"But I tried, didn't I? Goddammit, at least I did that."
I'm guessing this will probably be the only movie on this blog that has won an academy award(it actually won 5) or even been nominated. It's hard to believe that at one time quality movies were actually included in an awards show that is now just a showcase for boring, over-commercialized Hollywood garbage. What is this film about? Rebellion? following one's own path? the corruption of authority? the subjectivity of madness? I think it's about all that stuff and it's just chock full of amazing little scenes that add up to an overall amazing film and one of the few films from the "drama" genre that I would even bother watching. The reason it works so well, besides the direction of Milos Forman, is the group of actors, playing the patients in an asylum, who are all pretty young here. Besides Jack Nicholson you get Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif and Michael Berryman (playing a memorable lobotomized freak-show of a nut who doesn't get enough screentime). My favorite institutionalized wacko, though, has got to be the great Sydney Lassick. While he is not young at all, his scenes always crack me up and his acting style is beyond incredible. If this guy wasn't truly and completely insane he may have been the greatest actor to ever live. All the poor guy wants are his cigarettes! It's rare that a film can make you laugh and also feel like complete shit by the time it's all over but this one does and it's another reason why the 70's era as a whole will probably never be surpassed in any genre.
Right on Sydney!
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