in the film, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, why was mcmurphy incarcerated? course hero

by Prof. Agustina Nikolaus DDS 7 min read

What is the movie One Flew Over the cuckoo's nest about?

In ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, Forman turns a sardonic, analytical Eastern European gaze on America. And in Jack Nicholson’s Randle P. McMurphy, he finds a noisy crusader for the restoration of humanity and delight. The progress of McMurphy’s raucous individualism in the film is a profound serious journey, even though it is taken ...

Is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest worth watching?

What is the story behind the movie McMurphy?

Why was McMurphy sent to prison?

Why did Randle McMurphy go to jail?

R.P McMurphy, a convict serving time for statutory rape, pleads insanity to avoid labour duties in prison. Believing its all an act, the authorities send him to a mental institution where he will forego psychiatric evaluation.

What crime did McMurphy commit?

Randle Patrick McMurphy is an Irish American brawler found guilty of battery, gambling and statutory rape. He is a Korean War veteran who was a POW during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a breakout from a Chinese camp, but was dishonorably discharged for insubordination.

Why is McMurphy a hero?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Randle McMurphy is the hero of this novel because he stood firmly against oppressive powers, showing courage and ultimately paying with his life. There were no heroes on the psychiatric ward before McMurphy's arrival. Nurse Ratched wielded supreme power.

Why was McMurphy committed?

Spivey wants to send him back to the prison farm, he defers to Nurse Ratched, who thinks McMurphy should stay in the institution. McMurphy later discovers that this means he is committed for as long as they think he should be—not the mere sixty-eight days left on his prison term.

Why did McMurphy sacrifice himself?

Under the invisible but heavy pressure of the other patients' expectations, McMurphy makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Ratched cannot use Billy's death to undo everything they have gained. By attacking Ratched and ripping her uniform, he permanently breaks her power but also forfeits his own life.

Why was McMurphy lobotomized?

Eventually the only patients left on the ward are Bromden, Martini, and Scanlon. McMurphy is given a lobotomy for his attack on Nurse Ratched. When he is returned to the ward after the operation, he is a vegetable. That same night, Bromden suffocates McMurphy with a pillow.

Why is McMurphy not a hero?

McMurphy is a very accessible character to the readers, from his grittiness to his villain like qualities. McMurphy has an increased moral complexity exhibited by his rejection of traditional values, he is a leader, views himself as a superior, and again alike to an anti-hero his suffering is not senseless.

What heroic qualities does McMurphy exhibit in this last section?

What heroic qualities does McMurphy exhibit in this last section? -He goes against Nurse Ratched's rules and regulations so that the other patients can be happy. -He is humble enough to admit his own mistakes. State your opinion of the ending to this story.

How does McMurphy help the patients?

McMurphy's actions helps the patients in the ward feel a sense of power from the fear that they used to have in the ward. They obtain a sense of self and express their feelings toward the rules that Nurse Ratched has put in the ward.

What does McMurphy represent in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

McMurphy represents sexuality, freedom, and self-determination—characteristics that clash with the oppressed ward, which is controlled by Nurse Ratched. Through Chief Bromden's narration, the novel establishes that McMurphy is not, in fact, crazy, but rather that he is trying to manipulate the system to his advantage.

What does McMurphy learn that impacts him?

However, after Cheswick commits suicide, McMurphy realizes that Nurse Ratched's control is a life-and-death matter. At that point he steps up his rebellion. Punishment with electroshock therapy only serves to strengthen his will and preserve his spirit from Nurse Ratched's manipulation.

How did McMurphy inspire others?

"McMurphy helps the people in the ward find their way back from the fog and return back to the real world" (Lupack). McMurphy's laughter and jokes, along with his personality, cause a great change in the patients of the ward and he helps them cure their "mental illness".Jan 1, 2015

Storyline

McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable.

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Based on the amazing novel by Ken Kesey, Randall Patrick McMurphy is an antisocial and dangerous man no different than a petty criminal, placed in a mental ward to have his behavior studied.

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What is the streaming release date of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) in Canada?

What is the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" about?

Made in Salem and Depoe Bay in the winter of 1975, the movie tells the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, who feigns insanity in order to be recommitted from a prison farm to a state mental hospital.

Where was Cuckoo's Nest filmed?

The eleven-week shooting schedule was grueling, often with twelve-hour days, six days a week. The final week of filming took place in March in Depoe Bay, where McMurphy, having hijacked a bus, takes his fellow patients on a fishing trip. Cuckoo’s Nest premiered in New York City and Los Angeles on November 19, 1975.

Who bought the rights to Cuckoo's Nest?

Kirk Douglas purchased the stage and screen rights to Cuckoo’s Nest for $47,000. In 1963, he played McMurphy in a Broadway adaptation of the novel, but the show proved to be unpopular with audiences and closed after three months.

Who wrote Nurse Ratched?

The part of Nurse Ratched went to a little-known, low-cost actress, Louise Fletcher. Ken Kesey wrote a screenplay for Cuckoo’s Nest, but the producers rejected it. His screenplay was much like the book, told from Chief Bromden’s point of view and with a high degree of surrealism, but Douglas and Zaentz wanted a more straightforward story ...

Films

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, a film based on the 1962 book by Oregon writer Ken Kesey, is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Made in Salem and Depoe Bay in the winter of 1975, the movie tells the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, who feigns insanity in order to be recommitted from a prison farm to a state mental hospital. At the hospital, he becomes the rebe…
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Production

  • The next step was to find a location for the film. Keseys novel was set at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, though the institution was not named in the book, and the hospitals superintendent, Dean R. Brooks, was enthusiastic about the project. By the mid-1970s, the hospital had only about six hundred patients, a significant decline from the more than three thou…
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Development

  • Ken Kesey wrote a screenplay for Cuckoos Nest, but the producers rejected it. His screenplay was much like the book, told from Chief Bromdens point of view and with a high degree of surrealism, but Douglas and Zaentz wanted a more straightforward story with McMurphy as the focus. They turned to veteran screenwriter Larry Hauben and a newcomer, Bo Goldman.
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Release and reception

  • Cuckoos Nest premiered in New York City and Los Angeles on November 19, 1975. The Oregon premier was a benefit for the Mental Health Association in Portland on December 18th and opened to the public on Christmas Day. Though the first reviews of the film were mixed, it was an immediate hit with audiences. In March 1976, Cuckoos Nest received five Academy Awardsfor b…
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Impact

  • Though Ken Kesey claimed he never watched the movie, he did benefit from an out-of-court settlement that eventually earned him over a million dollars in royalties. Still, he never got over the rejection of his screenplay. Oscar night should have been one of the great days of my life, like my wedding, he said. When they can be turned around to break your heart like this, well, its somethin…
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Reception

  • Although the film went over the original $2 million budget and ended up costing more than twice that, it is one of the most financially successful movies of all time, grossing more than $108 million in the United States and Canada.
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