Randle Patrick McMurphy is a loner and rebel who perfectly matches the spirit of America in the 60s. The role was played by Jack Nicholson, for whom this topic is close, later he received many well-deserved awards for it. The director of the picture was Milos Forman. He was always excited and interested in the counterculture, the struggle of a loner against society, therefore this work is distinguished by its versatility. It would seem that in a psychiatric hospital he can find peace, but here the inevitable happens.
Background of creation
Ken Kesey’s novel "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was published in 1962 and instantly made a stunning success. Over the next ten years, it has been reprinted in the United States more than twenty times. And a year later, Kirk Douglas first staged a performance on Broadway, he also played the main male role. But the project was not able to achieve the same success as the book, but received critical reviews from critics.
In 1964, Douglas came to Czechoslovakia, where he met the director Milos Forman, with whom he first stipulated the possibility of filming a film. Upon returning home, Douglas sends a publication that has not reached the recipient, as it was seized at customs.
Kirk sought to become a producer and play the role of McMurphy, but due to many obstacles this dream was never destined to be fulfilled. The film companies did not want to give funds for the creation of "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest", the film was considered a failure in terms of commercial income. The topic seemed unnecessarily bold. This outraged Douglas, who complained that he was bringing real classics, and film companies couldn't figure it out.
Plot of the film
To avoid prison sentences, McMurphy decides to pretend to be mentally ill, wishing to achieve more comfortable conditions for himself, believing that he will be able to escape at the earliest opportunity. He still does not realize how wrong he is.
In the department, he sees his orders, which were established by sister Ratched. At the risk of everyone, he is trying to break the system, go against the staff and at the same time be able to keep his mind. All his incredible antics bring only benefit, he helps other patients, arranges gambling, constantly jokes. Some of them are even starting to recover. But it’s hard for one person to go against the crowd.
Script work
In 1971, Kirk decides to sell the rights to the film version. When interest is shown by his son Michael, having no experience, he decides to try his luck. Together with producer Solo Szentz and a small film company Fantasy Films, having in stock a small amount of money, they begin work on the project.
The script was suggested to be written by the author of the book, Ken Kesey. He spent about eight months working. But in the end, he gave out something completely unsatisfying to employers, similar in atmosphere to “Doctor Caligari’s Office”, which did not at all coincide with the idea and understanding of the producers. And most importantly, the filmmakers saw McMurphy as the main character, believing that the work should be conducted on behalf of a mentally healthy person. But Kesey wanted the Leader to remain the narrator of the work. The author never recognized the version of the movie, and was offended by the creators.
The script was entrusted to Lores Hauben. It was with this version that the search for the director began. Other candidates were considered, but preference was given to Milos Forman, since he is talented, experienced, and also took inexpensively for his work. At that time, he immigrated to America and managed to shoot one unsuccessful picture. And he was in such a distress and without work that he even thought about returning to his homeland.
As Michael and Solo recall, he was the only one who initially had a plan and a step-by-step vision of the picture. Moreover, Michael did not know that his father was already negotiating with this director. This was a curious accident. The first thing the director did was once again rewrote the script for the film along with Bo Goldman, who at that time was just a novice writer.
The selection of the main characters
Forman is extremely sensitive to the selection of actors, so the casting of the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” lasted for a whole year. Jack Nicholson was originally the number one contender for the lead role. He perfectly met all the requirements of the producer, the famous, but low-paid star.
Unlike the role of McMurphy, where the actor was decided almost immediately, the castings on Ratched's sister lasted a long time. At the beginning of the selection, the director tried for this role Anne Bancroft, Colleen Dewhurst, Ellen Burstin, Geraldine Page and Angela Lansbury, whose actresses are accustomed to see in negative roles. As they familiarized themselves with the script, they refused to shoot.
But in the process of working on the picture, Foreman comes up with the idea that the actress should play this role, which the audience will initially like, he will feel sympathy for her, but only as she gets acquainted with the character realizes that evil is not always obvious. A friend of the director Louise Fletcher for a long time asked to pass a casting for the role of sister Ratched. It was she with perfect and beautiful facial features, like a porcelain doll, who approached perfectly.
Supporting Actors
As directed by the director, the roles of the secondary characters were played by unknown actors. “Flying over the cuckoo’s nest” is filled with characters in which it is difficult to orient the viewer. Therefore, each of them should be bright, memorable and charismatic. So debuted in "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Brad Dourif, Danny De Vito, Christopher Lloyd, Sidney Lassic.
There were considerable difficulties in deciding who would play the role of Leader. Since, according to the description, it should be two meters high, and the native Indians, on the contrary, were distinguished by their low growth. Therefore, this role was played by unprofessional actor Will Sampson.
In general, more than 3,000 performers passed the auditions, and as a result, the best actors were selected. "Flying over the cuckoo's nest" has become an indispensable experience for many.
Location
And in January 1975, the film crew began work on a project that lasted for three months. Curiously, the shooting took place in a real psychiatric hospital in Salem, Oregon. As it turned out, the medical staff was a fan of Ken Kesey, so a whole empty wing was set aside for filming. Subsequently, the role of the doctor was actually played by the head physician of the hospital, and he also acted as a consultant. And in the crowd real patients were shot, they were involved as assistants.
The whole crew almost lived in the wards, and by the end of the filming of the project, some did not even go to sleep in their hotel rooms. Relatives who came in earnest began to worry about the psychological health of loved ones, so vividly the actors of "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest" entered the image. Jack Nicholson, who arrived later than the rest, was not even able to immediately distinguish the mentally ill from the cast. Foreman instructed the artists to observe the real patients, copy their conversation, habits, manners.
Filming
The shooting process was quite interesting, the actors did not always know when the cameras were turned on. Milos is close to the documentary genre, so he considered it especially valuable to remove the natural reaction of a person. For example, when McMurphy returns after an electric shock. It actually shows how Louise Fletcher reacts to the instructions of project managers.
At the request of the director, the actors “Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest” constantly improvised. This method was especially close to Jack Nicholson. Often in the middle of the filming process, he changed cues, committed acts unplanned by the script. Despite the fact that they agreed on the filming process, the general concept of the film was different for them, and by the end of the filming they didn’t even communicate.
Premiere and Awards
In November 1975, the premiere of "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was held. The film won incredible success, crowded rooms, the delight of critics. Only in America, he collected a box office of 109 million dollars, while, on the film as a whole, 3 million was spent.
For "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Jack Nicholson received his first Oscar. Also at the award ceremony, he became one of the three films that won the Big Five.