Lecture Notes: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Introduction

1975 Success: Among top 10 box office moneymakers.
- Played for 11 years in one Swiss theater (closed in 1987).
Plot Summary: A man, McMurphy, in a mental institution stands up against abusive head nurse to help fellow patients reclaim their individuality.
Themes: Chaos vs. Order, Conformity vs. Rebellion.
Awards: Won top five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Writer, Actor, Actress).

Background: Grew up in the 1950s, participated in CIA's LSD experiment (MKUltra) as a Stanford student.
Writing Inspiration: Experiences in a mental institution inspired him to write One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (published in 1962).
- Book Bans: Banned in many high schools; named one of Time magazine's top 100 novels of the 20th century.
Differences in Book and Film:
- Book's protagonist: Native American Chief Bromden.
- Book's themes: Government oppression, dehumanization by industrialization.
- 1975 Film Changes: McMurphy as the main character, themes of anti-totalitarianism due to director Miloš Forman's background.

Nature vs. Machine: Opening and closing shots transition from nature to institution and back.
Director's Perspective: Miloš Forman's background in Communist Czechoslovakia influenced themes.
Ambiguity: Not purely a drama, comedy, or tragedy; more observational.
Conformity and Authority: Patients volunteer for confinement due to societal pressure.

Mental Health Treatments: Disturbing history of lobotomies and electric shock treatments to keep patients sedate and controllable.
- Families locked up relatives for non-mental health issues.

Realistic Setting: Filmed in Oregon State Hospital with real patients as extras.
- Affected cast: Depressed Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito created an imaginary friend, Sydney Lassick had a breakdown.
Cinematography: Frequent use of bars and glass windows to enhance sense of confinement.

Nurse Ratched: Cold, controlling, and potentially a sociopath.
- Her personal life and motivations remain ambiguous.
McMurphy: Often seen as institutionalized himself, fell into institutional rhythm.
- Represents sexual freedom vs. Ratched's repression.
- Questions of altruism vs. self-interest in his actions.
Female Characters: Generally depicted negatively, except for submissive characters like prostitutes.
Nurse Ratched's Assistants: Abuse their power over patients, reinforcing societal hierarchies.
Patients' Individuality: Shown through changes in dress (e.g., Cheswick's jacket).

Conformity: Reflects society’s control over individuals who deviate from norms.
Anti-Psychotic Drugs: Critique on the pharmaceutical industry and overmedication.
Race Dynamics: Patients are white, attendants are black, adding another layer of power dynamics.
Institutional Critique: Reflection on broader societal issues (marginalization, oppressive structures).

Iconic Final Scene: Chief Bromden throws hydrotherapy console (symbol of regulations) out of the window, escaping oppression.
Message: While rules and norms are necessary, complacency leads to abuses of power. Misfits are essential for change.

In this day and age, who needs people like McMurphy? Everybody.