One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

19 mistakes - chronological order

(3 votes)

Continuity mistake: You see an opening scene where McMurphy is arriving by automobile. When he gets out of the car it is a cloudy dark day. A few seconds later when he is being brought into the hospital with the guards we see them entering the front door together from down the hallway. Now you can see that it is a bright sunny day outside. (00:04:20)

Continuity mistake: There's a problem with McMurphy's collar when he is delivered to the clinic: Till the moment he kisses the policeman good-bye his right collar is under and the left collar is over the jacket, thereafter it's the other way round. (00:05:20)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When the chief gets his first basketball lesson his ear does or does not stick out through his hair in alternating shots. (00:21:55)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In the scene where the boys are playing blackjack, watch McMurphy's cigarette as he talks to Martini about the rules of the game. It changes length throughout the scene. (00:26:10)

Continuity mistake: In the scene where McMurphy gets upset while playing blackjack, he gets up and walks towards the nurses' quarters to turn down the volume on the record player. Martini and Bibbit are still sitting at the card table while McMurphy is walking towards the nurses' quarters but when he gets inside, Martini is already leaning against the counter of the nurses' quarters with Bibbit close behind him. (00:27:00)

Visible crew/equipment: When McMurphy tries to make the "dancer" vote for the world series he dances with him through the hall. When he does that you see the shadows of the boom mike and cables on them. (00:43:50)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When McMurphy is doing the TV commentator he starts quite a riot. We see Sefelt banging with a brush on a dustpan, but between shots the brush disappears and the dustpan is in the other hand. (00:47:00)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When McMurphy climbs over the fence onto the tree and falls on the ground his shirt is more or less in order. When he gets up it's hanging over his right hip. (00:51:05)

NancyFelix

Other mistake: The movie is a time piece set in the year 1963. After McMurphy jumps the fence, there is an orange/red Ford Pinto in the scene. Ford Pinto's weren't introduced until 1970. (00:51:27)

Continuity mistake: When the guys go fishing on the boat and one of them catches a fish, they panic, and the boat starts to go in circles. In the close up shots and the wide shots in that scene the sea is very different from shot to shot. (01:02:10)

Continuity mistake: When the inmates return from their fishing trip and the boat enters the haven the sky is overcast, but a moment later we see the sun shining on the people waiting for them at the quay. (01:02:55)

NancyFelix

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: In the second basketball scene, when McMurphy shouts at Martini because he threw the ball against the fence, there's a lot of equipment visible on the left side, most prominently a big spotlight. (01:05:20)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In the "therapy" session where McMurphy discovers that most of the inmates are here voluntarily he first looks as if he hasn't shaved for days, but in the second half of the scene he is clean-shaven. In the same session the writing on the board behind Nurse Ratchett changes: It says "No smoking in pool area", but when she says "You're making some very challenging statements" the text disappears for one shot. (01:09:35 - 01:10:35)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In the scene where the patients are arguing over cigarettes and tossing one around from patient to patient, the cigarette varies in length from long to short and back again as you see different shots of patients getting the cigarette. (01:12:40)

Continuity mistake: When Billy is found after his suicide Harding, Martini, Sefelt, and Scanlon come rushing to the room one after the other. Seen from inside Sefelt and Scanlon have switched places. (01:55:55)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Mc Murphy is strangling the nurse at the end, from above his hat is lying on the floor, but when you see the shot from her angle, he is wearing it again. (01:56:55)

Continuity mistake: When McMurphy is brought to the ward after his brain surgery one of the males nurses puts a bag on the end of his bed. When they walk away the bag has disappeared. (02:00:20)

NancyFelix

Other mistake: In the scene where the Chief smothers McMurphy, when the Chief pulls the pillow away from McMurphy's face, you can see McMurphy's tongue moving up and down even though he is supposed to be dead. (02:03:45)

Revealing mistake: If you look closely at the scene where McMurphy climbs the fence and falls from the tree, Nicholson's stuntman looks nothing like him.

McMurphy: What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin'? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets, and that's it.

More quotes from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Trivia: In the scene where Doctor Spivey is interviewing McMurphy, this whole scene is improvised. Spivey (Dr. Dean Brooks) is the ACTUAL doctor of the institute in real life, and was simply told to interview Jack Nicholson (McMurphy) as if he was a real patient. Nicholson had to improvise and get from the beginning of the scene to the end.

More trivia for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Question: I don't understand the scene where Candy and Billy go into a room to have sex. McMurphy tells Chief that they will leave for Canada when Candy and Billy are done. Why did they stay there all night and fall asleep? Why did Candy stay in the room with Billy?

Answer: The girls who sneaked into the ward had brought alcohol and everyone was partying before McMurphy and Chief were to escape. Everyone got drunk while waiting for Candy and Billy to finish, eventually passing out. Candy and Billy probably just assumed McMurphy and Chief had already left or they'd fallen asleep.

raywest Premium member

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