One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [Special Edition] [2 Discs]

Director: Milos Forman Milos Forman

Overview

"The highly acclaimed drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest comes to DVD in a newly produced special edition. This 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer appears to be in great shape, save for a few instances of softness in the picture. Otherwise, Warner has done a very fine job at making sure this image is clear and very detailed. With vibrant colors (especially whites) and solid black levels, this picture should please fans of the Oscar-winning film. The soundtrack is presented in a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track that suits the film well. While certainly not bombastic or overwhelming, this new 5.1 mix features subtle, discreet directional effects as well as crystal-clear dialogue, effects, and music. Also included on this disc is the original Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack in French, as well as English, French, and Spanish subtitles. Fans will be thrilled to see this film in a coveted special edition featuring all new supplements. Starting off the disc is a commentary track by director Milos Forman with spliced-in interview segments by producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz. This is a very informative track that features loads of information about the production of the film. ""The Making of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"" is a nearly hour-long documentary that sports interviews with actors Danny DeVito, Vincent Schiavelli, Christopher Lloyd, Louise Fletcher, and others. This is a very thorough documentary (though sadly cut down from its 90-minute running time on the laserdisc edition) that takes the viewer through multiple anecdotes and stories about the film's inception. Finally, there are eight deleted scenes in a somewhat rough form (no commentary or explanation for their history is given), a theatrical trailer for the film, and some rather boring cast and crew awards lists."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/24/2002
UPC:	0085393746322
Original Release:	1975
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:13:00
Sales rank:	6,892

Special Features

Closed Caption;New 2001 digital transfer from restored elements; Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1; Behind-the-scenes documentary the Making of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest ; Feature-length audio commentary by director Milos Forman, Producers Micheal Douglas and Saul Zaentz; Additonal scenes; Interactive menus; Cast/director career highlights; Theatrical trailer; Scene access; Languages: English & Français; Subtitles: English, Français & Español

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Nicholson	Randle McMurphy
Louise Fletcher	Nurse Ratched
William Redfield	Harding
Will Sampson	Chief Bromden
Danny DeVito	Martini
Christopher Lloyd	Taber
Brad Dourif	Billy Bibbit
Michael Berryman	Ellis
Peter Brocco	Col. Matterson
Dean R. Brooks	Dr. John Spivey
Alonzo Brown	Miller
Scatman Crothers	Turkle
Mwako Cumbuka	Warren
William Duell	Jim Sefelt
Josip Elic	Bancini
Lan Fendors	Nurse Itsu
Alonzo Brown, Jr.	Miller
Nathan George	Washington
Ken Kenny	Beans Garfield
Mel Lambert	Harbor Master,Actor
Sydney Lassick	Charlie Cheswick,Charlie Cheswick
Kay Lee	Night Supervisor
Dwight Marfield	Ellsworth
Ted Markland	Hap Arlich
Louisa Moritz	Rose
Phil Roth	Woolsey
Mimi Sarkisian	Nurse Pilbow
Vincent Schiavelli	Frederickson
Marya Small	Candy
Delos V. Smith	Scanlon
Tim Welch	Ruckley
Tom McCall	News Commentator
Jack Nitzsche	Composer

Technical Credits

Bo Goldman

Lawrence Hauben

Milos Forman	Director
Bo Goldman	Screenwriter
Lawrence Hauben	Screenwriter
Michael Douglas	Producer
Saul Zaentz	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Milos Forman had proven his talent for astute social comedy in such earlier Czech films as Loves of a Blonde (1965) and The Firemen's Ball (1967), and his adept treatment of Cuckoo's Nest's metaphorically loaded conflict fulfilled the promise of an immigrant observer of American culture indicated in his first U.S. feature, Taking Off (1971). Shot on location at the Oregon State Hospital, and visually imprisoning the characters in tightly framed compositions, Haskell Wexler's and Bill Butler's cinematography underlines the psychological as well as physical confinement dogging the patients. The restrained, soft-spoken control of Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched contrasts with the thoughtful vigor of Jack Nicholson's McMurphy, further emphasizing both the need to revolt and the difficulty in doing so posed by such consistent, quiet, internalized power. For a culture battered by the chaotic rebellions of the late 1960s/early 1970s, and the serial failures of institutional authority culminating in Watergate and the fall of Saigon, Cuckoo's Nest's resigned yet hopeful portrayal of spirited non-conformity touched a nerve, turning it into one of the most popular films of 1975. The independently produced film became only the second film in history to sweep all five top Academy Awards, winning Best Picture for producers Saul Zaentz and 31-year-old Michael Douglas, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay for Lawrence Hauben's and Bo Goldman's adaptation of the Kesey novel. Shrewdly combining roustabout fervor and humor with an acknowledgement of society's different limits, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest effectively communicated the disillusionment of the waning counter-culture even as it optimistically asserted that one rebel could make a difference.