One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 February 1976 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

If he's crazy, what does that make you?

Plot:

Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Patient | Basketball | Playing Card | Mental Institution

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Michael Berryman	...	Ellis
Peter Brocco	...	Col. Matterson
Dean R. Brooks	...	Dr. Spivey
Alonzo Brown	...	Miller
Scatman Crothers	...	Turkle
Mwako Cumbuka	...	Warren
Danny DeVito	...	Martini
William Duell	...	Jim Sefelt
Josip Elic	...	Bancini
Lan Fendors	...	Nurse Itsu
Louise Fletcher	...	Nurse Ratched
Nathan George	...	Washington
Ken Kenny	...	Beans Garfield
Mel Lambert	...	Harbor Master
Sydney Lassick	...	Charley Cheswick
Kay Lee	...	Night Supervisor
Christopher Lloyd	...	Taber
Dwight Marfield	...	Ellsworth
Ted Markland	...	Hap Arlich
Louisa Moritz	...	Rose
Jack Nicholson	...	R.P. McMurphy
William Redfield	...	Harding
Philip Roth	...	Woolsey (as Phil Roth)
Will Sampson	...	Chief Bromden
Mimi Sarkisian	...	Nurse Pilbow
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Fredrickson
Mews Small	...	Candy (as Marya Small)
Delos V. Smith Jr.	...	Scanlon
Tin Welch	...	Ruckley
Brad Dourif	...	Billy Bibbit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anjelica Huston	...	Woman in Crowd on Pier (uncredited)
Tom McCall	...	News Commentator (uncredited)
James V. Shore	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Saul Zaentz	...	Captain on Shore (uncredited)

Directed by
Milos Forman

Writing credits
Lawrence Hauben		(screenplay) and
Bo Goldman		(screenplay)
Ken Kesey		(novel)
Dale Wasserman		(play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")

Produced by
Michael Douglas	....	producer
Martin Fink	....	associate producer
Saul Zaentz	....	producer

Original Music by
Jack Nitzsche		(original music composed by)

Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler		(director of photography)
Bill Butler		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Sheldon Kahn
Lynzee Klingman

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Paul Sylbert

Art Direction by
Edwin O'Donovan

Makeup Department
Gerry Leetch	....	hairdresser
Fred B. Phillips	....	make up (as Fred Phillips)

Production Management
Joel Douglas	....	unit production manager
Irving Saraf	....	post-production supervisor
Joel Chernoff	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Saint John	....	second assistant director (as William St. John)
Irby Smith	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Joe Acord	....	construction coordinator
Tom Bartholomew	....	production painter
Terry E. Lewis	....	props (as Terry Lewis)
Rudy Reachi	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Berger	....	post-production sound director
Pat Jackson	....	sound editor
Larry Jost	....	sound recordist (as Lawrence Jost)
Mary McGlone	....	sound editor
Robert R. Rutledge	....	sound editor (as Robert Rutledge)
Kirk Schuler	....	assistant sound editor
Veronica Selver	....	sound editor
Gene Radzik	....	Dolby consultant: 2001 5.1 remix (uncredited)
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist: restoration (restored version) (uncredited)

Stunts
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Butler	....	additional photography
Dick Colean	....	camera operator
William A. Fraker	....	additional photography (as William Fraker)
Hugh K. Gagnier	....	camera operator (as Hugh Gagnier)
George Hill	....	key grip
Gary Holt	....	gaffer
Dennis Marks	....	gaffer
Walter Nichols	....	best boy
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Robert M. Stevens	....	camera operator (as Robert Stevens)
Bill Tenny	....	gaffer
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator (as Robert Thomas)
Doug Willis	....	best boy
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aggie Guerard Rodgers	....	costumer (as Agnes Rodgers)

Editorial Department
Richard Chew	....	supervising film editor
Arthur Coburn	....	assistant film editor (as Art Coburn)
Constance Field	....	assistant film editor
Bonnie Koehler	....	assistant film editor
Jay Miracle	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Tom F. Thomas	....	transportation captain (as Tom Thomas)

Other crew
Natalie Drache	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title
Rhonda Kramer	....	production office coordinator
Leonard Lipton	....	production assistant
Frank Noonan	....	location auditor
Denise Schreiter	....	location coordinator
Jim Young	....	location auditor

Production Companies

• Fantasy Films (presents)

Distributors

• United Artists (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1995) (Argentina) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Ustredni Pujcovna Filmu (1990) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (TV)
• Condor Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Pioneer Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Sandrews (1999) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Varus Video (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Japan) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1998) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC)  portions of the 1963 World Series broadcast courtesy of (as NBC)
• Fantasy Films  acknowledgement: produced through the facilities of (as Fantasy Films Berkeley, California)
• N.V. Zvaluw  acknowledgement: original musical score copyright ©1975 by

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Quebec) (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Austria:12 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1976) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA

Company:

Fantasy Films

Trivia:

Before shooting began, director Milos Forman screened the film Titicut Follies (1967) for the cast to help them get a feel for life in a mental institution.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When McMurphy is "announcing" the baseball game, his reflection in the darkened TV set does not match the audio track.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Attendant Warren: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Mr. Washington.
Miller: Morning.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Nurse Pilbow: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Morning, Bancini.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Carded and Discarded (#1.7)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

A great order vs. chaos tale that everyone can relate to

Based on the amazing novel by Ken Kesey, Randall Patrick McMurphy is an antisocial and dangerous man no different than a petty criminal, placed in a mental ward to have his behavior studied. He makes friends with lunatics and starts his own circle of admiration within the hospital, much to the dismay of Nurse Ratched, the central authority figure in the story and one of the greatest movie villains ever.

The movie exists to show not only how corrupt and poorly-constructed society's approach to the "mentally unstable" is, but it creates characters that we have all met in life and shows how the McMurphy-like figure that we all wish we had fights for freedom of choice and basic human rights. In addition to the movie's great spirit, the acting is fantastic. Jack Nicholson is at his best and Danny DeVito can be seen in his very first acting role ( which he absolutely triumphs in ). And of course, there's the unforgettable Chief Bromden. The directing by Milos Forman is very well-done, as the camera-work is excellent and follows the pace of the movie perfectly in how it is used. What really impressed me was the editing, especially as far as the use of audio goes: some parts just made me go "...wow."

My only complaint is that I believe the movie could've been slightly more effective if it were based more closely on the novel at certain points, but the modified point of view of the film does make a great point; anyone who has ever hated their job, been accused of something, had some person so self-righteous and convinced of their own authority and dependency on order get in your way, or attended the American public school system at any point in their life should be able to identify with this movie.