One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Director: Milos Forman

Writer: Laurence Hauben & Bo Goldman (based on a novel by Ken Kesey)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher

Director of Photography: Haskell Wexler

Editor: Sheldon Kahn, Lynzee Klingman

When a new patient (Nicholson) is commited to a mental institution with a incompitent and opressive head nurse (Fletcher) he chooses the rally the patients and rebel against the authority of the nurses and guards.

Writing

4.5/5.0

The expostion was done well, and the climax and resolution were well written, but the movie felt slow in the third act. Also, changing the point of view of the story to Nicholson's character changed the whole feel of the story.

Directing

4.0/5.0

Forman really portrays the craziness of the whole situation, as well as the characters by using quick, unfocused shots and plain set-ups. However, the constant fast zooming was very distracting.

Acting

4.5/5.0

Nicholson and Fletcher spar brilliantly together, and the supporting cast including Dany Devito, Will Sampson, and Scatman Crothers support them and add both comic relief and tragic drama to the film.

Cinematograpy/Sound

3.5/5.0

Dissapointly average from such a famous DP. The sound, however, was brilliant. During the loud parts you can feel the panic that some of the characters feel, as the yelling becomes inunderstandable and nerve-wracking.

Editing

4.0/5.0

Kahn and Klingman really capture the mood using quick cuts when focusing on the "crazy" people and slow, even shots when the nurses and guards are the center of attention. Also, they really increase the feeling of tension during the exciting moments.

Overall

82%