work well for me. I'm never dissapointed.
 
The book is brilliant, while the film is solid work. Nurse Ratched was played well by Louise Fletcher, and in my opinion, McMurphy was also masterfully adapted to the screen by a young Jack. I also appreciate the work of Milos Forman a good deal. :)
 
I agree with michael. I read the book first though, but I don't think that matters. I hated what they did with it. I could barely stand to watch it..

It was a poor adaptation. Yucky! :)
 
I have read the book...but never attempted to see the movie... probably wont rush to see it either....
 
One flew over the cuckoos nest

So it's not the most cryptic of books or films, but I have been slowly been sucking it's blood and feel ready to splash out what I've seen. This is taken from reading the book and watching the film. I have concentrated on the book really, but also say a couple of things about the film (at the end):

The metaphors are generally accepted (or seem to be) of:
Big Nurse - Combine/Society/Tyranny (Female?)
McMurphy - Free Spirit/Strength (Strong male)
Harding - Intellectual aspect (his hands can gesture to make lovely pictures when he doesn't worry about what he's saying but when he does they become really jerky)
The chief - The silent part of society; also someone that knew/knows but is scared.

The Big Nurse tries to keep all the different people in her ward (all the different factions in society?) quite, unconfident and makes them face one another rather than try to make each other big.
The Big Nurse/Leaders become somewhat inhuman, unsexual as their prime focus is to control the combine.
The nurses' wish is to control the ward and to do that it is in her interest to keep the other people weak.

McMurphy comes in as another dude in the ward, but refuses to be subjected to it's laws and his message is one of encouragement of other people; believe in what you are being ok.

McMurphy is responsible for showing the chief what he can become but in the process is wiped out (not due to the chief but because of what McMurphy is set against).

How does he do this in the book? This is a central question for any reader (even asked by the big chief to remind us of it) and is not easy to work out.
A: On the fishing trip each of the people has a challenge of catching a fish, and they stay until each of the people has caught a fish. This seems central, the go on the boat trying to act big and tall, and come back feeling much more big and tall.
B: He keeps telling the chief that he is getting bigger, he makes him believe it is possible.
C: McMurphy makes a sacrifice to help another inmate and in doing so signs his warrant to get first electrocuted and then lobotomized. This move convinces the chief that McMurphy's motives are not always selfish behind it all, and it is perhaps watching this display of selflessness for what is right that takes the chief extra step. He sees his duty.

In the film at the first ward meeting I found it significant that the only two characters that properly look at the camera are McMurphy and the Big Nurse.
All the others seem to be doing all they can to avoid looking at the camera/'the now'. I saw this just after being on mushrooms and it was totally apparent that they were avoiding the now, but knew it was there, in their heart.
This leads McMurphy to say to them "fuck, you guy's aren't any crazier than the average Joe on the street, or not much anyway" - he means they are dealing with the same reality. As him even. It's just they are not facing it.

They happen to be smaller than him yes! but they make themselves much smaller than they are through a lack of acceptance. This does not have to be part of their lot. It's ok to give your part if it's slightly bad, you should still give you part, it's cool - don't worry about it :)

Now the immoveable object that only the chief can lift. I thought after mushrooms that that was the slight anxiety that we must deal with all the time - and that is still a possible interpretation; but I'm not convinced it's meant to be that anymore. (though throwing it through the wall of the ward is what leads to freedom!)

While Ken Kesey would probably throw me somewhere dark for (though he was a nice guy) trying to pin down his book so closely I would also like to add, if it's not already clear:

McMurphy vs Big Nurse = Good vs Evil... pretty much
One wants to help everyone out and make us make more of us ourselves and be bigger
The other wants to keep us down and small and scared of saying our part

And it makes that fight appear real
 
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One Flew Over the Cuckoos nest is one of my favorite movies of ALL TIME. It's brilliant! Jack Nicholson is hilarious. Great report by the way. ;)
 
Apparently Ken Kesey refused to even watch the final cut, he felt it was a poorly inferior interpretation of his work. Personally I enjoyed it, but I have never got around to actually reading the book (even though I do have a copy, curse my amotivational syndrome 8()
 
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^^^ ditto that - i picked up a copy from the op-shop for free about two years ago, and still haven't read it.

the film is excellent though, imo. i think this is one of jack nicholson's best films...
 
oh yeah I had to bump this as I believe I know the main thing that made the chief big at the end:
R.P Mcmurphy had faith that he would be
 
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