For this work, I have chosen to do an in-depth analysis of the party scene from Milos Forman’s film, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’. In this scene, Randall McMurphy throws a ‘party’ for the patients in the mental ward as what he planned to be his final act of rebellion and his way of saying goodbye to the patients before he planned to escape. He manages to sneak in Candy and her friend into the ward through the bribing of Turkle, the overnight watcher of the patients, with the promise of booze and access to one of the girls. McMurphy proceeds to awaken the other patients, giving them access to alcohol and good music, and unknowingly sacrifices his chance of escaping by allowing Billy Bibbit to sleep with Candy, with whom Billy is infatuated with; and accidentally falling asleep while waiting. The party, while short-lived, was a moment of pure bliss and freedom for the patients confined to the strict rules and regulations of the mental ward.
This section expresses multiple key themes present in the film, in particular the themes of freedom and the treatment of the mentally ill, which are the most prominent. The patients in the mental institution have had their agency greatly restricted, and have been forced into conformity by Nurse Ratched. Everything the patients do is monitored by the nurses and wardens of the institution. The patients who live in the ward aren’t considered as ‘fit’ to rule their own lives and aren’t treated with the same level of respect that ‘normal’ people receive. This also consequently means that they have never experienced freedom and living life under their own rule, and not that of others. The real oppressive nature of society in the ’60s and ’70s treated mental patients with the same level of indecency and respect as that of the ward and considered them to be social deviants. The lack of freedom that the patient's experience in the ward is why the party is of such significance to them, as it is a moment where they had finally been given unrestricted autonomy and had been liberated from the repressive nature of the ward’s harsh regimes. When Cheswick says “thank you, I'll never forget you Mac”, it is apparent the complete lack of freedom the patients have, and why they are so appreciative of McMurphy. Through his rule-breaking nature and unwillingness to conform to the ward’s regimes, McMurphy has allowed the patients to truly experience what it means to live under their own free will, a right to which they had previously been denied. The party, albeit brief, was one of the only moments where the patients had been liberated from both their mental and physical captivity by the ward and the oppressive regimes of both Nurse Ratched and society as a whole. Similarly, when Mac is about to escape the ward. Billy says that he’s “gonna miss you very very much Mac”. This again makes the importance of McMurphy's role in the patient’s freedom evident, and they are aware that without him they would never have had the opportunity to experience what it means to be free. Furthermore, the party scene demonstrates the theme that is evident throughout the film, which is the treatment of the mentally ill. The party, being of such importance to the patients, highlights just how poorly they had been treated by Nurse Ratched and the ward, but again also society. During the time period of the ’60s and ’70s when Forman’s film is set, the institutions that the mentally ill were placed in didn’t really seek to cure the patients, rather they were just places used to contain the people that society deemed as useless and a burden. The real mental institutions in society had abhorrent methods of controlling the patients, and aspects of this shine through in the Forman’s film. One particular method of control that is discernible in the party section is conformity. The patients have been stripped of their individuality, and have been forced to conform to the authoritarian rule of Nurse Ratched and the ward itself. The party scene in this section is so influential to the patients, as they have been treated as less than human in the institution, and is why they find so much comfort and excitement in the simple acts of defiance. Through their pure enjoyment of a simple party, it brings to light how neglected the patients are, and how they have never truly experienced life outside of the ward. When McMurphy asks Billy to leave with him, he replies that he’s “not ready yet”. This quotation depicts how Billy, along with the other patients of the ward has been conditioned into believing that he is undeserving of a happy life and living in the real world. His fear of the authority figures in his life such as his mother and Nurse Ratched highlights just how neglected himself and the others in the ward are, and how they have been so wrongly treated purely due to their mental health, and how this label has negatively influenced them. The patients have been made to feel that they are insignificant and unworthy, which clearly portrays the theme of the treatment of the mentally ill.
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Furthermore, the party scene from Milos Forman’s film also highlights character change and development through the characters of Billy and McMurphy. McMurphy is the typical rebellious character in the film, he has a rule-breaking behavior and a strong refusal to abide by the authoritarian rule of Nurse Ratched. This facade is maintained throughout the entirety of the film until the end. He has always had the mentality that he is better and above everyone else in the ward due to his mental stability, as well as his egotistical and arrogant personality. However, Forman accentuates in the party scene that he does truly care for the other patients in the ward, through McMurphy giving them a last taste of freedom before he leaves. When McMurphy asks Billy “well why don’t you come with us”, this again depicts McMurphy’s kind side, and allows the viewer to see his character’s development. He also sacrifices his own shot at freedom by staying back and allowing Billy to lose his virginity to Candy, which particularly highlights McMurphy’s character development as he wasn’t thinking about himself when he did this. However, while McMurphy undergoes a slight character change and development in this section, he also displays signs that he is still the same rebellious and arrogant character. This is particularly noticeable when he tricks Turkle and consequently causes him to lose his job, telling him that they were “just having a party”. With Turkle being a person of color, and relating back to the treatment of minorities and African Americans in society during the 60’s and 70’s, it likely would have been extremely difficult for Turkle to get another job. Furthermore, Billy Bibbit is another key character in the party section and also undergoes some character development. Billy has a very timid personality, is quite shy and submissive. However, during the party section, he is more laid back, enjoys himself and experiences freedom, it almost makes him leave with McMurphy. Despite this slight character change, his large fear of his mother and Nurse Ratched stops him from leaving with McMurphy, stating that “it’s not that easy” and that he’s “not ready yet” although he insinuates that down the track, he will find the courage to leave. However, he does manage to slightly overcome his fear of women and loses his virginity to Candy at the very end of the section. Both the characters of McMurphy and Billy go through some sort of character development in this section.
Lastly, Forman uses a variety of film techniques to create meaning in the film such as close-ups, diegetic sound, mise-en-scene and mid shots. The mise-en-scene of costuming pays an important role in creating a persona for the characters. McMurphy’s costuming, in particular, is important. His leather jacket, black beanie and his dark clothing compared to the other patient’s white hospital type clothing show how he is, again, a rebel and a ‘bad’ boy who doesn’t follow the rules. It shows that he is different to the others, more risky and rebellious, and is the one who challenges the rules of the ward. The other patients in their white hospital gowns highlight that they have all been forced into conformity, and also helps to significantly contrast against McMurphy, and depicts how he is his own individual. Similarly, the mid-shot of Candy and McMurphy standing in the nurse’s office using Nurse Ratched’s speakerphone is meant to show how now McMurphy is in a position of power and has almost assumed the position of Nurse Ratched. It also gives the effect that McMurphy has control over the other patients, and presents that this is because he isn’t actually mentally ill, similar to why Nurse Ratched and the other wardens have control over the patients, because they too are mentally stable. Another film technique that Forman uses in this scene is diegetic sound. The diegetic sound of the calm, peaceful music that the patients are listening and dancing to intends to show how free they are in that moment. The music playing has a very happy and relaxed vibe, which is symbolic of the patient's mood. It reflects how they are truly happy and having a good time experiencing having freedom, and what it means to live free from authority without the judgement of Nurse Ratched and the other wardens. Finally, the last important film technique that Forman utilizes is a close-up shot. The close-up shot of McMurphy towards the end of the scene almost foreshadows that something bad might be about to occur. The camera zooms closely in on McMurphy’s face towards the end. He is clearly exhausted, and this close up allows the viewer to infer that he would possibly fall asleep, thus preventing himself from escaping and securing his fate of living in the ward. It is these specific techniques that Forman uses to convey a certain message and outcome.
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