One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Lawrence Hauben (screenplay) and
Bo Goldman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 February 1976 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

If he's crazy, what does that make you?

Plot:

Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Patient | Basketball | Playing Card | Mental Institution

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 11 nominations

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

Michael Berryman	...	Ellis
Peter Brocco	...	Col. Matterson
Dean R. Brooks	...	Dr. Spivey
Alonzo Brown	...	Miller
Scatman Crothers	...	Turkle
Mwako Cumbuka	...	Warren
Danny DeVito	...	Martini
William Duell	...	Jim Sefelt
Josip Elic	...	Bancini
Lan Fendors	...	Nurse Itsu
Louise Fletcher	...	Nurse Ratched
Nathan George	...	Washington
Ken Kenny	...	Beans Garfield
Mel Lambert	...	Harbor Master
Sydney Lassick	...	Charley Cheswick
Kay Lee	...	Night Supervisor
Christopher Lloyd	...	Taber
Dwight Marfield	...	Ellsworth
Ted Markland	...	Hap Arlich
Louisa Moritz	...	Rose
Jack Nicholson	...	R.P. McMurphy
William Redfield	...	Harding
Philip Roth	...	Woolsey (as Phil Roth)
Will Sampson	...	Chief Bromden
Mimi Sarkisian	...	Nurse Pilbow
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Fredrickson
Mews Small	...	Candy (as Marya Small)
Delos V. Smith Jr.	...	Scanlon
Tin Welch	...	Ruckley
Brad Dourif	...	Billy Bibbit
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anjelica Huston	...	Woman in Crowd on Pier (uncredited)
Tom McCall	...	News Commentator (uncredited)
James V. Shore	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Saul Zaentz	...	Captain on Shore (uncredited)

Directed by
Milos Forman

Writing credits
Lawrence Hauben		(screenplay) and
Bo Goldman		(screenplay)
Ken Kesey		(novel)
Dale Wasserman		(play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")

Produced by
Michael Douglas	....	producer
Martin Fink	....	associate producer
Saul Zaentz	....	producer

Original Music by
Jack Nitzsche		(original music composed by)

Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler		(director of photography)
Bill Butler		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Sheldon Kahn
Lynzee Klingman

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Paul Sylbert

Art Direction by
Edwin O'Donovan

Makeup Department
Gerry Leetch	....	hairdresser
Fred B. Phillips	....	make up (as Fred Phillips)

Production Management
Joel Douglas	....	unit production manager
Irving Saraf	....	post-production supervisor
Joel Chernoff	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Saint John	....	second assistant director (as William St. John)
Irby Smith	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Joe Acord	....	construction coordinator
Tom Bartholomew	....	production painter
Terry E. Lewis	....	props (as Terry Lewis)
Rudy Reachi	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Berger	....	post-production sound director
Pat Jackson	....	sound editor
Larry Jost	....	sound recordist (as Lawrence Jost)
Mary McGlone	....	sound editor
Robert R. Rutledge	....	sound editor (as Robert Rutledge)
Kirk Schuler	....	assistant sound editor
Veronica Selver	....	sound editor
Gene Radzik	....	Dolby consultant: 2001 5.1 remix (uncredited)
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist: restoration (restored version) (uncredited)

Stunts
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Butler	....	additional photography
Dick Colean	....	camera operator
William A. Fraker	....	additional photography (as William Fraker)
Hugh K. Gagnier	....	camera operator (as Hugh Gagnier)
George Hill	....	key grip
Gary Holt	....	gaffer
Dennis Marks	....	gaffer
Walter Nichols	....	best boy
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Robert M. Stevens	....	camera operator (as Robert Stevens)
Bill Tenny	....	gaffer
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator (as Robert Thomas)
Doug Willis	....	best boy
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aggie Guerard Rodgers	....	costumer (as Agnes Rodgers)

Editorial Department
Richard Chew	....	supervising film editor
Arthur Coburn	....	assistant film editor (as Art Coburn)
Constance Field	....	assistant film editor
Bonnie Koehler	....	assistant film editor
Jay Miracle	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Tom F. Thomas	....	transportation captain (as Tom Thomas)

Other crew
Natalie Drache	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Rhonda Kramer	....	production office coordinator
Leonard Lipton	....	production assistant
Frank Noonan	....	location auditor
Denise Schreiter	....	location coordinator
Jim Young	....	location auditor

Production Companies

• Fantasy Films (presents)

Distributors

• United Artists (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (TV)
• Condor Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Pioneer Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sandrews (1999) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Transmundo Films (1995) (Argentina) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• United Artists Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Ustredni Pujcovna Filmu (1990) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Varus Video (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Japan) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1998) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC)  portions of the 1963 World Series broadcast courtesy of (as NBC)
• Fantasy Films  acknowledgement: produced through the facilities of (as Fantasy Films Berkeley, California)
• N.V. Zvaluw  acknowledgement: original musical score copyright ©1975 by

Also Known As:

Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
оПНКЕРЮЪ МЮД ЦМЕГДНЛ ЙСЙСЬЙХ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (Spain) [es]
Atrapado sin salida (Argentina) [es]
Atrapados sin salida (Mexico) [es]
Einer flog über das Kuckucksnest (Austria) [de]
Einer flog über's Kuckucksnest (West Germany) [de]
En flög över gökboet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Gökboet (Sweden) [sv]
Gøgereden (Denmark) [da]
Gaukshreiðrið (Iceland) [is]
Gjøkeredet (Norway) [no]
Guguk kusu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ken Ha-Cookiya (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Let iznad kukavicijeg gnezda (Serbia) [sr]
Lot nad kukulczym gniazdem (Poland) [pl]
Prelet nad kukaccím hnízdem (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
Prelet nad kukucím hniezdom (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Qualcuno volò sul nido del cuculo (Italy) [it]
Sti folia tou koukou (Greece) [el]
Száll a kakukk fészkére (Hungary) [hu]
Um Estranho no Ninho (Brazil) [pt]
Voando Sobre Um Ninho de Cucos (Portugal) [pt]
Yksi lensi yli käenpesän (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Quebec) (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Austria:12 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1976) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Depoe Bay, Oregon, USA

Company:

Fantasy Films

Trivia:

This was the second film to win the grand slam of the Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Milos Forman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. The first was It Happened One Night (1934), four decades earlier.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: After McMurphy hijacks the bus and is driving through town, there are some 1970s automobiles, including a Plymouth Duster and Chevy Nova, and a store with lots of color TVs in the window. The movie is set in 1963.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Attendant Warren: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Mr. Washington.
Miller: Morning.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Nurse Pilbow: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Morning, Bancini.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Noel (2004)

Soundtrack:

Charmaine

"What an excellent movie" is all that went through my mind after seeing this masterpiece

What a movie, what an excellent movie!!! That is what first went through my mind after seeing this masterpiece. I've seen many movies, but there aren't much movies which had such an impact on me. Nowadays almost all filmmakers believe they can only make a good movie by adding loads of special effects and lots of huge explosions ... This movie is so good, so convincing without them. The actors played their roles in such a convincing way that you would think these weren't actors at all, but real psychiatric patients.

This movie may be 30 years old, but it hasn't lost any of its relevancy. OK, we don't put our mentally ill people in that kind of prisons anymore, the bars in front of the windows have gone and now we call it hospitals in stead of nut houses. But the treatment hasn't changed all that much. I once worked in such a hospital as a volunteer and still saw things like forced feeding, giving people so much medication until they no longer know who or where they are,...

When the movie first came out, some people were shocked because when you watch the movie, you can't help it feeling more attached to the patients than to the doctors and nurses. This movie shows that cinema can make a difference. It can help to open people's eyes. If there is a movie that should be seen by everyone, this sure is the one. I give it a well deserved 10/10.