The Douglas family had been sitting on the script for this film for quite some time, when father Kirk passed it to his son Michael, who hired the ‘then unknown- Czech director Milos Forman to direct the movie. It is ironic that a movie that was initially turned down by all major studios made such an impact at the Academy Awards, sweeping away the most important awards and thus doing justice to this true masterpiece in movie history.

It is difficult to believe that before Jack Nicholson was cast as the rebellious Randle McMurphy, many other actors were considered for the part. Upon seeing this movie, one could not image another actor playing this role with such talent and passion; it is a genuine tour-de-force and deservedly rewarded with an Oscar. The story is based on a novel by Ken Kesey, in which McMurphy -the embodiment of free will and untamed spirit- clashes heavily with the establishment. At the same time it is Kesey’s lament on the then contemporary treatment of mentally ill patients.

The story tells about the defiant Randle McMurphy who arrives at a mental institution, where it has to be determined whether he’s fit to serve a normal prison sentence. It then quickly becomes obvious that Randle tricks the psychiatrists into believing he’s mentally unstable in order to escape jail. He is placed among the inmates where he has to undergo group therapy. This instantly puts him into conflict with nurse Ratched (played by Louise Fletcher), who is the warden of the block and reigns with an iron fist. Here we see some of the most intriguing psychological warfare ever shown on screen: the rebellious, often frivolous and spontaneous Randle against the cold and calculating demeanour of nurse Ratched. She sees her organisation completely turned upside down, as Randle puts excitement and joy in the lethargic inmates with his outlandish behaviour.

Alongside this captivating battle of giants, we also see the desolate situation of the inmates. Most of them are too far off to realise where they are, but the inmates that gather around the enigmatic Randle visibly struggle with their incarceration and inability to function in everyday society. It even comes to the point where one could wonder who is unaccustomed to whom, as the mundane world seems often as strange as its alleged pariahs. It also sheds a light on that eternal question: would a sane person eventually become crazy when interned? The inmates that flock around Randle are each of them illustrative of a certain part of the human psyche and what can go wrong with it: schizophrenia, repressed feelings, sexual incertitude, extreme stress and anxiety, aggression, etc. It just shows that people walk a thin line between being locked up and walking free.

Next to the more than excellent Nicholson and the brilliant Louise Fletcher, the whole cast deserves kudos. The extras that roam the movie set are most of them real mental patients and the building where the movie was shot was also a real mental institution. This realism renders the whole atmosphere very tangible and believable. Director Forman had the actors behave as if they were really incarcerated by keeping them on the ward for days at an end. As a result of this, some of the cast members began to show some early signs of paranoia and metal instability. How’s that for realism!?

The remastered DVD is a must if you want to see or review this masterpiece. The “making off” is interesting and there are some deleted scenes. However, the most important feature is the digital remastering.