One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

An inexpressible acting and directing concerto, based on an excellent book and a great script. It's hard to say to whom to most "attribute" the suggestiveness of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, whether the actor ensemble, who spent several weeks behind the walls of the world of "abnormality" to absorb the color there (and they succeeded perfectly), or Miloš Forman, whose sensitive and basically inconspicuous but perfectly well-established direction give the film a touch of quiet, subliminal drama, which reaches its greatest intensity in the group therapy scenes... Perhaps the most appropriate conclusion is that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a perfectly coordinated symphony of all instruments, dominated by the solo parts of Jack Nicholson (incredibly natural and truly manic) and Louise Fletcher (whose beautiful façade hides a minimalist, gruesome interior). The quiet struggle of these two elements – the noisy bon vivant and troublemaker McMurphy and the despotic ruler of the Ratched sisters perfectly complements the smaller but all the more respectable acting party of the department's inmates. Miloš Forman moves in the world of the "crazies" with absolute clarity, with a documentary overview and flawless feeling for the inner drama of the characters. Years later, this image of individual freedom and joy of living in the midst of a world that eats its inhabitants mercilessly is still much better than everything that has been filmed on the subject (including the calculated The Shawshank Redemption). (13/03/2005)

Miracles happen sometimes. This low-budget film nobody expected anything from and by a director with almost no reputation, went on to become a worldwide hit, winner of five major Oscars and a pearl of world cinema. Louise Fletcher, as Nurse Mildred, is one of the most repulsive creatures and the final scene one of the most emotional and moving in the history of cinema. (13/04/2003)

Excellent, but I can’t give it a full score, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest didn’t impress me enough for that. Besides, I doubt the film was supposed to make me sympathise with the character of Louise Fletcher, and that Nicholson’s character was supposed to get on my nerves. The nuthouse is a brilliantly depressive setting, but the film never managed to transmit that very well to me as a viewer. It just failed to leave me with that unique 100% impression. 85% (16/09/2008)

I had this legendary film prepared for a long time, and I couldn't get to it for a while. Finally, I saw it and I have to say that it is truly an intense spectacle. Some actors play their crazies absolutely brilliantly. Danny DeVito is absolutely captivating, but it is clear that the main focus is on Nicholson and Fletcher. I like that the confrontation is not usually direct, but rather a cold war. It builds up beautifully. Every scene has its power, even though its climax may come gradually. When you want to create hell, you don't need demons. (13/03/2014)

The immense power of this work lies primarily in its immensely evocative delivery and its relentless final impact on the viewer's emotions. Who is actually the biggest fool here is a very difficult question for each viewer to answer for themselves. Just writing the review here now and recalling snippets of this immortal Forman flick brings tears to my eyes once again. Miloš Forman has transformed all the apparent drawbacks (the closed setting, the limited space for Nicholson, the overall feeling of detachment) into major strengths that result in a gripping emotional spectacle with Jack Nicholson in the role of a lifetime. It's hard to say who is the king of this film, Forman or Nicholson, but what is certain is that this is an exceptional film whose intrinsic value will only increase with time. What is remarkable is that such a seemingly "small", human, intimate, and actually low-budget film has managed to appeal to such a wide spectrum of audiences and academics. Ultimately, this is a "great" film, a film great in its ideas, its production, its brilliant cast, and its absolutely breathtaking conclusion. (24/08/2013)