One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest at Humanities film series

The 1975 Academy Award winning film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was brought to Millersville on February 23, for an interesting look at the world of insanity. Written by Ken Kesey in 1962 and adapted to film by director Milos Forman, this film reflects life in a mental ward and the crazy patients who voluntarily, and involuntarily, reside there.

Led by Dr. Jill Craven, Associate Professor of English and Film Studies, and Associate Director of Psychology Dr. Shawn Gallagher, “Cuckoo’s Nest” was shown in high-definition on the big screen and provided the audience members with a very accurate view of the everyday happenings in a mental institution.

The film was highly entertaining without a dull moment. Jack Nicholson gave an outstanding performance as R.P. McMurphy, an involuntary resident who pretends to be insane. The chemistry between each cast member (Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif, Will Sampson, and Louise Fletcher as the overly-strict Nurse Ratched) made the film engaging and believable.

From fascinating group therapy sessions, frustrating card games, and raucous parties late at night, McMurphy brings life to the ward, and aggravates Nurse Ratched on a regular basis. He pushes every button he can to challenge her, and is regarded as a hero among the patients. He also sees himself as “a marvel of modern science.”

The post-discussion led by Dr. Gallagher changed the audience’s perception of the definition of insanity. Is a person written off as crazy because they take risks, they hurt themselves or others, or because they “freak someone out?” If a homeless person refuses shelter, are they regarded as crazy?

Dr. Walter Freeman introduced the transorbital lobotomy, using ice picks up through the eye and into the brain, to stabilize patients. He was viewed as a hero because people finally had control over their family members and patients. Dr. Freeman wanted to bring order to institutions, so he used ice picks and mallets to potentially fix a patient’s brain and take away their initiative. Judging by the end of “Cuckoo’s Nest,” it certainly does nothing for the patient and leaves them with very few basic abilities.

In 1941, Dr. Freeman performed a lobotomy on Rosemary Kennedy which went horribly wrong. Kennedy was left with unintelligible speech and infantile mentality, which left her staring blankly for hours at a time. With the introduction of Thorazine in the 1950s, Dr. Freeman quickly found his practice to be irrelevant- the drug could now stabilize patients without the use of a lobotomy. Dr. Freeman’s medical license was revoked after one of his patients died from a lobotomy. Today, lobotomies are used as the very last resort; obviously drug use is less deadly.

Dr. Gallagher also discussed reasoning for someone to be labeled as crazy. If one tells another they are crazy, will they internalize it and believe it? How do people know what amounts to mental illness or normalcy? Will the doctors and nurses in an institution just assume mental illness among patients, even if they are perfectly sane?

McMurphy faked his illness in order to escape admittance from the Pendleton Work Farm, thinking the institution would be more comfortable for him. However, Nurse Ratched makes his stay intolerable. She has complete power over him and eventually, McMurphy meets his downfall.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was an insightful film and very true to life in a mental hospital. This film is a necessary view to anyone interested in the psychology field or anyone in need of a good laugh. While the film was hilarious from the opening credits to the end, it provided an insight to a world in which most people shy away from. “Cuckoo’s Nest” should not go unnoticed.