Click here to buy posters! One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is brilliant cinema theatre. Jack Nicholson stars in an outstanding characterization of asylum anti-hero McMurphy, and Milos Forman's direction of a superbly-cast film is equally meritorious. The film is adapted from Ken Kesey's novel, the 1963 Broadway legit version of which, by Dale Wasserman, starred Kirk Douglas. Kirk's son, Michael, was the producer of the film and Kirk originally wanted to revisit the character of McMurphy for the movie. Thankfully, his son said no and Nicholson got the nod. The $3 million film traces the havoc wrecked in Louise Fletcher's zombie-run mental ward when Nicholson (either an illness faker or a free spirit) displays a kind of leadership which neither Fletcher nor the system can handle. The major supporting players emerge with authority: Brad Dourif (in a part played on Broadway by the ghastly Gene Wilder), the acne-marked stutterer whose immature sexual fantasies are clarified on the night of Nicholson's aborted escape; Sidney Lassick, a petulant auntie; Will Sampson, the not-so-dumb Indian with whom Nicholson effects a strong rapport; and William Redfield, the over-intelligent inmate. The film's pacing is relieved by a group escape and fishing boat heist, right out of Mack Sennett, and some stabs at basketball in which Nicholson stations the tall Indian for telling effect. This in turn make the shock therapy sequences awesomely potent. OSCARS: 1975: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Jack Nicholson), Actress (Louise Fletcher), Adapted Scrrenplay Nominations: Best Supp Actor (Brad Dourif), Cinematography, Editing, Original Score 5 STARS OUT OF 5 - UNMISSABLE one flew over the cuckoo's nest dvds | videos al pacino | michelle pfeiffer yul brynner | christopher plummer | romy schneider the godfather | the godfather part ii marlon brando | james caan | diane keaton | al pacino laurence olivier | clark gable | vivien leigh | leslie howard | alfred hitchcock | robert montgomery | grace kelly olivia de havilland | humphrey bogart | howard hawks | frank capra | charlie chaplin | lauren bacall | fritz lang jean harlow | greta garbo | ava gardner | audrey hepburn | edward g. robinson | john garfield erich von stroheim | wim wenders | madeleine carroll | marlene dietrich | rita hayworth milos forman dvds milos forman videos one flew over the cuckoo's nest dvds | videos al pacino | michelle pfeiffer yul brynner | christopher plummer | romy schneider the godfather | the godfather part ii marlon brando | james caan | diane keaton | al pacino laurence olivier | clark gable | vivien leigh | leslie howard | alfred hitchcock | robert montgomery | grace kelly olivia de havilland | humphrey bogart | howard hawks | frank capra | charlie chaplin | lauren bacall | fritz lang jean harlow | greta garbo | ava gardner | audrey hepburn | edward g. robinson | john garfield erich von stroheim | wim wenders | madeleine carroll | marlene dietrich | rita hayworth Page created by: lenin@netcomuk.co.uk Changes last made: 2004