One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest can be classified as a classical and a realistic type of movie. Each classification can be determined based on different aspects of the movie. At first glance, this comes off as a classical paradigm movie. As McMurphy joins the patients in the mental facility, it is evident that he and Nurse Ratched will combat each other mentally throughout the movie. This relationship exemplifies the protagonist/antagonist relationship in the classical paradigm. McMurphy, the protagonist, initiates the action of changing policies in the hospital while Nurse Ratched, the antagonist, is clearly against this change and ultimately against McMurphy. Although Nurse Ratched is so against McMurphy, she tries to be somewhat democratic when she allows for a vote to be taken on whether or not the World Series would be watched, to give McMurphy a false sense of having a say in what happens at the hospital. However, when McMurphy gets the votes needed, she changes her requirements and shows that she has the ultimate power over him.

This movie can also be defined as classical the way the movie plays out. As the movie progresses, the audience learns each of the characters' stories and why they are in the mental facility. Even though McMurphy is stunned to find out that most of the people in the hospital can leave at any time, this helps drive the journey that McMurphy must travel. Watching the movie, we become sentimental to the fact that McMurphy wants to help free everyone from the hospital and wants to get away himself. However, when given the chance, McMurphy does not leave the hospital that he so desperately despises. He is more concerned with the wellbeing of his new found friends. In the end of the movie, McMurphy is left helpless and a patient he befriended rescues him from his "treatment". This shows that although McMurphy was the protagonist, Nurse Ratched, the antagonist ultimately won because McMurphy's personality and mind was taken from him. It could be argued that McMurphy won because he helped show the patients that they can be confident and have the resources to make it out in the real world. The conflict between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is very clear-cut, which also signals a classical movie type.

There are also several reasons this movie can be classified as realistic. Although some situations in the movie seem farfetched, many of the conditions stated in the movie could