MovieChat Forums > One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Discussion > Leaving out the rape

Leaving out the rape

posted 9 years ago by Freddyfan951
16 replies | jump to latest

I just started reading the book after seeing this, and the orderlies raping the patients was a big part of it, it was even in the first sentence and pages. I know that tackling such a subplot of male on male rape would have probably been far too transgressive, and would have conflicted with the light-hearted aspects of the film.
Was anyone else a little disappointed at this, or at least wondering what would have been different had the adaptation covered this as well, even in the form of subtle suggestions?

[–] SnoozeAlarm 9 years ago

There's a *beep* load of stuff left out of the book. To single this one element out of all the other stuff that was left out doesn't make sense to me.

If a private venture fails it's closed down. If a government venture fails it's expanded. M Friedman

[–] Freddyfan951 9 years ago

I am aware of the change in perspective from Chief to McMurphy, but I bring this up specifically because I am a few chapters into the book right now, and this is the biggest change I have noticed so far. When I complete it, I will be aware of everything else they left out.
Also, I don't see why focusing on one thing at a time, even if it is uncomfortable, is a bad thing, especially one that would drastically alter the tone of the film.

[–] SnoozeAlarm 9 years ago

Fair enough! Good answer.

If a private venture fails it's closed down. If a government venture fails it's expanded. M Friedman

[–] Zuider_Zee 9 years ago

I wasn't at all disappointed but I found the movie to be superior to the source material.

[–] Freddyfan951 9 years ago

I do like the direction the film went, even if it is more light-hearted. It stands very well on it's own.

[–] jaseace 9 years ago

Hell youd be surprised how often it happens. My friend works at a mental health complex and he tells me all the stuff that happens. Staff screwing even sometimes raping the patients. Patients raping other patients. No wonder they never get better its just like a big lockdown adult day care center. The world is too much and they end up there then really get messed up even more.

[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 9 years ago

I started the book and I was shocked at the rape. It even says Nurse Ratchett wants to turn every patient into a vegetable.
Green Goblin is great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1L4ZuaVvaw

[–] tyrexden 9 years ago

Didn't know about it... but glad they left it out.... It would've become a main plot point to symbolize how messed up the hospital was, when in reality, it was not required to have communicated that point.

They go way more into Andy's rape in the Shawshank book too, but the movie deftly covered it in whispers.

[–] Freddyfan951 8 years ago

I would have to agree. But I wonder if implying it would have been more better to do. After the party, Taber's reaction to the orderly that got him might hint at it, but that's probably just me.

If they ever did remake it, it would be alot more messed up if they made it from Chief's perspective and included his hallucinations what the orderlies were doing.

[–] LadyLovie 8 years ago

that goes over my head every time. I read the book twice. on this message board, a few ppl say it's subtlety dropped patients r being raped by orderlies in the beginning. guess I have to read it 1 more time.

***
child please

[–] Bloom6000 8 years ago

What happened to Baccini ("I'm tired!") after the first group therapy? You can hear him yelling "get your hands off me!" and the orderlies saying "get a hold of his legs!"

Was he getting raped or just physically restrained?

[–] kennellygerard 8 years ago

McMurphy is a pedo

am i the only one who sees that ?

[–] InherentlyYours 8 years ago

McMurphy is a pedo
am i the only one who sees that ?

Is that one of your victims in your avatar? You dont' have the best taste in kids.

[–] tohu 8 years ago

McMurphy is a pedo

Hs is indeed. This is mentioned in the script. The whole reason he is at the hospital at all is because he has been convicted of having sex with a 15 year old girl, and the authorities want to assess whether he is insane so they know how to sentence him. All this is mentioned in the scene in the doctors office.
_____________

"Maybe I should go alone"
- Quint, Jaws.

[–] Wuchak (8852) 5 years ago

No he's not a pedo. At worst he'd be an ephebophile, someone sexually interested in mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15-19; this means fully sexually developed youths. Pedophiles, by contrast, are sexually attracted to prepubescent children. That's a pretty big difference.

Yet McMurphy wasn't a strict ephebophile since he was clearly interested in attractive females period, not just those in their mid-late teens.

[–] whynotwriteme (7815) 5 years ago

There is no mention of orderlies raping patients in the book. The first sentence the OP mentions is just one of Bromden's schizophrenic hallucinations. He imagines the "black boys", as he calls the orderlies, committing sex acts in the hall before Bromden gets up, and then mopping up afterwards. Bromden is insane. The orderlies are just mopping the floors as part of their jobs. I don't see how the OP missed this, because Bromden's narration is full of bizarre, unlikely events that are obvious hallucinations.

Some people seem to either read this book too literally, or read things into it from their own fantasies.