Cast, Soundtrack, Quality of Acting

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2020)

Milos Forman's 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would receive a four out of five stars because of the cast, soundtrack, and quality of acting. Casting Jack Nicholson as McMurphy was a quality choice by the director. Jack Nicholson portrayed McMurphy's strong stature and nature in the book through his presence and behavior on the ward. However, I was expecting McMurphy to be a bit larger and broader as described in the book. Other actors in the movies such as, Louise Fletcher who played Nurse Ratched, was not what I was expecting. As a reader one imagines Nurse Ratched as an older, heavier-set, ornery woman, only to find her middle-aged and average sized in the movie. Another essential factor in the film was the soundtrack. A movie's soundtrack is crucial in order to provoke the emotions of a viewer. Music is a tool to set the mood of a scene or build towards the climax of the plot. Taking a look at this film's soundtrack, I find that the musical selections chosen were well-thought out choices. The edgy nature of the film extends into the score, giving it a profoundly disturbing feel at times. The music has a tendency to always be a little off-kilter, and from time to time it tilts completely over into a strange little world of its own. Jack Nitzsche, the composer of the soundtrack, did an outstanding job creating a soundtrack that assists in illustrating the life of patients in a mental institute. The quality of acting throughout the film is also exceptional. The acting among the characters is very believable and thought provoking. Sydney Lassick, who plays Mr. Cheswick, developed a character with whom the audience fell in love with his quirky, kind, and loyal demeanor. All actors and actresses produced a film that vividly showed life at a physiatric ward. The emotions fixed on the actors' faces made the audience feel those emotions too. In conclusion, the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was an overall outstanding film earning a four out of five stars.