One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest was released in 1975 and stars Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Danny Devito and Christopher Lloyd. It tells the story of Randle McMurphy, a criminal serving a sentence for statutory rape who is transferred to an asylum to assess whether he is in fact suffering from a mental illness. From the start it is obvious that he is not and that his actions were merely a ploy to get out of hard work. The ward in which he is placed is run by the calm and sinister Nurse Ratched who employs monotonous daily routine and uncomfortable group therapy sessions to keep the patients in check. The patients themselves are a varied group of chraracters including a young man with a stutter, another who throws temper tantrums and a tall, mute Native American. In a bid to irritate Nurse Ratched, McMurphy begins to break up the monotony of the day and eventually the other patients start to rebel against the rigid routine and authority. This results in a lot of laughs but a sad and shocking ending as Nurse Ratched revels just how sinister she can be.
This was a great movie that really makes the viewer think.
Are these people really 'insane'?
What is it to be 'insane'?
How much power, should the so-called 'sane' doctors and nurses have over their charges (I really thought it was Nurse Ratched who was the most mentally disturbed person in the movie)?
All the actors played their roles brilliantly. I was particularly impressed by Louise Fletcher and the cast of relatively unknown patients. Fletcher plays the role of Ratched and creates an image of someone who is evil but thinks they're doing the right thing. The patients do a great job of bringing out their individual personas while Nicholson (playing McMurphy) really takes to his role with depth and humour.
Now it's time to read the book!
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