Show U ID 0 IM IMOne o c a One Flew Over The Cuckoos Cuckoo's Nest A skeptical and touching look at the definition of sanity Diana Joy Jones Arts Editor One Flew Over The Cuckoos Cuckoo's Nest features a. a quietly sadistic nurse the impermeable Jack Nicholson and hanky- hanky panky in a mental ward This movie which was wasI I originally rel released sed in 1975 and swept the the- Academy Awards including Best Picture Best Director Best Actor and Best Actress still holds up today due to to its sharp dialogue emotional significance and societal What is crazy anyway Is it th the anarchist loving McMurphy Nicholson or the cold Nurse Hatched Louise Fletcher whom he plays mental war tug-of-war with throughout the film A clean clean- hollow well-run well mental institution where a spoken soft-spoken nurse clicks her heels across the white cool floor and cheerily calls out Medication time is under serious violation when McMurphy arrives with a crazed laugh and trademark Nicholson wide smile The entire tone of the film progressively becomes more and more chaotic following his entrance McMurphy was released from the penitentiary to the asylum due to unorthodox behavior The authorities demand an evaluation to see if if our prime criminal is insane or using backhanded methods to escape work detail Mouthy and perhaps over-confident over McMurphy quickly gets into the swing of things Every hero anti-hero must have a nemesis and in inthis inthis inthis this fi film it comes in iri the form of a seemingly harmless well-groomed well woman prods her patients with icy observations that more attack the their r sense of self rather than improve it spoken in smooth and tones She deceptively undermines any glimmer of of- normalcy they may hope to maintain Despite the ultimate caretaker caretaker caretaker care care- taker from hell hell hell- her denial and quiet manner make her that much more frightening McMurphy manages to stir up as much trouble as humanly possible during his stint in the institution Despite running poker games played for cigarettes in place of cash he manages to steal the asylums asylum's bus and take his unstable cohorts on ona ona ona a fishing trip Among the patients arc arcan arcan arcan an almost unrecognizable Danny Devito and an almost as unrecognizable Christopher Lloyd but McMurphy's most reliable and memorable comrade is Chief Will Sampson a large mute Native American with brute strength and an increasing companionship with McMurphy Notably this movie owes much of its success to Nicholsons Nicholson's dynamic presence He not only dominates the asylum but also the screen with breakthrough energy Clad Cladin in a leather Jeather jacket and black beanie he balances smooth indifference with maniacal outbursts that resemble a 4 stir-crazy stir madman As far as his character is concerned i if it itis is all played for the benefit of causing grief for the thc white-clad white staff Fletcher as aforementioned is perfectly starch with inhuman methods lurking behind the fa facade ade Based on m the book by Ken Kesey who was involved in a lawsuit for his work by the mental institution he was working in while he wrote novel this film is a crafty adaptation The film moves from cynicism to dramatic realism in effort perhaps to illustrate not only the unstable nature of its subject matter but also alsoto to ease to its profound but troubling commentary One Flew Over A Cuckoos Cuckoo's Nest questions the definition of normal as it looks at dubious techniques in treating mental patients while encompassing touches of humor and drama resulting in a movie as entertaining as asit it is thought One Flew v Over A Cuckoos Cuckoo's Nest is rated R. R for language violence and sexual themes |