One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
(A or 3.5/4 stars)
Manic free spirit Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is transferred from a prison work farm to an Oregon state mental hospital for 90 days of psychiatric observation in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (directed by Milos Forman & based on a popular novel). Dr. Spivey, the mild-mannered hospital administrator, does not quite know what to make of this guy whose papers describe him as lazy, resentful, & belligerent. It turns out that he actually enjoys people & hates bureaucratic structures. McMurphy slowly psyches out his fellow (mostly voluntary) patients. Some of them include: Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif), a stuttering, indecisive mama's boy; Martini (Danny DeVito), a good-natured simpleton; Taber (Christopher Lloyd), quite the imposing guy.
There's also enigmatic Chief Bromden (Will Sampson), a giant deaf-mute Native American. The ward is dominated by the patronizing, strict, & icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) - a domineering woman with strong-armed orderlies at her side. Nurse Ratched & McMurphy recognize that they are each other's worst enemy: she, an authority figure who equates sanity with good behavior; and he, a misfit who is smart enough to dismantle the system she employs. And so, anesthetized by drugs & terrified of the electro-shock therapy used to punish them, the inmates (save for McMurphy) tremble before Nurse Ratched during therapy sessions.
McMurphy bets the men that he can get Nurse Ratched's goat. His 1st attempt is to change the daily schedule so that they can watch the World Series on TV. When he doesn't get his way, McMurphy has the men watch the turned-off TV set & pretend they're watching the game. In another humorous sequence, he uses the 6'4" Chief as center on their inmate basketball team (in which they beat the orderlies). Then, he takes-over the institution's bus & brings his fellow inmates to the ocean for an unfettered boat ride. The men - most of them self-committed to the asylum - experience a combination of joy & fear on the open sea. McMurphy broke the rules & gave his pals a sense of life on the 'outside'. And the capper to this liberation project winds up being a tragic all-night party with liquor & women.
As McMurphy, Jack Nicholson exudes energy, wit, sarcasm, & a rebellious streak that shows he will not easily be broken by the 'system'. In one of the film's best sequences, McMurphy sits in front of an open window after the all-night bash & stares deeply into the camera. We know that he & the Chief have planned to escape that morning. But McMurphy realizes that the other inmates have projected their hopes for independence onto him. Instead of deserting them, he stays to face up to his punishment for breaking all those rules. Still, the scene shows that escape (literally & figuratively) is still possible in oppressive conditions.
Louise Fletcher underplays the role of Nurse Ratched so that her villainy comes with subtleness. It's very effective. Ratched's humorlessness & obsession for control are conveyed wonderfully. The entire ensemble impresses. Brad Dourif is excellent as fellow inmate, Billy. And Will Sampson's depiction of Chief Bromden is especially moving. It is he who truly understands the meaning & value of McMurphy's liberation crusade. His escape from the hospital in the film's emotional finale strikes a note for freedom that is rich in its visualization, as well as its impact. This film catches 2 very basic American fantasies ... a) the person with freedom & complete independence, and b) the rebel standing up to the structures of oppression. This is an excellent, thought-provoking, & memorable movie.
There's also enigmatic Chief Bromden (Will Sampson), a giant deaf-mute Native American. The ward is dominated by the patronizing, strict, & icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) - a domineering woman with strong-armed orderlies at her side. Nurse Ratched & McMurphy recognize that they are each other's worst enemy: she, an authority figure who equates sanity with good behavior; and he, a misfit who is smart enough to dismantle the system she employs. And so, anesthetized by drugs & terrified of the electro-shock therapy used to punish them, the inmates (save for McMurphy) tremble before Nurse Ratched during therapy sessions.
McMurphy bets the men that he can get Nurse Ratched's goat. His 1st attempt is to change the daily schedule so that they can watch the World Series on TV. When he doesn't get his way, McMurphy has the men watch the turned-off TV set & pretend they're watching the game. In another humorous sequence, he uses the 6'4" Chief as center on their inmate basketball team (in which they beat the orderlies). Then, he takes-over the institution's bus & brings his fellow inmates to the ocean for an unfettered boat ride. The men - most of them self-committed to the asylum - experience a combination of joy & fear on the open sea. McMurphy broke the rules & gave his pals a sense of life on the 'outside'. And the capper to this liberation project winds up being a tragic all-night party with liquor & women.
As McMurphy, Jack Nicholson exudes energy, wit, sarcasm, & a rebellious streak that shows he will not easily be broken by the 'system'. In one of the film's best sequences, McMurphy sits in front of an open window after the all-night bash & stares deeply into the camera. We know that he & the Chief have planned to escape that morning. But McMurphy realizes that the other inmates have projected their hopes for independence onto him. Instead of deserting them, he stays to face up to his punishment for breaking all those rules. Still, the scene shows that escape (literally & figuratively) is still possible in oppressive conditions.
Louise Fletcher underplays the role of Nurse Ratched so that her villainy comes with subtleness. It's very effective. Ratched's humorlessness & obsession for control are conveyed wonderfully. The entire ensemble impresses. Brad Dourif is excellent as fellow inmate, Billy. And Will Sampson's depiction of Chief Bromden is especially moving. It is he who truly understands the meaning & value of McMurphy's liberation crusade. His escape from the hospital in the film's emotional finale strikes a note for freedom that is rich in its visualization, as well as its impact. This film catches 2 very basic American fantasies ... a) the person with freedom & complete independence, and b) the rebel standing up to the structures of oppression. This is an excellent, thought-provoking, & memorable movie.