One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
Updated: 12/10/2025, 4:11:17 PM Wikipedia source
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American psychological comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a new patient at a mental institution and Louise Fletcher as the abusive head nurse. Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Sydney Lassick, William Redfield, Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif play supporting roles, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. Originally announced in 1962 with Kirk Douglas starring, the film took 13 years to develop. Filming finally began in January 1975 and lasted three months, on location in Salem, Oregon and the surrounding area, and in Depoe Bay on the north Oregon coast. The producers shot the film in the Oregon State Hospital, an actual psychiatric hospital, which is also the novel's setting. The hospital is still in operation, though the original buildings in the film have been demolished. The film was released on November 19, 1975. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest received critical acclaim, and is considered by critics and audiences to be one of the greatest films ever made. It is the second of three films to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Director, and Screenplay) following It Happened One Night (1934), and preceding 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. It won numerous Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. In 1993, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Additionally, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was ranked No. 33 on the American Film Institute's updated 100 Years... 100 Movies list in 2007.
Infobox
Tables
| Award | Category | Nominees | Result |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz | Won |
| Best Director | Miloš Forman | Won | |
| Best Actor | Jack Nicholson | Won | |
| Best Actress | Louise Fletcher | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Brad Dourif | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay – Adapted from Other Material | Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Haskell Wexler and Bill Butler | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman and Sheldon Kahn | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Jack Nitzsche | Nominated | |
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Feature Film | Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman and Sheldon Kahn | Nominated |
| Bodil Awards | Best Non-European Film | Miloš Forman | Won |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Direction | Miloš Forman | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Jack Nicholson | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Louise Fletcher | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Brad Dourif | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Haskell Wexler and Bill Butler | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman and Sheldon Kahn | Won | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | Best Feature | Miloš Forman | Nominated |
| César Awards | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | |
| David di Donatello Awards | Best Foreign Director | Miloš Forman | Won |
| Best Foreign Actor | Jack Nicholson | Won | |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Miloš Forman | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Jack Nicholson | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Louise Fletcher | Won | |
| Best Director – Motion Picture | Miloš Forman | Won | |
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Won | |
| New Star of the Year – Actor | Brad Dourif | Won | |
| Golden Screen Awards | Won | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special | Jack Nitzsche | Nominated |
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Director | Miloš Forman | Won |
| Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Foreign Director | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Nastro d'Argento | Best Foreign Director | Miloš Forman | Won |
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 3rd Place | |
| Best Actor | Jack Nicholson | Won | |
| National Film Preservation Board | National Film Registry | Inducted | |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Jack Nicholson | Won |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Louise Fletcher | Runner-up | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Hall of Fame – Motion Picture | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Motion Picture | Won | |
| Sant Jordi Awards | Best Foreign Actor | Jack Nicholson (also for Carnal Knowledge and The Passenger) | Won |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Won |
References
- Tied with Dog Day Afternoon.
- Box Office Mojohttps://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=oneflewoverthecuckoosnest.htm
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/11/michael-douglas-and-louise-fletcher-how-we-made-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-interview
- Variety
- AllMoviehttps://www.allmovie.com/movie/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-v36363
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nesthttps://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55189
- milosforman.comhttps://milosforman.com/en/movies/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest
- AFI Cataloghttps://catalog.afi.com/Film/56511-THE-STUNTMAN?sid=74aa6b2b-f9b7-455a-a0cd-a5a1f89b0eed&sr=7.835905&cp=1&pos=0
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2020/02/kirk-douglas-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-movie-michael-douglas-spat-1202852836/
- American National Biography
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/opinion/obama-the-socialist-not-even-close.html
- Gainesville Sunhttps://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2005/08/13/michael-kirk-tell-it-like-it-is/31700875007/
- Showbiz Cheat Sheethttps://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kirk-douglas-thought-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-flop-michael-douglas-cast-jack-nicholson.html/
- EW.comhttps://ew.com/michael-douglas-firing-dad-kirk-douglas-one-flew-over-cuckoos-nest-11767321
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/26/movies/film-rebels-who-were-more-angry-than-mad.html
- Independent.iehttps://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-the-film-that-flew-away-with-the-big-five-top-oscars/30979418.html
- Contact Musichttps://www.contactmusic.com/james-caan/news/caan-rues-the-bad-choices-that-prompted-him-to-turn-down-movies
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2018/film/news/burt-reynolds-turned-down-roles-bond-solo-1202930436/
- Colliderhttps://collider.com/burt-reynolds-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/one-flew-over-cuckoo-s-nest-40th-birthday-best-things-you-never-knew-about-oscar-winning-film-a6740596.html
- The Wall Street Journalhttps://archive.today/20250710232008/https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-michael-douglas-jack-nicholson-oscars-fedccc29
- The New York Timeshttps://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/cuckoo-ar2.html
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/louise-fletcher-interview-the-actress-recalls-the-extraordinary-impact-of-landing-the-oscar-winning-a6826211.html
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/10/burt-cort-harold-and-maude-blessing-and-curse
- AMChttps://web.archive.org/web/20150616220246/http://www.amc.com/talk/2012/04/story-notes-trivia-one-flew-cuckoos-nest
- beachconnection.comhttp://www.beachconnection.net/news/hlly110106_80.htm
- oregonstatehospital.orghttps://web.archive.org/web/20180915002013/http://oregonstatehospital.org/
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/movies/haskell-wexler-oscar-winning-cinematographer-dies-at-93.html
- worldcinemaparadise.comhttp://worldcinemaparadise.com/2014/12/19/haskell-wexler-and-the-making-of-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/
- Variety
- Variety
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-1975
- RogerEbert.comhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-1975
- Varietyhttps://www.variety.com/review/VE1117487976
- The New York Timeshttps://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/cuckoo-re.html?scp=6&sq=sampson&st=cse
- AllMusichttps://www.allmusic.com/album/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-original-soundtrack-mw0000265179
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_flew_over_the_cuckoos_nest/
- Foreword of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Copyright 2007 by Chuck Palahniuk. Available in the 2007 Edition published
- Library of Congresshttps://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/
- Far Out Magazinehttps://faroutmagazine.co.uk/akira-kurosawa-100-favourite-films-list/
- WhatCulture.comhttps://whatculture.com/film/10-most-convincing-movie-psychopath-performances
- Housecore Recordshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjfa1usaHbM
- Loudwirehttps://loudwire.com/philip-h-anselmo-illegals-honor-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-video/
- oscars.orghttps://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1976
- awards.bafta.orghttp://awards.bafta.org/award/1977/film
- dga.orghttps://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1970s/1975.aspx?value=1975
- Golden Globeshttps://goldenglobes.com/film/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/
- lafca.nethttps://web.archive.org/web/20120401020228/http://www.lafca.net/years/1975.html
- National Board of Reviewhttps://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1975/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-15-ca-2182-story.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/30/archives/film-critics-award-nashville-4-prizes.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/31/archives/nashville-and-nicholson-get-film-critics-awards.html
- Online Film & Television Associationhttps://www.oftaawards.com/film-hall-of-fame/film-hall-of-fame-productions/
- peopleschoice.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20160509202750/http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/?year=1977
- wga.orghttps://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551
- BBChttps://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-cheers/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies-10th-anniversary-edition/