Trapped in the Cuckoo’s Nest

Paper by Jennifer Van Woy. Viewed on DVD.

The 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Milos Forman, is an American drama film that follows the journey of a variety of men who are all conjoined by one force: the mental institution in which they reside. The plot and story line of this movie are based off of Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel with the same title. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was filmed at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, which was the setting in the novel as well. The movie won five Oscars including best director (Milos Forman), best actor in a leading role (Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick McMurphy), best actress in a leading role (Louise Fletcher as Nurse Mildred Ratched), as well as best picture and best writing/screenplay adapted from other material (2). This dramatic film has many intense scenes all throughout it; however, the scene that I will be analyzing is a major turning point that truly pulls together the film as a whole. I will examine the scene in which Randle discovers that the majority of the patients in the mental institution have checked themselves in voluntarily, while he has been committed there against his will. This scene is significant to the film as a whole and supports its theme that people will go to desperate measures to feel safe in this world. Throughout the entire film, all of the men that are voluntarily admitted into the mental institution constantly complain about how miserable they are in the hospital. Despite this fact, none of them have the strength or confidence to simply walk out the door. During this scene, a few of the voluntary men make simple requests that are denied due to there lack of control over their own lives. Those who have chosen to be in the mental asylum have no say or power while in the hands of the nurses and doctors of the hospital wing. They all want their freedom but are too scared to face the world on their own. Another theme that is prominent in this film is that change is a good thing, but people often fear it. Also, individuals have no power when in the hands of an all-powerful establishment. Both of these themes, along with the one I stated before, are constantly shown throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and in the scene I have selected to analyze. This scene is a major turning point in the film as Randle becomes empowered and takes on the responsibility of bringing the other men in the ward back to reality. The themes and concepts of this film are unique and intriguing and this particular scene reveals a great deal about the movie as a whole as each of the characters search for themselves, the meaning of life, and what they want from it. The aspects of this scene continually play a part in the film’s narrative as the characters enjoy their freedom while it is lived however choose the safety inside the walls and strict rules of the hospital ward instead.

The scene I selected is a major turning point in the film that takes place about half way through the narrative. It is a typical day in the hospital as all of the non-chronic men gather for their therapy session. Just prior to this scene, Randle is informed by one of the workingmen that he will not be leaving the mental institution until the doctors and nurses decide he is healthy and stable enough to go. Randle was completely unaware of this fact and felt betrayed by the other men in the asylum who had let him wildly act out without informing him of the consequences that were sure to come. When Randle brings up this topic for discussion, the other men explain to him that the majority of them are voluntary and were not aware that Randle was committed. Mr. McMurphy is bewildered by the fact that they choose this guarded life ruled by the all-powerful Nurse Ratched as opposed to facing the reality of the outside world. The scene turns chaotic fast as one of the voluntary patients, Cheswick, impatiently demands his cigarettes while another gets forcibly dragged from the room kicking and screaming due to a burning cigarette caught in the bottom of his pants. Randle gets in a physical fight with on of the men that works at the hospital in attempt to stand up for Cheswick, which leads to Chief Bromden jumping in as well.
The high tempers and conflicting conversations throughout this scene are felt indefinitely through the many aspects of the mise-en-scene. While the room is surprisingly bright, the only light source is shown to be coming from the barred up windows. This symbolizes the freedom outside as opposed to their confined life inside the institution. The barred windows create a feeling of entrapment and show the audience the realism that the men are dealing with inside the walls of the institution as none of the characters have the willpower to up and leave the hospital. During this scene, you can truly feel the warmth outside while experiencing the coldness of the miserable souls inside the walls of the hospital. The acting throughout this scene (and the entire movie) is completely convincing and all of the characters appear to be either somewhat or completely out of their minds. Not only do the actors and actresses unleash their emotions without holding back, they even begin to push the limits a bit. This is what makes this scene so powerful for its viewers. The editing of this scene was typically very fast with each shot switching in less than five seconds and thus giving the audience quick glimpses of all of the action. This causes a great deal of anxiety for the viewers because the emotions on screen appear to be very intense. The acting and the editing go hand in hand as both simultaneously create uneasy emotions for the audience as the intensity of the scene becomes greater and greater. The costumes and make up of the characters perfectly blend in with the uncomfortable environment. All of the patients are wearing their white assigned outfits, however their individuality is shown through their body language and by their different jackets, shoes, robes, etc. Nurse Ratched and her assistant nurse, Nurse Pilbow, are both dressed in their uniforms and are sitting at the front of the room to show their control and power in the situation. The cinematography throughout this scene controls the events that take place on screen and it is apparent that each shot was thoroughly thought out. The camera angles range from big close up shots to long shots, and each shot angle is used to inflict a certain emotion in the audience. Separately all of these shots portray the bodily expressions of the characters on screen, while all of them working together gives an intense overview of the situation at hand. Each individual shot gives the audience a clear view of the expressions on each characters face, thus giving them a greater insight to the conversation and commotion that takes place during the scene as a whole.

The meaning of this scene is conveyed to the audience through the conversations had between Nurse Ratched and the nine other non-chronic patients who are participating in the therapy session. It is clear that Nurse Ratched wants to have control over these men at all times by the way she holds the conversation and by the way the camera shows her facial expressions when not speaking. She clearly explains to her patients that time spent with others is very therapeutic, while time spent alone only increases the feeling of separation. This makes the audience ponder more about the lives of the men living in the hospital: is it truly a healthy environment for them to heal in? Is it actually making them more sane or insane? Does having anyone confined in such a small place for a long time actually do him or her any good? All of these questions and more are now running through the minds of the viewers and it enables them to each decipher the meaning of the whole situation on their own.

Each shot works together to create symmetry and unison to the scene as the camera angle often returns to the same spot as a shot that was shown only a few moments before. The editing of the shots and the camera angles definitely break the 180-degree rule and this overall gives the viewers a more elaborate sense of the environment that the men and nurses are in. Throughout this scene the camera angles mostly stick to medium shots and close ups. This is to convey the magnitude of emotion that is being portrayed from each and every character. This scene is neither short of fierce dialogue nor commotion, and both are depicted through the high paced editing and the constant uprising of the patient’s reactions and emotions. Each shot was used to convey exactly how each character felt and this leads to the audience feeling the same. The meaning of this scene is released as it begins with intense conflicts and rises to complete chaos. As Randle discovers that he is one of the few patients who are committed to the mental institution, the audience begins to see that he is actually one of the only men there who can hold himself together when necessary. In fact, throughout the whole film Randle simply comes off as a rebellious man, not an insane one. Randle seems disappointed by the fact that all of these men have chosen a life of restrictions and goes on to informs them all that they are “no crazier than the average asshole out walking the streets”. This makes the viewer begin to ponder what exactly makes each of these men crazy to begin with, and it becomes apparent that the patients are convinced that they themselves are insane thus intensifying the reality of it. The meaning of the scene continues to build as two of the voluntary men, Cheswick and Scanlon, make simple requests for cigarettes and a door to be unlocked at a certain hour. This has an intellectual effect on the audience because they have just learned that both of these men have checked themselves in voluntarily and yet they are allowing themselves to be bossed around as apposed to just leaving the facility. As the audience continues to wonder why these men would voluntarily pick a life like this, the scene continues to intensify. One of the patients is forcibly dragged from the room after he freaked out once realizing that his pants were burning. Cheswick begins to yell at Ms. Ratched, violently screaming, “I ain’t no little kid”. Randle, being the leader of the group, decides to take control of the situation in a violent manner. First he punches out the class window to the nurse’s station and grabs Cheswick’s cigarettes, then he punches the workingman who is trying to force Cheswick out of the room. The man hits Randle back and tackles him to the floor. This is when Chief takes his stance and jumps on top of the workingman in attempt to help Randle. Throughout all of this the editing becomes more discontinuous and the camera angles become more plentiful, which truly gives the viewers a vivid image of the scene and the meaning of it as a whole. All stylistic elements of this scene work together to make the viewers ponder about what it truly means for an individual to be insane. Is it the way others view you or the way you view yourself?

This scene relates to other scenes through many aspects of the film form such as similarities and repetition, unity, development and function. There are a variety of other scenes throughout the film that show the same characters in the same setting of the hospital ward having their group therapy session, thus creating a great deal of symmetry for the film’s viewers. Throughout each of these scenes the lighting is very similar, as long as the outstanding acting that you simply cannot ignore. This film uses a plentiful amount of close ups, including during my selected scene, which intensify the emotions and meanings portrayed on screen. The scene in which Randle discovers that he is one of the few committed men in the ward relates to the theme of the film as a whole that humans will go to desperate measures to feel safe in the unpredictable world we live in. Another theme that is prominent in this film is that people as individuals have no power against an all-powerful establishment (in this film the establishment is symbolized through Nurse Ratched and the hospital ward). The difficulties and struggles that the men in the psychiatric hospital endure include electroshock therapy (which induces each individual patient with a seizure); the men are tied to their beds while sleeping, and they are never allowed to leave the premises, along with a variety of other harsh rules. However, at the beginning of the film none of these are completely clear to the audience, and as the narrative progresses and the development becomes more prominent, it is clear to the viewers what a rough life the men in the mental institution are living. During a different scene when another group therapy session is taking place, Nurse Ratched makes it clear to Randle that all of the men on the ward have taken a long time to adjust to their daily schedule and therefore there will be no alternation of such. However, as time progresses the other non-chronic men begin to make it apparent that they enjoy their freedom of choice. They were afraid of change but with the help of their leader, Randle, it was able to happen, even if only temporarily.

The scene in which I am analyzing helps develop the theme of the movie through all aspects of the film form. The form repetitiously shows Nurse Ratched as being all-powerful, and the men of the psychiatric ward to be completely powerless in any situation, no matter how small or how big it is. As the audience repeatedly sees Nurse Ratched as having complete control over every situation, they begin to loose hope for the characters of the film. However, McMurphy constantly keeps his spirits up, even after receiving electroshock therapy immediately after my selected scene, which gives the audience a small glimmer of hope. During my selected scene, Randle decides to fight back against the authority (he constantly decides to take charge, which is the function of his character being an ex-convict/prisoner) and leads to him and Chief teaming up as friends. Earlier throughout the film we see Chief constantly observing Randle’s behaviors and the viewers begin to expect that they will have some sort of relationship throughout the film. This expectation is fulfilled as the two men do become friends and Randle becomes the only one knowledgeable that Chief is not deaf or mute, and that he is actually a very normal man as well.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest follows the classical Hollywood narrative in some aspects such as the fact that Randle has a public goal to take down the mental institution and to get out of there alive. He is constantly confronted with conflicts; however, whether they are resolved by the end of the film or not is truly up to the viewers interpretation. The film follows the cause and effect progression where each scene or event leads smoothly to the next. However, there are many questions left unanswered at the conclusion of the film, which leads me to believe that the narrative of this film is not a classical Hollywood one. There are a variety of turning points throughout the movie and each scene has meaning and depth that may be viewed differently by each audience member. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest leaves it’s viewer contemplating the truth of the story for a deal of time once the screen has shut off and therefore it is a non-Hollywood narrative film.

This American drama film has many different themes including: an individuals lake of power when facing a powerful establishment, change is good, however, the majority of mankind fears it, and that many people will go to desperate measures to feel safe and secure in the company of others. These themes are shown consistently throughout the film as the characters learn to deal with new situations and begin to fight back against the authority that many have chosen to restrict them. While the majority of the men in the mental institution fear change, Randle forces them into situations that they would not have experienced on their own. One examples of this is when Randle steals the bus loaded with the non-chronic men and takes them on an unexpected fishing trip. Another is when McMurphy invites some lady friends to the asylum and throws a party in the hospital with all the men in the ward. While the men resist change at first, they come to enjoy the fact that Randle broke the rules and helped broadened the boy’s views on life. The very last scene of the movie ties all of these themes together in a bittersweet ending. Chief Bromden takes Randle’s life in order to save him from a long life of misery and breaks out of the institution that he had feared to leave for so long. While this represents change and freedom for Chief and possibly Randle, it still holds meaning to the theme that the establishment overall won. The scene that I analyzed is a crucial factor to the interpretation and analysis of the film as a whole because it is gives the viewers complete insight to the lives of all of the men residing in the mental institution. It leaves the audience pondering for days, and the significance of the scene is that it truly creates meaning to the film as a whole. Without this scene Randle and the audience would have never known that all of those men are voluntary, which would have deprived the movie of its overall meaning that is to let each viewer decipher it on their own.

Works Cited
1.) “The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film.” http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html
2.) “Awards for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073486/awards
3.) “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Film Review.” http://www.reelviews.net/movies/o/one_flew.html. Berardinelli, James. 2006.