"It's about as classic a story as we'll ever have and it seems timeless now, with what's going on in our country politically, about man versus the machine and individuality versus the corporate world, the 81-year-old says via Zoom from Santa Barbara, California. Is he talking about Donald Trump? Not just in America but we see autocratism continue around the world, Douglas adds. When we have insecurity, people tend to go to having an omnipotent figure that will solve everything."
"His early career was defined by the Vietnam war with early roles in political films such as Hail, Hero! and Summertree. So it felt natural for Michael Douglas, just 31, to make his first foray into producing with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a tale of one man raging against the system. Fifty years since its release, Douglas is struck how Cuckoo's Nest resonates anew in today's landscape."
"The autocrat in Cuckoo's Nest is Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), who enforces strict routines and suppresses any spark of individuality in an Oregon psychiatric hospital. She wages a battle of wills with Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a rebellious small-time criminal who fakes insanity to avoid prison labour and ends up committed to a mental institution. As McMurphy's anarchic spirit spreads, the ward briefly feels freer and more alive."
Michael Douglas produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at age 31 after early acting roles tied to the Vietnam war era. The film centers on a confrontation between individuality and institutional control, embodied by rebellious Randle McMurphy and authoritarian Nurse Ratched. The story resonates with contemporary political concerns about autocratism, omnipotent leaders, and societal insecurity. The film was released on 4K Blu-ray for its 50th anniversary. Kirk Douglas had previously acquired the rights and performed the role of McMurphy on Broadway before Michael produced the cinematic version.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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