This weeks Film Classic was picked by Sound. I'm anxious about this one because I actually have a copy and I'm not scared of it so I'll be sure to chime in as soon as I catch up on the other threads. I think almost everyone I know has seen this movie atleast once so I expect/demand a lot of conversation for this one.
ME! I have never seen this movie. It's on Netflix, correct? I'll be watching this, and yeah, I'll check in.
Damn. I was certain it was streaming, because I remember having it in my queue. Maybe it was one of those "available until..." dealios.
I have seen it, waaay back in 1998 when I owned it on VHS.... I have read the book too, but again, long time ago.
Anyway, I'm in :)
(Some spoilers ahead) I've always loved this movie. I just read the book a couple of months ago for the first time, and Randall McMurphy is described a red-head with a bushy beard, but I kept seeing Nicholson throughout. It's also interesting to see that the book is told from the point-of-view of Chief Bromden, while in the movie, he basically remains a mute (until that great reveal with the gum). The cold, almost monochromatic way it's shot, along with the soft focus use, augments the mood of imprisonment; it's all whites, greys, and industrial greens. I've seen it a bunch of times, and it's still a little jarring then when they "bust out" for a while and lie their way onto a fishing boat and spend a day in the open ocean. It almost feels like it belongs in a different movie, though I suppose by the end it allows you to mourn further what the inmates are missing in life. And if an ending can be almost unbearably sad while uplifting at the same time, this one does it.
Yeah, I just pictured Jack when I read it too. Same thing happened when I re-read the Shining a few years ago. First time I read it I was 14 and hadn't seen the film. Its kind of sad how the actors who play the characters kind of drown out any original character you create when you read a book. I can never remember afterwards what I used to imagine they looked like.
The ending, oh yeah, it kind of breaks your heart doesn't it.
I am so annoyed that I forgot to comment on the MAMA thread! Damnit.
I have loved this novel since I was a wee slip of a lad, but I've never been able to watch the whole movie. Not a fan of Nicholson as McMurphy, but only because I had so internalized the book. I can see why people think it's a fine film (the supporting cast is great, and Nicholson is great as Nicholson), but for me it lacks a lot of the old-school bravado and individuality the book (and McMurphy) exhibited. Nicholson's McMurphy seems like a capering jokester, while in the book, Randle is a swaggering Irish loudmouth drunken shebeener.
Just as an aside, another one of Kesey's books SOMETIME A GREAT NOTION is even better than CUCKOO, and one I consider a true American masterpiece.
The timing on this is almost perfect; Studio 360 just did an American Icons episode on Cuckoo's Nest last week. A lot of interesting insights into the book and the movie, including additionally the uncut interview with Louise Fletcher, and some words from Brad Dourif, Lidia Yuknavitch, and Chuck Palahniuk. You guys should check it out.
XyZy, that TOTALLY sounds worth checking out.
This probably ranks as one of my top 10 movies ever made. A perfect blend of dark humor, empathy and exceptional character writing. While I've never read the book, the film is a piece of pure perfection in every aspect. Nicholson also also gives the finest performance of his career, giving Mac a boyish charm to go with his extreme irresponsibility. His motives for stayinig in the nut hut also cement the complexity of his character. He's a schemer, an immature crackpot who doesn't fit into everyday society. Not only does he find a kinship with the inmates, he discovers his own humanity in the sruggles of the mentally ill.
The inmates are also framed with respect and decency, a delicate balancing act given the subject material. You never feel they are being exploited by the raucous Mac. He's just trying to get them to live a little. One of those movies there's literally nothing wrong with, I'm glad this was chosen for this week, simply so I could watch it one more time!