One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Movie Analysis

Mcmurphy breaking the picture window was a turning point in the story. The picture window was a prized possession of Nurse Ratched. It was the difference between her and the patients. She was on one side of the window while the patients were on the more unfortunate side. In a therapy session, R.P breaks the window, in the movie and in the novel, to get cigarettes. The glass breaking wasn't only a turning point in the story, but also for Mcmurphy. McMurphy became a larger than life character to the patients. In the novel, Mcmurphy slides his hand into the glass and grabs the cigarettes because the big nurse takes the tub room away. The movie version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is much different than the novel. In the movie, Mcmurphy
punches the glass to grab cigarettes for Cheswick. The big fight that includes Chief, McMurphy and the aids happens directly after Mcmurphy punches the glass. The big fight in the novel was in the showers in a later scene. McMurphy wasn’t reprimanded, in the novel, after he broke the glass. The therapy session in the book was calm and Mcmurphy broke the glass smoothly. The mood, in the movie, was hectic. The patients were yelling and Nurse Ratched completely lost control. Novels, compared to movies, can include a ton of detail and have extra scenes. Ken Kesey separated these scenes to create tension and lengthen the story. Milos Forman and Bo Goldman had to make the therapy session the climax because if the scenes were separated it would be a five hour movie. The scene in the movie and in the novel, both shock audiences. The picture window shattering reveals how serious the tension in the ward has become. The movie scene is more exciting because multiple things happen. Even though the book is ten times better.