archetypal

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2010)

The opening shot establishes how Forman understands this story. We see sunrise, the natural world, a car drawing in and bringing a man into the story and the ward. This isn't a story about the plunges in and out of madness a la more recent treatments of the mind; madness here should be understood not in the biological sense; the madness that matters is the lack of human spirit. McMurphy is the human spirit, the vitalizing force, the Christ figure who exists so that we may all go on. This is an archetypal story, and notable cinematic treatments in this mold include "Cool Hand Luke" and the well-loved "Shawshank Redemption." It's interesting to note that King's treatment of Shawshank was very similar to Kesey's novelistic treatment of Cuckoo -- the narration occurs from the POV of the non-Christ figure. Where Forman encounters difficulty, in my opinion, is the transition of the narrative angle from McMurphy, who dominates the film, to Chief, who is his spiritual heir. However, the lack of a clear frame also gives Cuckoo its power: the pieces are clearly laid before us without the safety of the frame. Heart of Darkness comes to mind as a piece that does well in blurring the narrative frame; Keats's La Belle Dame Sans Merci in poetry. This is one of the reasons why Cuckoo is stronger than Shawshank as a film. Also, it is a tragedy.
Cuckoo is a tragedy because Billy's death in the end is the result of least utility, just as R&J's deaths were and the double suicide of Antigone and Creon's son. McMurphy's demise is not so tragic -- he is the Christ-figure. Cuckoo is also a tragedy because Billy's death occurs from human hubris: if Ratched had stepped down, if McMurphy had not been so insistent on his domination of men -- a domination we agree with, but a domination nonetheless.
Again, Forman is less concerned about madness than about the usage of madness here as an allegory for human lethargy. And the movie shouldn't be overly contextualized in either the sensationalist reading of state mental institutions that was popular in the 60s and 70s, nor as completely as a power play between Ratched and McMurphy. This is an allegorical, archetypal story, and it is both fitting and ironic that it is the most shamanistic character in the film who inherits the earth from McMurphy.