Was Nurse Ratched actually the hero? (One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest)

[Doctor Amadeus]

Release date: November 19, 1975 (USA)
Director: Miloš Forman
Story by: Ken Kesey
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
Screenplay: Bo Goldman, Lawrence Hauben


If you haven't seen it and you get a chance you should it's a pretty good movie albeit in retrospect kind of flawed in my opinion.


I mean really Nurse Ratched seemed like a pretty good person, she basically ran an entire mental hospital that was understaffed, providing services for people who otherwise might not otherwise get them or be trapped in another kind of system that over looks special needs for mentally ill patients.

Don't get me wrong Nurse Ratched is a flawed character, I don't think anybody is perfect, but under the circumstances her behavior was completely rational. She was a nurse that was paid to do a job where she had little resources, and then here comes this asshole Jack Nicholson who for near as I can tell is a selfish thoughtless coward who hides out amongst the most vulnerable as a means of being able to skirt his responsibilities as being a grown up.

Why is Jack Nicholson's Character Randle McMurphy considered a Hero, near as I can tell he is he is actually responsible for not only his own shocking end, but hear probably kills or gets killed at least two people because of his selfish and criminal behavior.


So what do you think have you seen One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest? If you haven't maybe check it out and come back and give your feedback.

If you have seene it what do you think, do you think Nurse Ratched was the Hero or the Villain?

[Fincayra]

I don't think the viewer is meant to see anyone in this story being a hero, besides Chief at the end. Randle is definitely a scumbag, acting out for attention in an environment he had no business being in to begin with. And, we get to see that smug look wiped off his face when the orderly tells him he's there until they decide to turn him lose, whereas if he had taken jail instead he would have been out and back on the streets. He's a hustler, a cheat and a liar. The viewer to this situation sees a very humorous movie with very serious undertones. I personally have never seen any character in the movie as a "hero," but that's just my opinion.

Incidentally, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the very first DVD I ever purchased.

[Shiny212]

She is a bona fide quintessential villain, she takes perverse pleasure in what she does, in having power over the inmates, and yea that's what they are. I don't think she acted rationally by taking whatever offscreen frustrations she had by being understaffed out on the people under her tender care.

However, no one is a hero in that film, certainly not Randy.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I don't think the viewer is meant to see anyone in this story being a hero, besides Chief at the end. Randle is definitely a scumbag, acting out for attention in an environment he had no business being in to begin with. And, we get to see that smug look wiped off his face when the orderly tells him he's there until they decide to turn him lose, whereas if he had taken jail instead he would have been out and back on the streets. He's a hustler, a cheat and a liar. The viewer to this situation sees a very humorous movie with very serious undertones. I personally have never seen any character in the movie as a "hero," but that's just my opinion.

Incidentally, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the very first DVD I ever purchased.

Very interesting break down, yeah I pretty much see it the same way, the movie came out in 75, but when I watched it a few of my friends or the majority looked at Nurse Ratched as though she was to blame for all of it, and that Randle was on the way to being part of some miraculous cure or something.

What's even more interesting is over a pitcher of ice cold beer, and pizza is that almost everyone seems to kind of have this flighty assessment, when comparing it to other great films in Cinema.

As I said Nurse Ratched has some serious flaws, but I thought most of that was highlighted by the fact she was the only one really regulated to having to be the grown up, and while Randle seemed all cool and shit and Mr Wonder man, it seemed like a pretty temporary deal, and even for his short impact, he managed to get people killed.

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She is a bona fide quintessential villain, she takes perverse pleasure in what she does, in having power over the inmates, and yea that's what they are. I don't think she acted rationally by taking whatever offscreen frustrations she had by being understaffed out on the people under her tender care.

However, no one is a hero in that film, certainly not Randy.

Yeah but what else was she supposed to do, keep in mind she was surrounded by people who were psychotics these aren't the kinds of people general society wants or cares to deal with, and if not for her or the hospital most would be in prison and not getting the help they needed, which while severe is a cakewalk compared to where they could end up.

That doesn't mean I disagree totally with your take, but she was dealing with some pretty trying circumstances that frankly under the circumstances she also failed, by maybe not acting harshly enough.

I am not even sure she didn't know Randle was full of shit, but none the less thought maybe in a naive way she could treat him anyways.

[yetgdhfgh]

Loved that film but she was a serious bitch and villian!

I mean there was no reason for her to want to tell Billys mother that he had sex with a woman wich seemed like it gave him the confidence he needed but her doing that caused him even more self doubt that lead to his suicide.

I agree McMurphy is not a hero but he is definitely a antihero in the best way in that he thumbed his nose at the establishment.

I must admit i really did hope he wouldve killed her in that film.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Loved that film but she was a serious bitch and villian!

I mean there was no reason for her to want to tell Billys mother that he had sex with a woman wich seemed like it gave him the confidence he needed but her doing that caused him even more self doubt that lead to his suicide.

I agree McMurphy is not a hero but he is definitely a antihero in the best way in that he thumbed his nose at the establishment.

I must admit i really did hope he wouldve killed her in that film.

I disagree with her being a bitch, I do think the threat to tell Billy's mother was a bit much, but honestly she was written to be more evil. I don't think it's unreasonable for her to try to reassert her authority to gain some kind of order for the safety of those she was in charge of under the circumstances.

Also if you agree McMurphy wasn't the hero, why would you then condone him killing one of the only people actually trying to work with those people in a way to actually help them.

[yetgdhfgh]

Also if you agree McMurphy wasn't the hero, why would you then condone him killing one of the only people actually trying to work with those people in a way to actually help them.

But she wasnt helping them was she? She was just a glorified prison guard even though most of those in her care was there at there own volition.

To me she came across as a Nazi prison officer who enjoyed her position of authority over those in her care.

[Souflikar]

The Chief was the real hero.

[Doctor Amadeus]

But she wasnt helping them was she? She was just a glorified prison guard even though most of those in her care was there at there own volition.

To me she came across as a Nazi prison officer who enjoyed her position of authority over those in her care.

Of course she was helping them hell one of the guys didn't even have to be there he elected to be. As far as prison guard, prison would be far worse in that decade for them than what she would do which was trying to actually help them and use therapy to get them to work things out for themselves.

She came across as a Nazi prison officer, that's an overstatement if ever there was. Did you happen to see the list of people there she was trying to help, these aren't some young kids just not wanting to follow the rules, these were supposed to be fully functioning adults that couldn't and were some dangerous to themselves and society at large because they have a condition.

What kind of treatment would you think is better, because you already acknowledge McMurphy wasn't a hero, did you ever stop to think maybe he is the one who made the situation worse through his own selfish actions.

These people aren't well, and this woman understaffed and with few is trying to deal with that in a humane way that as far as society was concerned they probably shouldn't have even gotten.