One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

Feature Film Analysis

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Feature films are often used as a means to express and convey the ideas of the film’s creator. Director Miloš Forman effectively expresses and conveys his ideas of power and rebellion through the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Released in 1975, the film is centered around the charismatic Randle “Mac” McMurphy’s life after being admitted to a mental asylum and his rebellion against the apathetical and coercive Nurse Ratched. Forman’s feature film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest focuses on expressing and conveying ideas of the misuse of power via exploitation and manipulation of the weak in society and the rebellion that ensues. The creator of the feature film expresses and conveys these ideas of power and rebellion through the articulate use of the film conventions; characterisation, plot structure and symbolism. Each of these conventions is proficiently used to express and convey Forman’s personal ideology towards power and the result of its misuse in the form of a rebellion.

Miloš Forman manipulates the feature film convention of characterisation to convey his ideas about power and rebellion. The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has several compelling characters that represent Forman’s ideas about power and rebellion. Each character plays an imperative role in the film as they establish how power is used against the weak in society as well as how some people with courage can stand up to those with power and promote change. The main protagonist, McMurphy represents Forman’s ideas about rebellion. Although McMurphy is a degenerate and a criminal, he quickly gains the admiration of his fellow patients due to his charismatic personality and kindness towards his fellow patients. McMurphy teaches them to stand up for themselves and to take charge of their own life instead of having others make decisions for them. McMurphy consistently defied the strict rules of Nurse Ratched and rebelled against her on more than one occasion, usually in regards to another patient being exploited or manipulated. This portrayal of McMurphy challenges the stereotype of a rough criminal and also reflects Forman’s ideology towards power and rebellion, showing the audience that in some cases, it is okay to defy the rules in order to help those who are being exploited and manipulated gain some power and courage for themselves. Forman’s ideas about the misuse of power is also reflected through the character Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is cold, callous and uses her position to exploit and manipulate her patients into obedience and submission. Due to this, all the patients were fearful of her and did not defy her until McMurphy came to the asylum and challenged everything she carefully set in place. This character also challenges the stereotypes of a kind and caring nurse as well as represents Forman’s idea of how power is used against those who are considered the weakest in society. The characterisation of the main protagonist and antagonist, McMurphy and Nurse Ratched both represent and convey Forman’s ideology towards the misuse of power and the rebellion of the weak in society.

The plot structure of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest aids the creator in conveying his ideas about power and rebellion. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has a unexpected twist ending to convey Forman’s ideas about how sometimes people with power cannot easily be defeated by those who rebel against them, but they can instill their beliefs onto others who are able to overcome the force of power suppressing them. In the concluding scenes of the film, McMurphy attempts but fails to escape the asylum as well as attacks Nurse Ratched out of rage after a patient she cruelly manipulated commits suicide. Nurse Ratched uses her authoritative power as head nurse to forcibly lobotomise McMurphy, leaving him brain-dead. McMurphy’s selfless actions inspire his friend and fellow patient, Chief to escape and inadvertently crush Nurse Ratched’s power over the patients. This twist ending reflects the idea that the good guys don’t always win and those with power are capable of suppressing a rebellion by whatever means necessary. The plot structure Forman chose to utilise in his film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest effectively conveys his idea of not only how power is misused against the weak but how good people don't always win outright but they can inspire the people around them to achieve what they could not through their actions and words.