One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an interesting, yet powerful story. When a criminal named R.P. McMurphy joins a mental ward to escape his job duties in prison, he soon finds himself more trapped than he could have imagined. Instead of getting a vacation and taking it easy, McMurphy finds a task of helping to undo what the state ward has done to the mental patients he rooms with. He brings new ways of thinking and living to a routine life and ultimately goes against the leader of the ward, Nurse Ratched (great name, by the way). Soon trust in Ratched soon shifts to trust in McMurphy and the controller becomes the controlled.
I found this movie positively refreshing for something made in 1975. Mostly actor driven, Kesey’s characters come to life in their own unique way to form a ship of fools; with a purpose, of course. Each one brings about some sort of different need in a person. Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif) is in need of experiencing love, Taber (Christopher Lloyd) represents aggression, Harding (William Redfield) represents logic, while McMurphy represents the body for all these men. The entire ward was small pieces that when put together equal out to be a normal human being. The interesting part of this, one that most people find obvious, is that Nurse Ratched represents the establishment/government and is intent on keeping these men from communicating with each other; thus, they can’t come together to go against Ratched and her rules. Of course, I might be looking at this too deeply, but the explanation sounds sane to me (no pun intended) and nothing short of impressive.
The film is perfect in so many ways and equally as frightening. Seeing that Kesey actually wrote what he saw during his stay at a mental ward and translated it to words really puts in perspective on how screwed up the system truly might be. Having Kesey’s words translated to film magnifies this fright thanks to the simple vision of Miloš Forman. Forman’s eye on keeping the actors inside with actual Oregon inmates and doctors definitely paid off at the end of the production. Each actor not only bought into their role as a mental patient, but also played it so accurately that it seemed like they belonged there. Both Kesey’s story and Forman’s vision collide perfectly to orchestrate the undoing of insanity into sanity. But the geniuses could not have pulled it off with the players.
Of course the main player, Jack Nicholson, brought his outsider role of R.P. McMurphywith a full gambit of obnoxious insanity and sometimes normality into a very screwed up situation for the other characters to feed off of and learn from. Just like his onscreen persona, Nicholson’s ability to draw attention to his character proves almost intoxicating, as you’re wanting to learn as much as possible from McMurphy; much like the other patients. Just an excellent role for the veteran actor and one that Nicholson deserved his academy award for playing, especially with his anti-hero personality that blooms as the movie spirals slowly towards its tragic, but triumphant end.
Now, the only role that could be as interesting and well thought out (and memorable) as Nicholson’s McMurphy is the role of the Chief. Played by artist Will Sampson, he spends most of the movie in a quiet state waiting to break out from his silence. When he does break out you are just as shocked as McMurphy, which is an amazing feeling as a viewer. What’s even better is when the Chief finally ends the movie on the note he needed to end it on. You are both extremely sad and hopeful and I will say no more about it. It’s potentially one of the best endings to a film in my lifetime; certainly one of the most talked about.
If you’ve never seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest then you must see it this way. It’s quite possibly one of the best films you’ll see in your life.
Story aside, you get some pretty damn good special features with the DVD set for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Here’s what you’re looking at:
– Completely Cuckoo – A feature-length documentary about the making of the film
– Full-length commentary by director Miloš Forman and producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz
– Brand new interview with producer Michael Douglas
– Deleted Scenes
– Original Trailer
The feature-length documentary of the film is amazing. You get to hear from the author, the producers and a good portion of the cast (without Nicholson, of course). You get to know how the film was made, what the actors felt about the production and one tragic story that will make you happy you’re alive. The documentary is nothing short of amazing and will capture your attention just as much as the film.
As for the other features, you get some good commentary from Forman, Douglas and Zaentz; they providing interesting facts about the film and those involved. You also get a nice interview with Michael Douglas that gives you a bit more (if you feel like you haven’t gotten enough from the previous features). To round it all out you get some deleted scenes and a nice trailer.
Footage and audio aside, you also get a gorgeous box with this release that truly makes it an ‘ultimate collector’s edition’. On top of this, you get a nice set of pictures of the cast (including Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd), as well as a nice set of playing cards. Finally, you get a great hardback book with information and high-quality pictures of the film.
Fancy stuff for a DVD collection.