飞越疯人院影评

飞越疯人院影评 Martyr to Freedom --comment on One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is made into film according to Ken Kesey‟s best-seller with the same name. This film appears to have a profound meaning and sets very sharp satire on the society. In fact, the lunatic asylum in the film is a epitome of America„s abnormal and oppressive industrialized society. By the startling scene, it exposes the malady of the Capitalist society—suppressing the humanity and fettering people‟s freedom. The protagonist—McMurphy‟s unremitting effort of seeking for the freedom and his tragic suffering in the end thoroughly reflected the suppression that people suffer in such a cruel society and their tragedy fate. Meanwhile, the film has praised the hero who fought hard for revolution of personality solely. And since he couldn‟t find the right way to go, he was finally mutilated by the cruel society. Thus the film is covered with the atmosphere of tragedy. In the other hand, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is also satirizing the people who live in this society with void and impetuousness. These “lunatics” are typical examples. Among them, many are getting into the asylum with their own willingness in order to escape from the reality of life. Though they also have strong eagerness to rebel against this “epitome society”, they choose to shrink back and become self-abused, cowardly and scared every critical moment; they resume playing cards in the dim ward and avoid all kinds of revolution. Actually, they can live just like normal people do when they start to take the chances to rise up and try to convert current situation, and fight against the corrupt social system. We know from the play that they can go fishing in the sea, they can drink together in the night, they can hold a party in their room, and they can even defeat the workers in the asylum in the basketball game. They desire freedom and rights urgently, they are able to live their own lives in accordance with their own will but the social system and the authority won‟t allow them to do so. They are imprinted with the brand as lunatic and forced to accept such a devastating social system; their humanity and personality is gradually being worn away. McMurphy‟s coming to the asylum is a breaking of the simulated silence and peace those who work in or live in the asylum are trying to maintain. He puts doubts on many processes like eating peels and having regular meeting that were considered to be certain and reasonable before by other patients. Though his acquirement was refused by the head nurse—Mildred Ratched every time, for those “lunatics” who repeat the process so many times but do not have any suspects, his behavior really emulates their apathetic mind. As a result, they begin to show different response when they face this kind of non-violent suppression again. It is very clear that Ratched is the representative of the inflexible authority of the society; she is stiff and stubborn, and always trying to make everything under her control. She executes the rules of the asylum rather severely and demands the patients to conform to them strictly, too. But McMurphy is very dissatisfied with this, he don‟t like to have his behavior restraint by the rules. He asks Ratched to turn down the music when he thinks it is too noisy; he sets up a small “gambling party” to enjoy themselves to endure the dull life; he teaches other patients to play basketball…he is always active and humorous, he even takes others out of the asylum to fish an the boat that they steal from the wharf and holds a party for his fellows in their ward. When McMurphy propose to change their schedule so as to watch the World Cup, Ratched didn‟t give them the permission, her reason is that the hospital‟s rules do not allow this. She puts forward a vote but when Chief‟s vote make they have more than half votes for agreement to turning on the TV, she still refuse to turn on it and her reason is that Chief‟s vote is of no avail because they have finished the meeting already. Although McMurphy‟s rebellion fails every time, his fellows are gradually getting their courage and have their own opinions instead of being timid and obedient. McMurphy‟s best friend in the asylum, Chief, is the one who understands McMurphy most. The reason for Chief„s odd characteristic is likely to be his ethnic origin. His father was the sheikh of an Indian tribe that has been invaded and destroyed by the white people. He comes from the jungle and in the end of the film he walks into the jungle again. He pretended to be deaf and dumb in order to avoid the reality. I think he may be desperate about life as well as the outer world, so he chooses to be indifferent and to live in his own inner world meekly. But McMurphy walks into his life and brings hope to him; his primitive strength has been aroused. At the end, he helps McMurphy to get rid of the fetter of body and takes McMurphy‟s soul with him to the far away jungle where the freedom is blossoming. Chief is sure that if McMurphy could aware that he will live in such a vegetable state in his rest life, he would choose to dead because he is a person that appreciates freedom and humanity so much. So he makes the decision for mc. He don‟t want mc to stay in this kind of state himself because in his mind McMurphy shouldn‟t be like this, he should be always active, talkative and always full of passion. He shifts the water tank which McMurphy has tried hard to manage but fail to shift, then he smashes the locked window with it and “Flew Over The Cuckoo‟s Nest”. There is a truth that we have to admit that such a kind of suppression still exists in some certain places or situations. There are so many people like Ratched as well as McMurphy these days. Unfortunately, according to the opinion of those who are represented by Ratched, and in public‟s eyes, McMurphy is no more than a troublemaker who simply thinks that lunatic asylum is much better than the reform-through-labor farm. The social system won‟t accept such a rebellious person. So McMurphy‟s miserable ending is destined no matter where he is. McMurphy‟s courage and sacrifice are the most admirable and respectable. There are so many people in the same social situation as mc, but few of them have the courage that McMurphy has to fight for what they really want. Although failed to shift the water tank, McMurphy said casually to other: I try it; at least, I try it. He may even didn‟t think about whether he could do it or not, he just went to do it because he wanted to do and because he had a will to try. He is the one who has the awareness and the courage to fight for his right and freedom with his own effort. Whatever the result is, he won‟t feel regret himself. McMurphy do have the chance to leave the night they hold the party, but when he stand in front of the open window, he finally changes his mind and turns back.3if he is regard as a solitary warrior fighting with persistence before, from this moment on, he is a hero. His turning back is a speaker of his determination of sacrifice and his responsibility to the society apart from his courage of fighting against the social system. He is not only seeking his own freedom and rights, but also fighting for everyone freedom and rights, even if the cost is his own freedom and rights, or his life. I appreciate this film as well as its book version very much, the very reason is that I can profoundly comprehend their happiness when they are enjoying themselves together, their suffering when they are facing the inhuman suppression, their hard fighting and their tragic failure, and moved by their final solemn and stirring victory.