Review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) by Melinabrzeczek — 20 Feb 2020

The 1975 movie “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” directed by Milos Forman a man named Randall P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is admitted into an asylum in place of finishing his prison sentence. The movie is based off of a book of the same name, and there are a few differences that I believe make the movie subpar.

The inaccuracy that bothered me the most was that Chief, who narrates the book, is nothing but a mere side character in the movie. Although I understand that in a movie it was hard to portray Chiefs thoughts as he does not talk, I believe that his unique way of thinking and his narration of the story is exactly what made the book as good as it was.

The second inaccuracy was the fishing scene. In the book this is a pre-planned official outing that even has a doctor present for supervision of the boys, but in the movie McMurphy steals a bus full of patients, drives to Candy’s house, and then takes them fishing on a stolen boat.

I think the story did not gain anything by changing this scene, and that in the process of trying to make the movie more comical they lost some of the things that made the story as haunting as it was.

The cast of the movie also did not meet my expectations. Jack Nicholson portrays McMurphy very well with his personality, but I was expecting somebody that was more sauve and handsome, as McMurphy is described as a sort of player in the book.

I also think the choice for Harding was also a mistake, as the book made him seem more sophisticatedly handsome, a man who had a beautiful wife as well, but in the movie he looks like a run down old man.

The part of the movie that did not disappoint me, though, was the cinematography. For a film that was shot in 1975 I think they did a good job making sure the movie had smooth transitions, and was comfortable to watch.

The lighting also helped set the scene for the movie, and also accurately depicted the darkness and “coldness” of the hospital that is described in the book. Overall I would give this movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, but I highly suggest that you just read the book instead.