AN ICONIC BATTLE OF THE WILLS

 

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO`S NEST                

   

DIRECTOR: Milos Forman

STARRING: Jack Nicholson, Louis Fletcher, William Redfield, Will Sampson, Brad Dourif, Sidney Lassick, and Christopher Lloyd.   

Directed by the Czech filmmaker Milos Forman, the movie tells the story about the struggle of wills between patient RP McMurphy portrayed by Jack Nicholson and nurse Ratched portrayed by Louis Fletcher.  Randle McMurphy is a criminal who is convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl and is serving a short sentence at a prison farm. Jail is quite a frequent residence for McMurphy and so he decides that rather than serving at a jail, a psychiatric ward might be a better option for him. Little did he know that life is a psychiatric ward is not so great. The rules might be a bit liberal than the jail but advantages like watching World Series on TV do not really apply here. So slowly McMurphy starts himself making the most popular show in the whole ward by interacting with patients like the talkative with childish fits of temper and delusional, Martini(Danny De Veto), the tall deaf-mute American Indian “Chief” Bromden(Will Sampson), the high school strung well educated and paranoid Dale Harding(William Redfield) and the belligerent and profane Taber( Christopher Lloyd), but his every move is turned into a spoilsport by The tough and fearful Nurse Ratched. Ratched thwarts his every move and her strict methods of treatment towards the patients blind her from the fact that she is doing more harm than good. McMurphy`s card games win everyone’s Cigarettes but Ratched confiscates all those cigarettes. Individualistic and free-spirited McMurphy is a total antagonist to the by the book and straight-laced Ratched. The film in a way tries to address an issue of the 1970s of an individual rising against a large establishment. The ending of the film leaves the audience unsatisfied and disheartened. For the main character, McMurphy being smothered to death by his friend Chief as a last act of friendship seems cathartic. The death may seem uncompromising and leave a tear to the eye, but it also symbolizes that both of them taste freedom and peace though in different ways and that there is always a silver lining behind the dark cloud.

Jack Nicholson as McMurphy portrayed one of the most iconic characters in the history of American Cinema. He portrayed the character with ease as the rule-breaker, strong-willed, rogue McMurphy. Jack Nicholson won Oscar as an actor in the lead role for his character. Louis Fletcher as the unemotional, non-sadist, self-righteous, cold, mechanical Nurse Ratched and a total inflexible adversary to McMurphy was accurate. She portrayed fierce fully as the negative character or villain of the film who is not inherently malevolent but coolly and self righteously does bad things to individuals thinking she`s doing good. She represents less of an evil incarnate and more of a complex and interesting character. Louis Fletcher also won An Oscar as an actress in the lead role for the film. The other actors William Redfield, Will Sampson, Christopher Lloyd play their characters as the mentally impaired up in the correct and appropriate manner. In the end all I can say that the film was depressing and morally uplifting at the same time. If you read it you may feel nothing but if watch you it, you will certainly be put to your ends to be addressed with an issue and with tears in your eyes.