One Flew East, One Flew West, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The theme of individual freedom against constraint by a governing power runs high throughout this film. It is no coincidence that the director, Milos Forman, could relate to this power dynamic in his own life. He was born right in the middle of the Red Curtain during the height of Soviet Communist regimes. After making his highly controversial satire on Communism in "The Fireman's Ball" (1967), he quickly left his come country to evade political consequences. I feel that this film is made in the very heart of that idea.

The book is also extremely effective in communicating these left wing themes of escaping an abusive and tyrannical environment. Where the film version is very much a critique of Communist society, the novel is a critique on American governance. For instance, the book was written after Ken Kesey, the author, was tested by the government with their MK Ultra experiments with psychedelic drugs. The ploy by the CIA was to discover whether or not mind control was possible.

Not having read the novel, I can say that the film goes very deep with this idea. There is an overall critique of forcing human beings into a routine that they cannot escape without grave consequences at times. For instance, they are all forced to take undisclosed medication and they do so in a way that is evocative of communion in the Catholic Church. It has been so ritualized that it is basically an institutionalized religion.

They are also forced into group therapy sessions, but they are often coerced into divulging information they are not comfortable with sharing in a group. For instance, one patient is required to talk about sexual frustrations with his wife while the other members of the group make fun of him. Even more extreme, a young character named Billy is forced to discuss his suicide attempts in raw detail even when he noticeably prefers not to discuss something that deep and personal inside him.

More trivially, the patients aren't even allowed to listen to the radio during leisure time. The governing body of the hospital, Nurse Ratched keeps everyone tied around her finger is there is very little room for dissent. It is an authoritarian system. And the trademark distinction between left and right is always about a rebellion against the status quo and the oppressive governing bodies that keep the small people away from the freedom they deserve.

There are more symbolic things going on with the film. For instance, race and class distinction are apparent. Ratched's underlings are black and they do whatever she commands them to do in a very controlling fashion and Chief is ofcourse Native American. Probably the greatest joy of the film is watching him take control at the end and doing what Randall never could do. He has the strength to lift the sink and smash the window as the the patients cheer as he leaves them. It is so powerful.