One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher)
When the biggest complaint you have about a movie is that two of the character names (Martini and Bancini) sound alike, you know you've got a winner on your hands. There is little to complain about in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a rousing tale about daring to go against the grain in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The 1975 film swept the four major categories at the Academy Awards the following year and deservedly so. It is one of the most uplifting and challenging American movies of all time.
Early on in Cuckoo's Nest, the character of McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) has been transferred from prison to a mental institution and is interviewed by the passive Dr. Spivey (Dean Brooks). From this point onward, the film unfolds in one of two ways for the viewer: one either believes McMurphy has faked a mental illness to avoid hard labour in prison, or he is genuinely ill but makes a series of discoveries about how loosely defined the label of "crazy" really can be. Either way, there can be little doubt that his new entourage of male patients have their own extensive list of problems. Through a series of defiant actions against the hospital officials and particularly the icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher, in one of the most understated of performances), McMurphy helps the others realize they are not completely helpless, nor pawns who must do everything they are told. They are capable of contributing to society.
This is a film that launched many careers. As producer, a young Michael Douglas would get his first taste of Oscar when it won for Best Picture. It would also be future bigwig exec Saul Zaentz's second turn as producer. Newcomer and Creek Indian Will Sampson played the part of Chief Bromden, a mute giant with a special secret. This would also prove the film world's first glance at prolific character actor Christopher Lloyd as the slightly demented Taber, and Brad Dourif would earn a Supporting Actor nomination as the stuttering and tragically-named Billy Bibbit. Other notables include the ominous Vincent Schiavelli as Frederickson, Scatman Crothers as the befuddled night watchman, and a young Danny De Vito as, essentially, an adult child. The result is a truly great ensemble who work off each other as much as they work off of their own character's specific condition.
There are many powerful images in the movie. Director Milos Forman and cinematographer Haskell Wexler contrast between the white walls of the institution by setting one hilarious scene on a commandeered fishing boat, and another enriching moment on a basketball court, when a lop-sided victory almost seems inevitable until the team of patients literally and figuratively finds a way to think "outside the box". My personal favourite scene occurs when McMurphy has desparately tried to get Ratched to allow the inmates to watch the World Series on TV. He uses a creative means to protest the conflict and it is absolutely perfect.
After all is said and done, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest dares to take things one step further by showing how easily the concept of change can devolve back into a routine again. There is a scene late in the picture when McMurphy is absent because he has been punished. Everything has returned to status quo. Sure, the other patients still talk about him and gossip that he has possibly escaped -- but if things have reverted back to normal, was there a point in him shaking things up to begin with? The argument can fall either way, and that's just one more thing I love about this film.
