Released in 1976, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is a film directed by Milos Forman, and adapted from the 1962 Ken Kesey novel by the same name. The film is about Randle Patrick McMurphy, a criminal who fakes insanity to avoid going to prison and is instead warded at a mental institution. Over the course of the film, he instigates multiple revolts amongst the other patients while undermining the iron-fisted rule of Nurse Ratched.
A simple observation of the film will tell one that it is about the struggle of wills between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. However, this analysis will be looking at the film within the context of ‘Media and Politics’, and so, beneath that simple observation lies a film’s political commentary within its story about an autocratic force’s attempts at oppressing societal ‘rejects’.
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Authoritarian Theory
Setting
For the most part, the setting of the movie is in a mental ward and on a symbolic level, the ward could be seen as microcosm of society; the politics and rules of the ward could be interpreted as the politics and laws that govern society; Nurse Ratched and the orderlies could be seen as an authoritarian government enforcing their regime; and the patients, an oppressed people.
As this analysis is centered around the discussion of ‘Media and Politics’, the most apt political media theory to discuss within the context of this movie is authoritarian theory. However, the applicability of the theory here is questionable as it addresses the media in that all forms of communication are heavily governed and regulated by those in power. Though this may be the case, the underlying concepts of the theory such as absolute power, censorship, and lack of personal freedom are applicable to the film (Communication Theory, n.d.).
Characters
With one party possessing absolute power, and another party a lack of personal freedom, comes an oppressor and an oppressed. Clearly throughout the film, Nurse Ratched is shown to be the oppressor by her having total control over the mental ward. Everyone, patients and orderlies, must do as she says or face severe repercussions. This is evident when McMurphy proposes a vote for patients to be able to watch the World Series on television. In spite of the supposed democratic system within the ward, Ratched, upon realizing that the vote may go McMurphy's way, alters the rules as she pleases. More evidence of her total control is revealed when McMurphy finds out that most of the patients are in fact able to leave whenever they want, but feel themselves so absolutely dominated by her that they choose not to.
Another oppressor in the film are the orderlies, however they can also be considered as one of the oppressed due to being under Ratched’s total control. However, as oppressors, the orderlies carry out Ratched’s bidding by maintaining order and taking disorderly patients away for electro-convulsive therapy such as when McMurphy, Chief, and Cheswick are sent for said therapy following the cigarette rationing incident. To draw parallels with the real-world, a very extreme but nonetheless pertinent example would be during wartime where conscientious objectors would find themselves forced into service such as certain members of the 1940s German Wehrmacht, the Nazi armed forces, having been drafted in and forced to carry out the orders of the authoritarian Nazi party.
The truly oppressed in the film are McMurphy and the rest of the patients. They are the representation of an oppressed society living within their ‘small town’ mental ward, under the oppressive authoritarian regime of Nurse Ratched. Of course, a movie about an oppressive authoritarian regime is not complete without a hero to stand up against it, and this is what makes McMurphy and to an extent, Chief, outliers from the oppressed in that they are ultimately the ones to undermine Ratched’s rule with Chief escaping in the finale. While the content of the film is dramatized with McMurphy being an almost messianic martyr by the end of the film, there exists real world figures that have fought against authoritarian regimes in the same way, such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malala Yousafzai.
It is also argued within authoritarian theory that a government’s totalitarian control is necessary to control the media to restrict any sensitive issues from being exposed to maintain order and security. Evidence stemming from this claim within the film can be seen in the reasoning behind Nurse Ratched’s manipulatively authoritarian behavior. She is not shown to be outwardly malicious, instead the reason she punishes the patients so severely is to maintain order for the ‘greater good’. In almost every instance of her having to send someone away, it is due to disorder brought about by the McMurphy and the patients (Communication Theory, n.d.).
Agenda Setting Theory
Agenda setting theory states that if an issue receives more frequent and prominent coverage, the audience will come to think of that issue as being important (Communication Theory, n.d.). Throughout the film, we see numerous incidents where Ratched’s tyrannical control is the main cause of the issues faced by McMurphy and the patients. This can be seen and is not limited to when Ratched unfairly doesn’t allow them to watch the World Series on television, when she bullies Billy, and when said bullying caused Billy to commit suicide. The repeated instances of Ratched’s unfair authoritarian control set the agenda for the audience with the message that oppressive regimes bring nothing but strife and struggle.
Framing Theory
Framing theory states that how something is presented influences the way people feel about the subject presented (Mass Communication Theory, n.d.). Despite being an anti-hero (on account of being a criminal rapist), McMurphy is nonetheless still the character the audience is meant to root for. His free-spirited, confident, and charismatic characterization frames him as someone to be looked up to. The fact that he is able to become a hero, and in the end a messiah of sorts amongst his fellow patients further solidifies his position as the ‘good guy’. He is framed as such in spite of him being a criminal rapist because he is the one to challenge Ratched’s authoritarian regime, an arguably noble and just cause.
Alongside McMurphy, the other patients, though representing the most dysfunctional of society, are framed in such a way that the audience is inclined to sympathize with them against Ratched. Despite being patients at a mental hospital, their characters are fleshed out as individual human beings who are easily relatable to in their behaviors. The talkative Martini for example provides plenty of comedic moments and is one of the loyal followers who stand with McMurphy. The way in which they’re framed delivers the message that those who are oppressed should be supported and not shunned.
On the other end is Nurse Ratched, whose name bears an uncanny similarity to the word ‘wretched’. This homophone subtly frames her as the antagonist. Not only that but she is depicted as a wholly unlikeable sociopath. The way in which Ratched is framed alongside her authoritarian rule serves as a reminder to the audience that a person who possesses absolute power is not to be admired and instead hated.
Creators
Rather than only analyzing the film’s politics, it is also important to note the director behind the film and his firsthand experiences with authoritarian rule. At a young age, the film’s director, Milos Forman, lost both his parents to the oppressive Nazi regime’s death camps during World War II. Later in life, one of his film’s ‘The Fireman’s Ball’ was nominated for an Academy Award in 1967 but it was banned by communist authorities. His homeland, Czechoslovakia, was also invaded by the dictatorship of the Soviet Union (Milosforman.com, n.d.).
The author of the novel the film is based on, Ken Kesey, also had run ins with authoritarian rule with his personal experiences as a test subject in a US military scientific study on the effects of LSD. He also served as a volunteer in a mental ward which formed the main inspiration for his book (Biography, n.d.).
Media as a Watchdog
In the film, McMurphy can be seen as somewhat of a watchdog. Just as the media’s role as a watchdog is due to their position and capabilities of doing so, McMurphy is also in the position and capable of pointing out to the other patients the clear problem of Ratched’s treatment of them. This is owed to the fact that he is one of the only people who is capable of standing up to her regime. His final mark as a watchdog saw McMurphy’s actions ensuring that Chief finally escaped the mental ward.
Outside the film, it can be seen that both the film’s director, Milos Forman, and the novel’s author, Ken Kesey, wanted to convey the idea of those in power, namely governments, being capable of oppressing the individual should they please and used their media platforms to inform their audiences.
Conclusion
With the way in which the agenda against authoritarian rule is set, the way the characters are framed, and the overall anti-authoritarian themes, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ may just be one of the best anti-authority films in history. With a message less so like Yossarian from ‘Catch-22’ who chose to run from the oppressive military life, and more so like ‘V for Vendetta’, the overall message of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is that rather than cowering or running, authoritarian oppression must be fought and dismantled.
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