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How To Write An Essay On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The movie I chose from the list to watch and review was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It was released under United Artists in November of 1975. The film was directed by Miloš Forman and stars Jack Nicholson as the protagonist, and Louise Fletcher as the antagonist. The screenplay was written by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, who based it off the book of the same name written by Ken Kesey. Other notable members of the cast include Danny DeVito, Will Sampson, Brad Dourif, and Christopher Lloyd. The reason I chose to watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is because of the amount of acclaim the film received. It is one of three films to have ever won all five of the “big five” Oscar categories (best picture, …show more content…

The protagonist, Randle McMurphy, referred to as "Mac," can be considered an anti-hero. When placed in a mental institution center, he disagrees with the practices upheld by Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. The other patients are afraid of Nurse Ratched, and her abuse of authority. Mac notices this and takes advantage, become a leader of new patient rebellion. Although the audience is most likely aware that the patients are better off in the institution than otherwise, they cannot help but root for the rebellion, because they are aware of the negative side of how the patients are treated. I think the main thematic innovation from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest that relates to the New Hollywood era is the rise of the anti-hero against the establishment. In a scene of the film, Mac wants to watch the World Series. Nurse Ratched tells him he cannot unless he gets a majority vote from the patients. He attempts to get others to vote along with him, to no avail. Nurse Ratched adjourns the meeting, and a moment later the Chief decides to vote. Mac asks Nurse Ratched to turn the television on, and she tells him the meeting was adjourned and therefore the vote was

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In the film Cool Hand Luke produced by Gordon Carroll and the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey , there are many similarities. Both of these works were portrayed in an institution of some time either mental or prison camp. Both of the works were set to be in the 1960s. The most important similarity of both Cool Hand Luke and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s, is their theme of one man fighting the power, which was also a main theme of the 1960s.

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Due to McMurphy’s attempts to break down the villainous Nurse Ratched with his particularly disruptive antics despite his selfish motives, and Bromden’s quiet progression to courage, the two are heroes to those in the ward. A former army nurse, Nurse Ratched has the entire ward under her control, going by her schedule and her rules. Everything in the ward has gone by her plan, even the staff was chosen

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1295 Words | 6 Pages

Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest tells the story of how Nurse Ratched’s barbaric leadership over a mental hospital ward comes to an end. From the point of view of Chief Bromden, a patient in the asylum, he recounts how it all begins when Randle McMurphy arrives at the hospital. The ward may appear to be run by a kind, gentle persona on the outside; however, McMurphy quickly sees the reality of the situation under the mask that Nurse Ratched puts up. The issues of her patients are not being resolved, and there is no progress being made either. Nothing changes until McMurphy shows up with his outgoing and fearless demeanor.

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504 Words | 3 Pages

Between the film and novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the roles of the characters as well as plotlines were manipulated to supposedly better fit a film adaptation. Charles Cheswick, played by Sydney Lassick, is an Acute patient of the mental ward admitted for his short temperament. Described as a “rabbit” by another patient, Cheswick is one of the first to be charmed by McMurphy’s rhetoric and actions and strongly supports all of McMurphy’s doings and suggestions. Cheswick, with so much belief in McMurphy even tries to emulate him by bringing up his own opinion and demand during a meeting after years of stagnated expression. Unfortunately for the novel version of Cheswick, no support was to be had and he suicides.

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907 Words | 4 Pages

There were lots of ways people were standing up to the society where lived in the 60's. They're were hippies during the Vietnam War, taking a stance for what they believed in and the African-American civil rights movement, where they stood up against their society to change it. The combine in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was to perfect way to show just how oppressive modern society can be, and how bad it could get if people don't stand up to

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695 Words | 3 Pages

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”—a classic, was adapted both into a novel by Ken Kesey, and a film, directed by Milos Forman. The differences in the two are quite surprising and unexpected. They’re both equally as enjoyable; but, as a director, there are some changes that I would like to make which I think could potentially make the film more appealing and engaging, and better portray Kesey’s original message(s). Dear Ms. Johns, I am writing this proposal to you explaining the three major changes that I would like to make to the 1975-film version of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, which are the portrayal of Doctor Spivey’s character, the inclusion of the scene of the patients passing by McMurphy’s childhood home, and the narration of Chief Bromden. To start off with, the first change I would like to make is of Doctor Spivey, who is the main doctor on the ward.

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978 Words | 4 Pages

Is precisely expressed through Nurse Ratched and McMurphy’s relationship and their effect on the patients in the ward. Nurse Ratched is the antagonist in the book, she is the authoritative figure to the men in the institution and she is determined to continue to abuse her power over the men and remain in control. She emasculates the men in different ways to rid any chance of rebellion, Harding, remarks, “we are victims of a matriarchy here” (Kesey, 16). A few ways she emasculates men are by using public humiliation and embarrassment against the patients to exposes their greatest insecurities, controlling the direction of the conversation and the questions asked throughout a therapy session, but by also manipulating the patients to turn on each other so they remain occupied rather than work together to rebel against her.

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517 Words | 3 Pages

Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey focuses in on a group of men in a psychiatric ward, women are not severely absent from the storyline. Kesey places women carefully in the story line through relationships with the main characters. These relationships expresses sexism in the novel. Kesey reveals a bias against women in the sense that he emphasizes positive traits of men, such as bravery, and negative traits of women, such as overpowering. Women are interpreted as authoritative and aggresive figures who viviate and criticize men.

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755 Words | 4 Pages

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, considers the qualities in which society determines sanity. The label of insanity is given when someone is different from the perceived norm. Conversely, a person is perceived as sane when their behavior is consistent with the beliefs of the majority. Although the characters of this novel are patients of a mental institution, they all show qualities of sanity. The book is narrated by Chief Brodmen, an observant chronic psychiatric patient, who many believe to be deaf and dumb.

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454 Words | 2 Pages

The movie opens with a man behind a desk questioning McMurphy about his mental state and it is clear the man behind the desk has power over him. From there McMurphy encounters Nurse Ratched who is always leading the group and telling them

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1071 Words | 5 Pages

As young adults, our minds are still moldable. Parents were increasingly afraid of the influence One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest could have on their children. They were mostly concerned with the exaltation of criminal activity, such as murder, obscenity, and prostitution, that was illustrated in the novel. Adults were, and are still, wanting an alternative book that will exemplify good morals and role models.

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996 Words | 4 Pages

I have watched a countless number of films and a large amount of them have impacted me personally in one way or another. There is however a short list of films and those who brought it to life who have motivated and inspired me to be a part of the gargantuan machine that is the film-making industry. One of the films that has driven me to get involved in film-making would have to be 'The Town That Dreaded Sundown ' which was released in the year 2014,It 's the sequel to the film of the same name which was released in 1976 which was based on true events. It was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The film is a slasher flick, But that isn 't the main reason why it inspired me, In fact, It is far from it,

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1288 Words | 6 Pages

What separates this film from others is its’ use of movie devices and techniques, as well as the emotionally charged story. What makes “One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest” special is the set of characters. We have Randle McMurphy, the fearless and cold criminal which it turns out, actually has a heart of gold. We have the calm and cold nurse Mildred Ratchet that tries with her full power to stop McMurphy from doing his mischief. And of course the patients like Billy Bibbit, Charlie Cheswick, Martini and Chief Bromden, all played beautifully by the actors, making the viewers feel that they are inside the mental institution.

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2010 Words | 9 Pages

The film on which this review is based is the award winning ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’. This picture was directed by Milos Forman and whose main actors include Jack Nicholson as a nonchalant con man named Randle Patrick Mc Murphy and and Louise Fletcher as the sociopathic Nurse Ratched. After a lengthy criminal past, Randle chooses to plead insanity in order to avoid time in prison and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Meanwhile Nurse Ratched rules her ward with an iron fist and seems to show very little empathy throughout the film, exuding bitterness and a lack of genuine interest for the wellbeing of the patients in her ward. Much of this film is based around the issues of a naïve but refreshing right to freedom versus a narcissist’s desires for social order, control and how when the wrong person attains power it can negatively affect the lives of everyone surrounding them.

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, prompts very important aspect of the human condition. In the movie, the protagonist, Mac McMurphy, is deemed dangerous, so the mental institute tries to suppress him (Kesey). The film highlights various aspects of human conditions like psychology, sociology and philosophy. The mental institute tries to suppress the mentally challenged people rather than to try to communicate with them.

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