Review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) by Swati — 23 Dec 2013

The message here is that life is full of joy and happiness, even in places you won't expect. We experience the asylum through the eyes of McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) as he arrives there and gets into the routine. Some suspect that he is faking his insanity to get out of a jail sentence.

This debate is never really explored in the movie. He may have been a little unorthodox but surely enough he is sane most of the time, except for the occasional rips in the exterior when we can't really be sure, like when he claims to be able to lift a certain heavy object and use it to make his escape. And he does not seem to be especially concerned about being thrown between people who are clearly more disturbed in their minds. He only loses his cool when he is being repeatedly pestered, which I think most people would. He feels constrained by authority and almost immediately after coming to the facility attempts to meddle with the schedule set in place for the patients. On several occasions he disregards rules and regulations entirely and creates serious trouble for the institution. Occasionally we delve into the lives of some of the other patients and learn about their experiences before they were committed.

Nicholson delivers a once in a lifetime performance. McMurphy is so full of life that you can't help but be drawn to him. The plot takes you to wherever Mac decides to take us, and it is a ride of wonder. The secondary characters were well realized and quite fun to watch. The interactions between them were the source of much of the humour in the movie.

Some treatments allegedly used for the benefit of the patients are also highlighted, like Electroconvulsive therapy and Lobotomy. The way the staff keeps control over the patients has the same underlying threat of force or punishment to keep them in line just like in a prison.

Towards the end, McMurphy sacrifices his own interests to show his friends what life is like on the outside. By embracing the joys of life, he embodies its values more than the ones who claim to be assisting the people in this madhouse.

I always wondered how people went mad, and why so few came back to sanity. Though it may present a dramatized version of it, it was moving when it came. And the fact that 'normal' people expected 'mad' people to behave in a certain way, and maybe even welcomed it, is perhaps the reason when somewhat disturbed people when admitted into institutions only deteriorate as they conform to the commonly accepted view. Perhaps a bit of understanding and love may be the key to make the disturbed people believe that they are indeed wanted and should make an effort to resolve their unresolved issues, and be more resolute and assertive about their needs.

This isn't the kind of movie to depend on cinematography and score. It's very simple and straightforward. Sometimes having glitter only ruins the effect, and I'm glad that's not how the movie was made. The focus was on acting, directing and screenplay. When these departments are well looked after, you can have a good decent movie without the need of an especially big budget.

Not many movies would be able to achieve the same sense of belonging one could feel for with people declared clinically insane, and I feel like it speaks for the strength of the director, Milas Forman, who has a knack for portraying out of the ordinary individuals in situations that are themselves quite extraordinary.