One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - film review

Convicted of statutory rape, Randle Patrick McMurphy is sentenced to work on a prison farm.  When he rebels against the prison regime, McMurphy is sent to a mental institution for a period long enough for the experts to assess whether he has a mental illness.   If McMurphy had been expecting an easy ride, he is in for a nasty surprise.  His ward is run along fascistic lines by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched, who insists that her patients stick to a monotonous schedule consisting mainly of humiliating group therapy sessions.   McMurphy soon grows tired of the moribund atmosphere and so decides to liven things up by introducing card games, organising basketball games and injecting some mild anarchy into the lives of those around him.  He even manages to hijack a coach so that he can take his new friends on a fishing trip – an exploit that puts him well and truly in Nurse Ratched’s bad books.   Although he realises that he can’t beat the system, McMurphy takes comfort from the fact that, once he has served the term of his sentence, he will be able to walk free.  At least, that is what he thinks.  He then discovers that if he is proven to be mentally unbalanced, he could be detained in the asylum indefinitely...

Jack Nicholson gives the performance of his career in this electrifying adaptation of Ken Kesey’s acclaimed novel, directed with style, humour and unbounded pathos by the Czech filmmaker Milos Forman.  Widely regarded as one of the greatest American films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an all-out assault not only on the dubious way in which the mentally ill were treated at the time but also on institutions in general.  A product of America’s counter-culture of the 1970s, this a film that celebrates individuality and the freedom of the individual over bland and mindless conformity with an anti-authoritarian gusto of almost epic proportions.  Lurching between bouts of sublime lightness and moments of tormenting, utterly devastating darkness, this is a film that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

Nicholson’s now legendary performance is superbly complemented by those of his co-star Louise Fletcher (perfect in the role of the impassive Nurse Ratched, next to whom Margaret Thatcher would appear almost human) and a magnificent ensemble cast.  The latter includes several actors making their film debut: Brad Dourif, Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli and Will Sampson.  There is also an early appearance from Danny DeVito, who later starred with Lloyd in the popular television series Taxi.

The part of McMurphy was originally intended for Kirk Douglas, who had played the character in a highly successful Broadway production.  Douglas bought the film rights but by the time the film went into production he was judged (by his son Michael, who was to produce the film) too old for the part, and so it passed to Jack Nicholson.  Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were also considered for the role, although it is of course now impossible to envisage anyone other than Nicholson as the firebrand R.P. McMurphy.

Taking over 100 million dollars at the box office (not bad for a film with a budget of just 4 million dollars), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was a major critical and commercial success.  It won Oscars in all of the five main categories:  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Actress (Fletcher) – a result not seen since It Happened One Night in 1934 and not repeated until The Silence of the Lambs in 1991.  Although attitudes to mental illness have changed considerably since the film was released, it remains a powerful and deeply moving piece of cinematic art with some important social messages. This is a film that still strikes a chord, particularly when you stop to think how much control the State and the media now have over our lives. A bas la répression! Vive la révolution!

© James Travers 2009

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