One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) ft. Sara Shea
- Thomas Duncan
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Guest:
Sara Shea
Host and Creator of Shea Cinema; @sheacinema on X, IG
Previously on 12 Angry Men (1957) Revisit, Barry Lyndon (1975), Shampoo (1975), 2025 Post Oscars Reaction Show, Patton (1970)
Cast:
Milos Forman, Director
Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, Writers
Haskell Wexler, Cinematographer
Jack Nitzschke, Music
Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman, and Sheldon Kahn, Editors
Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick "R.P." McMurphy
Louise Fletcher as Nurse Mildred Ratched
Will Sampson as "Chief" Bromden
William Redfield as Dale Harding
Brad Dourif as Billy Bibbit
Sydney Lassick as Charlie Cheswick
Christopher Lloyd as Max Taber
Danny DeVito as Martini
Dean Brooks as Dr. John Spivey
William Duell as Jim Sefelt
Vincent Schiavelli as Bruce Frederickson
Michael Berryman as Ellis
Alonzo Brown as Attendant Miller
Mwako Cumbuka as Attendant Warren
Nathan George as Attendant Washington
Marya Small as Candy
Scatman Crothers as Night Guard Turkle
Background:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest premiered on November 19, 1975.
On a rough budget of $3-4.4 million, the film would gross over $163.3 million to finish #2 at the worldwide box office.
Critics were mostly effusive in their praise of the film, and Cuckoo's Nest went on to be nominated for 9 Oscars including Best Cinematography (Wexler and Bill Butler), Editing, Original Score, and Supporting Actor (Brad Dourif), winning the "Big 5" - Best Picture, Director (Forman), Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), and Adapted Screenplay (Hauben and Goldman).
Cuckoo's Nest is one of only 3 films to win the Big 5 (It Happened One Night (1934) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991)).
The film has since been recognized by the AFI:
In 2015, the film ranked 59th on BBC's "100 Greatest American Films" list, voted on by film critics from around the world.
In 1993, the film selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry.
Cuckoo's Nest appeared on the Cinema Legacy Poll at #79.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest currently holds a 93% among critics on RT, an 84 score on Metacritic, and a 4.4/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a powerful drama directed by Miloš Forman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey. The film stars Jack Nicholson as Randle P. McMurphy, a rebellious man who fakes insanity to avoid prison and is sent to a mental institution. There, he clashes with Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) whose strict control over the patients crushes their spirits. McMurphy’s defiance inspires the other men, including the quiet and gentle Chief Bromden (Will Sampson), to rediscover their sense of freedom and individuality. The movie explores themes of authority, conformity, and the human spirit, ultimately showing the cost of resisting oppressive systems.
Did You Know:
Will Sampson (Chief Bromden) was a Park Ranger in Oregon near where the movie was filmed. He was selected for the part because he was the only Native American the casting department could find who matched the character's incredible size.
Louise Fletcher was signed a week before filming began, after auditioning repeatedly for over six months. Milos Forman had told her each time that she just wasn't approaching the part correctly, but kept calling her back. In later interviews, Louise Fletcher said that she found ways to make her character human, yet remain unsympathetic, ultimately deciding that Nurse Ratched actually did care about the patients, and felt she was doing what was best for them, but was ultimately misguided and drunk on her own power.
Louise Fletcher was so upset with the fact that the other cast members could laugh and be happy, while she had to be so cold and heartless, that near the end of production, she removed her dress and stood in only her panties to prove to the cast members she was not "a cold-hearted monster".
Jack Nicholson took a percentage of the profits in lieu of a small salary for a modestly budgeted film. The move paid off when the picture went on to gross well over $120 million. In his Oscar acceptance speech, he thanked Mary Pickford (who had received an honorary award earlier in the ceremony) for being the first actor in Hollywood to take a percentage of the profits.
Dean R. Brooks was a psychiatrist and director of the Oregon state hospital where the film was made. During filming, Brooks correctly diagnosed William Redfield with the leukemia that would kill him 18 months later.
During filming, a crew member running cables left a second story window open at the Oregon State Mental Hospital and an actual patient climbed through the bars and fell to the ground, injuring himself. The next day The Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon reported the incident with the headline on the front page "One flew OUT of the cuckoo's nest".
Best Performance: Louise Fletcher (Ratched)/Milos Forman (Director)
Best Secondary Performance: Milos Forman (Director)/Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman (Writers)/Jack Nicholson (McMurphy)
Most Charismatic Award: Will Sampson (Chief)/Scatman Crothers (Turkle)/Jack Nicholson (McMurphy)
Best Scene:
On the Boat
Meeting Adjourned
Cheswick Loses It
Juicy Fruit
Morning After
Chief Escapes
Favorite Scene: Playing Basketball with Chief/On the Boat/Morning After
Most Indelible Moment: Chief Escapes
In Memorium:
Pauline Collins, 85, British actress (Shirley Valentine, Upstairs, Downstairs, City of Joy)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
McMurphy: Jesus, I mean, you guys do nothing but complain about how you can't stand it in this place here and you don't have the guts just to walk out? What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin'? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets and that's it.
McMurphy: [about shock treatments] They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I'm hot to trot! The next woman takes me on's gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!
McMurphy: Which one of you nuts has got any guts?
McMurphy: In one week, I can put a bug so far up her ass, she don't know whether to shit or wind her wristwatch.
McMurphy: Is that crazy enough for ya'? Want me to take a shit on the floor?
Nurse Ratched: The best thing we can do is go on with our daily routine.
McMurphy: Get out of my way son, you're usin' my oxygen.
McMurphy: But I tried, didn't I? Goddamnit, at least I did that.
Cheswick: Rules? PISS ON YOUR FUCKING RULES!
McMurphy: What are you doin' here? You oughta be out in a convertible bird-doggin' chicks and bangin' beaver.
McMurphy: Goddamn it Chief, you're about as big as a damn mountain!
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 9
Impact/Significance: 9.83
Novelty: 9.5
Classic-ness: 9.67
Rewatchability: 7
Audience Score: 9.35 (91% Google, 96% RT)
Total: 54.35
Remaining Questions:
Does Chief make it to Canada?
How can you discipline people who are committed voluntarily?
How would the movie change if it were from Chief's POV like the book?
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