One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Those who has found time to glance My Favorite Movies of all time, could notice that Number 1 in this list is Milos Forman’s film «One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest». I do not remember precisely when I have watched this film for the first time. Probably, somewhere in the late eighties. Prior to the beginning of perestroika occurrence of such film on the Soviet screens was simply impossible: the authorities, at all their stupidity, very accurately realised the ideological affinity and spiritual relationship with Nurse Ratched, Louise Fletcher’s character. I.e., to us, the simple Soviet inhabitants who did not have any special opportunities to get the foreign markets of cultural production (and any other production too), it was possible to watch this film masterpiece only 10-15 years later after its creation. And, though films with political implied sense have property to become outdated quickly enough, immediately at once as soon as the political situation changes, this film even after decades after its release has appeared superactual. And today, I dare to assume, its urgency has not decreased.

I am not expert in cinema questions as arts. I cannot and I don’t undertake to estimate director’s findings, cameraman’s arts, skill and technics of artists, make-up artists and sound technicians etc., etc. I estimate films to primitiveness simply: does it strike at heartstrings or does not. I – have been stroked, and even more.

During that period, years of perestroika, a lot of publications about «repressive psychiatry» appeared in the Soviet mass media. This phenomenon has not concerned me at all, God was merciful. But with one episode from my student’s life this film has caused the most direct associations.

In the second half of 70th years one guy studied with me on the same course, but in the other group, his name was Anatoly Rudenko. He was one of the best students and «the sample of behaviour in a life». And here once, on the third course, he has written the application in committee VLKSM that he can no more stay in Komsomol as he has found faith and considers incompatible with it the stay in the organisation of communistic (read – atheistic) youth. What has immediately begun! Imagine: the best university of the country – the Moscow State University, humanitarian faculty, and – such extraordinary event. More shortly, it could be absolutely compared with McMurphy’s (Jack Nicholson’s feature) attempt to escape prison in a madhouse, isn’t it?

The order to hold Komsomol meeting of group and to condemn an act of student Rudenko has urgently arrived. That the group, not without some disputes, has performed. I can imagine that it looked approximately the same as the discussion of problems of Harding organised by Nurse Ratched. The group has almost unanimously condemned an act of Anatoly. «But there was one who did not shoot». He, having squabbled on this basis with all group, has passed then in our group. And we have received particulars of all this history from him.

Is there anybody who can see the similarity with the former governor of Saint-Petersburg?

Well, the students group had performed the order of the above-standing comrades. But what about organization decisions? The strongest punishment which could carry out Komsomol meeting – an exclusion from the Komsomol. But Anatoly has excluded himself. Well, the senior comrades have solved, it is necessary to exclude him from the university. But on what reason? I wish to remind that membership in Komsomol was formally voluntary, and in the Constitution the freedom of worship was proclaimed.

More shortly, the senior comrades (read – spiritual colleagues of Nurse Ratched) have waited to the nearest session and «have pulled hard a crowd» on Anatoly. The whole chairs participated in examinations, real cross-examination with predilection had been arranged. But Anatoly, as I’ve already told, was the honours pupil, all questions answered. Anyway with the best marks he has reached the last examination in philosophy. I will notice, Marxist-Leninist philosophy. There the teacher too sweated-sweated, inventing questions, and eventually has summed up: «I see, you were thoroughly prepared for examination. But on the fourth year you will have a scientific communism. And you, with your world-view, will not pass it over. Therefore I gave you mark "two"^[1]. And there and then, without any repeating an examination, Anatoly have been dismissed from the university. For the academic poor progress. The constitution has not been broken.

With the documents received from the university, Anatoly could be hired only as a fireman in a boiler-house. Similar to McMurphy’s lobotomy, isn’t it?

Probably, I would not began to burst in so verbose post, if not one circumstance. I have glanced in the review of this film of Kinopoisk and have found out there the following characteristics: «there is no integrity and pure colours in the Picture …», or «I am disappointed. …film Shocke with its incomprehensibility, crumple.», or «Has reconsidered a film later 20 years to verify own impressions. There is no former delight. Possibly, first of all because the theme of madhouses at theatre and a cinema fairly obsolete, and does not look any more sharply.» Unless it about a madhouse?! The first my desire was to write the angry rebuff there and then. But then I has glanced in profiles of reviewers and has seen the data about their age: 18 – 20 – 22 years. All became clear. THEY ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND. Only Milos Forman, whose parents have burnt down on fire of fascist concentration camp’s furnaces, and he became the defector after «Prague spring» crushed by the Soviet tanks, managed to create a real masterpiece for all times from Ken Kesey’s rather average novel.

To count on full understanding of a film by the modern 20-year-old – all the same like, what to approach to the yard keeper-Tadjik, to read Shakespeare or Petrarka’s sonnet to him (it is not obligatory on a original language, it is enough in Russian), and then to ask: «Well, did you understand?» He, the Tadjik, is not guilty that all school days he has spent not at a school desk but on cotton harvesting. As also our 20-year-old are not guilty that the power promotes to them under the pretext of culture of «Dom-2»^[2] and «Comedy Club». At one these names I have an association with a fragment from this film: «Drug intake. Drug intake». Under silent pacifying music.