Actor(s): Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, Dean R. Brooks
Director(s): Milos Forman
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Binding: DVD
Brand: NICHOLSON/DOURIF/FLETCHER/SAMPSON
Language(s): English, Spanish, French
EAN: 9780790765143
ISBN: 0790765144
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Description
One of the key movies of the 1970s, when exciting, groundbreaking, personal films were still being made in Hollywood, Milos Forman's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest emphasized the humanistic story at the heart of Ken Kesey's more hallucinogenic novel. Jack Nicholson was born to play the part of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the rebellious inmate of a psychiatric hospital who fights back against the authorities' cold attitudes of institutional superiority, as personified by Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). It's the classic antiestablishment tale of one man asserting his individuality in the face of a repressive, conformist system--and it works on every level. Forman populates his film with memorably eccentric faces, and gets such freshly detailed and spontaneous work from his ensemble that the picture sometimes feels like a documentary. Unlike a lot of films pitched at the "youth culture" of the 1970s, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest really hasn't dated a bit, because the qualities of human nature that Forman captures--playfulness, courage, inspiration, pride, stubbornness--are universal and timeless. The film swept the Academy Awards for 1976, winning in all the major categories (picture, director, actor, actress, screenplay) for the first time since Frank Capra's It Happened One Night in 1931. --Jim Emerson
A nice rest in a state mental hospital beats a stretch in the pen, right? Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a free-spirited con with lightning in his veins and glib on his tongue, fakes insanity and moves in with what he calls the "nuts." Immediately, his contagious sense of disorder runs up against numbing routine. No way should guys pickled on sedatives shuffle around in bathrobes when the World Series is on. This means war! On one side is McMurphy. On the other is soft-spoken Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), among the most coldly monstrous villains in film history. At stake is the fate of every patient on the ward. Based on Ken Kesey's acclaimed bestseller, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest swept all five major 1975 Academy Awards: Best Picture (produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas), Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), Director (Milos Forman) and Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman). Raucous, searing and with a superb cast that includes Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd in his film debut, this one soars.
What a timeless film. As a child you're taught shame and fear. You allow them to be your limiters until one day you wake up, face the worst in yourself and choose freedom. Of course life isn't that straightforward but that's the essence of what I take away from "Cuckoo's Nest". Once your authentic self is awakened you can't choose another's definition of yourself anymore though. It's hard not to relate this 1975 movie to Hitler's Germany, or shoot, even things that are happening in 2010.
Director Milos Foreman put together an excellent ensemble cast of archetypes with Nurse Rached representing the status quo, McMurphy the rebel, and Chief the voiceless Everyman. All the other patients and warders serve as the Greek Chorus.
"Cuckoo review"
Written By: Patricia Munro
A must have in your DVD library. Will watch many times over the next ?20yrs.
"Classic movie"
Written By: M
Having already read the book, I was eager to see this movie. I've seen plenty of movies that have been shoddy adaptations of books, but this movie was definitely not one of them. For those of you who have not read the book, the movie is clear enough on what it is about, requiring no previous knowledge of the book (unlike certain other movies, such as Harry Potter) and if you did read the book, I am sure you'll be happy to notice that the movie remains overall faithful, with the changes being minor. A bit has been cut out, but that's to be expected with book to movie adaptations.
Jack Nicholson is an awesome actor, and he really embraced this role. While I imagined Randle Patrick McMurphy to be taller and stronger (and more Irish-looking), Jack had the right attitude for the role, so I can forgive the person in charge of casting. Everyone else also did a great job, especially Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. Overall a wonderful movie, 4.5/5 stars.
"c'mon Amazon!"
Written By: Michael C. Metzler
One of the things that I rely on before purchasing is the review. Usually Amazon gets it right, however, when the reviews for a Blu-Ray such as One Flew date back to 2001 (long before this format was available), it gets a little irritating. How about publishing reviews that pertain only to the product being advertised and not a collection of generic reviews that encompass all of the available formats. I really am interested in only the Blu-Ray version of One Flew but too difficult to find a pertinent review. If I were interested in a VHS or standard DVD review, I would have looked at those products.
"Wonderful Classic!"
Written By: Becky D. Littrell
I've seen this movie at least a hundred times and would watch it another hundred. Jack Nicholson was brilliant in this film!
"Archetypes"
"c'mon Amazon!"
