(Life Through the Lens - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

“Which one of you nuts has got any guts?”

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The psychiatric hospital is a well-run organism. The schedule is maintained to perfection — the flow is engrained to habit — the requests and the medication are swallowed without question. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) has created a place of placid predictability.

Then R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) arrives. His frequent aggression and violent outbursts have moved him from correctional institution to mental institution… is he crazy or just playing the system?

McMurphy makes an immediate splash: He is witty, loud, confident, unafraid and unconcerned with “how things normally go.” He is here to mix it all up!

Nurse Ratched and McMurphy begin an epic battle for the attention and minds of the patients. Ratched demands submission; McMurphy encourages defiance.

Maybe, just maybe, the patients are nothing but inmates. Maybe, just maybe, the patients are no crazier than the average person… but no one has bothered to tell them that.

Value is intrinsic… but, like all internal things, it is fed by the world outside. A person’s value is bolstered or busted by the world around them.

True statement: Every person is worthy.

True statement: Not every person FEELS worthy.

Whether you want to or not, YOU are an important part of other people’s perception of THEMSELVES. You are responsible for their value… even if that is unfair and unhealthy. Every day of your life, someone is looking to you for validation and for reassurance. Be aware of your impact on others – take to heart the importance of your words and actions.

Maybe all the people around you just need to hear that they aren’t crazy. That they are capable. They are loved and worthy of that love. Gift them value.

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There have only ever been three movies to win “the big five” Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. “It Happened One Night” did it in 1934. “The Silence of the Lambs” did it in 1991. And “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” accomplished this rare feat in 1975.

If ever there was a perfect movie, it would be “One Flew.” As the Oscars suggest, it is multifaceted and varied in its perfection. Let’s begin by the direction of Milo Forman. As is the case with his other Oscar darling, 1984’s “Amadeus” (for which he also won Best Director), it is a master class in momentum. Every line delivered leads to its poetic culmination – every beat taken or withheld produces the most satisfying music by the end. I dare you to reach the end and not be stirred! Forman has an uncanny ability to stay in the moment, all while satisfying the moment before and enticing the moment to come. It is a wonder.

The adapted screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman is pitch perfect. It gives each character a richness and each moment a justification. The 1962 novel by Ken Kensey is also spectacular in its scathing sincerity. The cinematography by Haskell Wexler is natural and purposeful. I could listen to the final score by Jack Nitzsche forever, as well!

The cast is unmatched – I can’t think of a film with a better ensemble. Each scene is truly inhabited. Nicholson’s performance is top five all-time! The character of McMurphy is amazingly textured and tormented; it is no small feat to bring him to life… and even get us to love him! That is the miracle of movies right there. Nicholson is truly a Hollywood legend. Fletcher delivers an understated and powerful performance as Nurse Ratched; her empty eyes truly terrify.

And then there is everybody else! Danny DeVito is unstoppably cute as Martini. Sydney Lassick is heartwarming to the max as Cheswick. Christopher Lloyd is primal as Taber. William Redfield is hilarious as Harding. Will Sampson, who had never acted before, is undeniable as Chief Bromden. Brad Dourif is unforgettable as Billy; his patterns and potential are painfully heartbreaking.

In an effort to be authentic and immersive, real patients were used for extras and the crew spent the entire duration of production living on the premises. No wonder it feels so real and raw!

From the initial vista to the final landscape, the tale that unfolds is one of incredible depth and intense understanding. This movie has the power to change its viewer!

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REPORT CARD: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Assessment: One of the greatest of all time.