Opening Night
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
PostED ON 11 OCTOBER 2025
2010 Lumière Award recipient Miloš Forman is honoured once again with the screening of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, his five-time Oscar-winning masterpiece. The poignant drama, led by Jack Nicholson, left its mark on an entire generation... and far beyond.
© DR
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
It is the story of crossed pathways and missed opportunities... for a time. Originally a book penned by Ken Kesey (1962), then a play starring Kirk Douglas, it took thirteen years for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to make it to the big screen. It was Michael Douglas who managed to bring his father’s project to fruition, while simultaneously making his first foray into producing. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was Miloš Forman’s fifth feature film, directed while the Czech was seeking refuge in the United States to escape his country’s communist dictatorship. Beyond the simple narrative, the symbolism of rebellion against the established order appealed to him. The story recounts a group of patients in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s who are faced with questionable methods used by the doctors. A crowning success, the film won a multitude of awards, including five Oscars.
Since its release in 1975, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has always been considered one of the greatest films in the history of cinema—and rightly so; it launched the careers of actors including Christopher Lloyd (the famous ‘Doc' from Back to the Future), Danny DeVito and Brad Dourif. Without forgetting Jack Nicholson with his notorious predatory smirk, playing a role as subversive as it was endearing, earning him his first Academy Award. However, it is the character of Miss Ratched who has become a cult figure. The terrifying nurse, played with such tenacity by Louise Fletcher, leaves an enduring impact with her duplicitousness: a doll-like face conceals a cruel nature. This prodigious cast is reinforced by masterful and realistic directing, which raises important questions worthy of a philosophy essay, exploring themes of authority, freedom and madness.
Fanny Bellocq
Restoration: 4K restoration by Teatro Della Pace Films and the Academy Film Archive.
Our thanks to distributor La Filmothèque Distribution and to Teatro della pace films
TICKETS Sun. 12 at 7.15 pm - Pathé BellecourIn the presence of Paul Zaentz (Teatro della Pace Films)
TICKETS Thu. 16 at 8 pm - Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon (Ciné Mourguet)In the presence of Stéphane Audiard (novelist)
