Forman's early work "Nest" is worth going cuckoo over Laura Flyer Daily Arts Writer After watching Winona Ryder pout her way through the recent "Girl, Interrupted," it's difficult not to be reminded of a film of a drastically similar setting made a quarter of a century ago. Director Milos Forman succeeded where James Mangold and many other directors attempting to recreate well-written novels did not - he transformed the power of a dramatic yet disturbing story by novelist Ken Kesey into visual form with remarkable skill. The resulting film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," is as moving as it is disturbing, as weighty as it is light, and as funny as it is tearful. But most importantly, it brought out every significant theme that was in the novel. Compare that to Mangold, who left all of Susana Keysen's fabulous introspection in the dust with "Girl, Interrupted." Forman constructed characters whose unique visions lend themselves to a fascinating development on the screen. Each character isn't just a simple, wide-eyed hero who rises to every challenge without ever going astray - rather, they are complex and challenging, to themselves and the viewers. Forman's carefully-selected actors and talented cinematic abilities along with these multi-dimensional characters make his movies superb. From the immature yet vivacious genius of W. Amadeus Mozart in "Amadeus," to the tumultuous life of Larry Flynt in "The People vs. Larry Flynt," to most recently, the fascinating story of Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon," Forman has continued to build his reputation to the highest peak. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is one of Forman's earlier films, yet it is no less formidable. than the recent, better remembered biopics. Jack Nicholson gives a tremendously realistic portrayal of Randle Patrick McMurphy, who arrives at a mental institution due to his truant behavior on a prison work farm. Immediately, the film sets up the tension between the irrepressible McMurphy and Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), who is so wrapped up in sticking to routine and order and maintaining personal control over the ward that she overlooks the well-being of the pa- tients. These institutionalized people may be comfortable with their scheduled life, but they are also withheld from their freedom. McMurphy perceives their cowardliness in not standing up for what they would otherwise want. Therefore, he provokes their insecurities. He also brings their lives more meaning. Mostly, he treats them not as psychopaths, but as normal human beings. Forman does likewise to create scenes that are purely heartwarming. One day, McMurphy kidnaps the patients from under the nurse's nose and takes them on a fishing trip (by stealing a boat). The pure joy emanating from the patients is reflected from their various personalities. Each character is unique in their own right. Chief Bromden (Will Sampson) is assumed to be deaf and dumb, but is deemed one "sly sonofabitch" by McMurphy for covering it up. Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif) is a sweet and quiet young man with a stutter, Charlie Cheswick (Sydney Lassick) has a lot of insecurities and thinks passionately yet rationally, and Martini (Danny DeVito) has even more instabilities than Cheswick, but is a fundamentally caring man. These are just to name a few, however. Forman somehow is able to subtly take viewers into the lives of 18 patients while focusing on just a few. Nicholson leaves no room for arbitrary choices in his portrayal of the McMurphy personality - he is right on the ball. In fact, nothing less prestigious can be said about the rest of the cast, who all make equal contributions to the sense of realism, and stick close to the specifically-constructed characters in Kesey's novel. Astonishingly, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" got its proper due in spades from the Academy Awards voters. Forman, Nicholson and Fletcher, as well as Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben's script and the film itself, all earned Oscars in a sweep of the major categories. This unprecedented accomplishment has only been duplicated since by Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs." Above all, Forman should undoubtedly be recognized for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in being among the very few artists who understand the intricacies of transforming the emotional impact and subtleties of a beloved novel into a near masterpiece of filmmaking. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Now one of film's most respected directors, Milos Forman chats up Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love during "People v. Larry Flynt." Originally on page 6B in the 1-27-2000 issue of the Daily.