One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stars Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, a criminal who fakes mental illness to avoid prison and is thus transferred to Oregon State Hospital. There he becomes a rebellious troublemaker and breathes new life into the other patients as he faces off against the cruel and oppressive Nurse Ratchet. The film went on to win several Academy Awards for its melancholic atmosphere and Nicholson’s frantic performance.

Production

Directed by Miloš Forman

Produced by Saul Zaentz, Michael Douglas

Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman

Based on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield

Music by Jack Nitzsche

Cinematography by Haskell Wexler, replaced by Bill Butler

Edited by Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman, Sheldon Kahn

Production company: Fantasy Films

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by United Artists

Release date: November 19, 1975

Running time: 133 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $3 million

Box office: $163.25 million