One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Next Up at Orinda Theater
By Andrea A. Firth
Photo provided
The classic 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will be the third movie screened in a monthly series of events planned to honor the move by the California Independent Film Festival (CAIFF) to its new home at Orinda Theatre Square. Movie lovers can watch this film, which was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, on the big screen of the Orinda Theatre on January 16, 2010, at 6 p.m. The evening event will also feature a special guest appearance by Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched in the film.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which also starred Jack Nicholson as the recalcitrant convict R.P. McMurphy, swept the 1975 Academy Awards with wins for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay. The movie's screenplay was adapted from Ken Kesey's 1962 breakthrough novel of the same name. Nicholson's character, who pretended to be crazy, battles Nurse Ratched for control of the mental ward where he has been placed to serve his jail time. McMurphy befriends several of the asylum patients and makes a special bond with Chief Bromden, a 6'7" schizophrenic Native American. The two previously screened movie classics White Christmas and The Birds attracted large, enthusiastic crowds of moviegoers with the The Birds selling out the 750-seat Orinda Theater. Tickets for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors, may be purchased online at the festival's website (www.caiff.org), or by calling 277-1355.The California Independent Film Festival, which will be held in Orinda from April 22nd through April 25th, 2010, is in its 12th season.
Cuckoo's Nest Trivia Test your classic movie knowledge:
1. Which ex-flame of Jack Nicholson had an uncredited part in the movie?
Answer: Anjelica Huston
2. What was the name of the mental hospital patient played by Danny DeVito?
Answer: Martini
3. How many Academy Award nominations did the movie receive in total?
Answer: Nine
4. Why is McMurphy surprised when Chief Bromden says thank you for a piece of gum?
Answer: Chief was supposedly mute
5. Who originally owned the movie rights and planned to star as McMurphy?
Answer: Kirk Douglas
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which also starred Jack Nicholson as the recalcitrant convict R.P. McMurphy, swept the 1975 Academy Awards with wins for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay. The movie's screenplay was adapted from Ken Kesey's 1962 breakthrough novel of the same name. Nicholson's character, who pretended to be crazy, battles Nurse Ratched for control of the mental ward where he has been placed to serve his jail time. McMurphy befriends several of the asylum patients and makes a special bond with Chief Bromden, a 6'7" schizophrenic Native American.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA