Original score composed by Jack Nitzche. A film that helped to cement Jack Nicholson's reputation as an actor willing to take roles on the bleeding edge, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was also notable for giving director Milos Forman a solid position in American cinema...and for giving composer Jack Nitzsche a place to show what he could do. As it is, the edgy nature of the film extends into the score, giving it a profoundly disturbing feel at times -- even when it appears to be relatively normal. The music has a tendency to always be a little off-kilter, and from time to time it tilts completely over into a strange little world of its own (something very familiar to fans of Van Dyke Parks, with whom Nitzsche worked quite a bit). It's a pity that this score has faded from sight over the time since its 1991 remastering; the music has certainly continued to stand up well over time. ~ Steven E. McDonald
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Soundtrack Music Review
Customer One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Soundtrack Reviews
Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)
Once heard - always remembered The mainly jazz composer, Jack Nitzsche, isn't one of the world's most celebrated artists. But this 1975 soundtrack for Czech Milos Forman's film based on the Ken Kesey classic novel is definetely one of the most characteristic soundtracks ever made.
Even though two of the tracks ("Charmaine", and (of course) "Jingle Bells") aren't Nitzsches own, there are plenty of other catchy tunes to choose from. All of the tracks are quite melodic.
But how can 12 simple instrumental tracks be so memorable? Simply because they're both original and incredibly melancholic.
The most charcteristic track is perhaps "Medication Valse" that, in musical terms, really underlines the horrible medical pacification of the meantal patients. Several tracks resembles the "Hawaiian" atmosphere that characterized the easy-listening music of the bourgeois 1950s. In between you can hear some happy rhythmic pieces such as "Bus Ride To Paradise".
The vibrating saw played on the title track (and the extended reprise with drums in the end) is perhaps the most tear-jerking piece. But still... It's damn beautiful! Submitted by c-4 (Odense, Denmark) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Soundtrack CD
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This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. Original score composed by Mervyn Warren. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer ...