One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975 November 19, 1975
8.7/10
IMDB
9.0/10
User Rating

A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.

Cast & Crew

Miloš Forman
Director • 1932

Miloš Forman

Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (/ˈmiːloʊʃ/; Czech: [ˈmɪloʃ ˈforman]; February 18, 1932 – April 13, 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman was an important figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave. Film scholars and Czechoslovak authorities saw his 1967 film The Firemen's Ball as a biting satire on Eastern European Communism. The film was initially shown in theatres in his home country in the more reformist atmosphere of the Prague Spring. However, it was later banned by the Communist government after the invasion by the Warsaw Pact countries in 1968. Forman was subsequently forced to leave Czechoslovakia for the United States, where he continued making films, gaining wider critical and financial success. In 1975, he directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) starring Jack Nicholson as a patient in a mental institution. The film received widespread acclaim, and was the second in history to win all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor in Leading Role, and Actress in Leading Role. In 1978, he directed the anti-war musical Hair which premiered at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. In 1981, he directed the turn of the century drama film, Ragtime, which was known for its large ensemble cast. The film went on to receive 8 Academy Award nominations. His next feature was a period biographical film, Amadeus (1984), based on the life of famed classical musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart starring Tom Hulce, and F. Murray Abraham. The film was both a critical and financial success earning 11 nominations with 8 wins including for Best Picture, and another win for Forman as Best Director. In 1996, Forman received another Academy Award nomination for Best Director for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). Throughout Forman's career he won 2 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globe Awards, Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, a British Academy Film Award, a César Award, David di Donatello Award, and the Czech Lion. Description above from the Wikipedia article Miloš Forman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Cast

Brad Dourif

Brad Dourif

1950

Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd

1938

Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito

1944

Dean R. Brooks

Dean R. Brooks

1916

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson

1937

Louise Fletcher

Louise Fletcher

1934

Michael Berryman

Michael Berryman

1948

Scatman Crothers

Scatman Crothers

1910

+2 more cast members

Reviews

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F

A defining moment in cinema

By filmcritic940 • Aug 04, 2025

9/10

What an incredible achievement! 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' delivers on every level - the direction is masterful, the acting is superb, and the story is both engaging and meaningful. This is cinema at its finest.

F

Exceptional filmmaking

By filmfanatic404 • Aug 04, 2025

9/10

'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every aspect of this film is crafted with precision and care, from the stunning cinematography to the outstanding performances. This is the kind of movie that reminds us why we love cinema.