I would tend to agree that the misogny was a result of the time period. It irked me a bit in that so many of the characters (McMurphy, Bromden, and Candy) were totally overdone stereotypes, though. And Candy's voice . . . oh my god! I thought my ears were going to start bleeding.
And Randy Harrison. Good Lord, has he EVER taken a bad step on stage? I actually had to force myself to look away from him - red-rimmed eyes, pale as death face, cigarette burned eyes and everything. He just draws the eye; it's like he shimmers on stage. It's such a pleasure to watch him work.
EXACTLY!! And this is why I go to everything I can of his twice. Because he's so good that he's worth seeing again because a lot of the time there's so much nuance to what he does that you don't catch it all in one performance.
Jane, thank you for this review, but it seems a little bit shorter and less exhaustive than that one of yours from the last year was. Or, is it only a first part and we can expect the second part to follow it soon?
In a comment to your last year's report, I told you then that I saw only film, but not a play. I had watched Forman's Amadeus four times until I finally appeased my hunger. It's the same situation with this play too. I haven't yet seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on stage, but I managed to see the film three times - in one week. The film had never been presented in Yugoslavia before, so when it came finally, film-lunatics went in large numbers to see it, among them a little me. Of course, I had to grasp the opportunity when that one showed up suddenly.
but it seems a little bit shorter and less exhaustive than that one of yours from the last year was. Or, is it only a first part and we can expect the second part to follow it soon?
Nope that was it. I just really disliked this play - although I loved the performances. I don't have time to write a long review, especially for something that I disliked. So, I wrote about the best parts - the performances.
If you read the book it's shocking throughout because the "villains" are the Big Nurse's (Ratched's) "boys" -- the black attendants who brutalize the inmates. The racism, sexism, etc. of it is really troubling.
It's also a throwback not to the 1960's, when it was published, but to the early 1950's, when Kesey worked in an insane asylum in Oregon (if I remember correctly). I know a lot of people think Kesey was IN the nuthouse, but he wasn't -- he only worked there!
Interesting points, Gael. It's been many years since I read the book and watched the movie, but I didn't pick up on the racism and misogyny back then. But then again, these are different times and I'm sure I'd see it differently now. Coincidentally, Emma TIVO'd the movie today so I guess I'll be watching it again soon!
My impression of Kesey/Kerouac and that whole beat crowd was that it was sort of a boys' club. I definitely picked up on misogyny in "On the Road".
Fun factoid: My mom went to high school (in Denver) with Neal Cassady, and my boss went to college (Columbia) with Kerouac.
I can only speak for what I saw in the film and to me it seemed incredibly misogynistic and significantly racist: identifying the controlling institution with the only woman character who's not a prostitute says it all. And, if I remember correctly, Billy's mother, who's not on stage, but who looms large in Billy's subconscious, has a similar controlling role.
It might be because of the period in which it was written but this only means that misogyny was more acceptable then, not that the book/play isn't. But then, again, I saw quite a lot of misogyny in Equus....I have no problems with the idea of staging plays that are ideologically so dated and problematic, but I'd like to see the directors tackle those issues.
Thanks for your review! Glad that Randy is doing so well.
Billy's mother, who's not on stage, but who looms large in Billy's subconscious, has a similar controlling role.
This definitely contributed to my comment on the misogyny - it isn't JUST nurse Ratched, all of the female characters, present or not, are seriously demonized at worst, or stupid sluts at best.
it isn't JUST nurse Ratched, all of the female characters, present or not, are seriously demonized at worst, or stupid sluts at best
I have no reason to want to defend the play, but to be scrupulously fair, while there are notable exceptions, the guys in public mental institutions who have five-star mothers would be well in the minority. And history tells us attendants in prisons and institutions are sometimes good people but often are not. It may be that Kesey chose this setting so he could more easily release his pre-existing prejudices, but it'd be a very unconvincing play if it was set in the male quarter of a mental institution and most of the women seen and referred to were kind and caring.
I do agree with gmta_nz that "It might be because of the period in which it was written but this only means that misogyny was more acceptable then, not that the book/play isn't."
the guys in public mental institutions who have five-star mothers would be well in the minority. That may be true. However, Ratched does point out that Billy's mother is there for him, visits him, cares that the young woman he'd been "engaged" to was "beneath him..." The idea that the mother has no right to interfere in Billy's life is McMurphy's. And McMurphy's pov has to do exclusively with the subject of her interference with Billy's ability to get laid. So the pov being forwarded by the story is specifically McMurphy's - as I watched the story, I couldn't find any "fair" evidence that Billy's mother was actually the root of Billy's problems. Doubtless, he had to get away from her, as the story points out - with Billy's growing health and then suicidal crisis at the end when Ratched threatens him with telling his mother about his fucking McMurphy's slut, but blaming Billy's serious problems on the mother and Ratched, and not on McMurphy who was problematically (in my view) imposing his belief structure on an impressionable and
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And Randy Harrison. Good Lord, has he EVER taken a bad step on stage? I actually had to force myself to look away from him - red-rimmed eyes, pale as death face, cigarette burned eyes and everything. He just draws the eye; it's like he shimmers on stage. It's such a pleasure to watch him work.
EXACTLY!! And this is why I go to everything I can of his twice. Because he's so good that he's worth seeing again because a lot of the time there's so much nuance to what he does that you don't catch it all in one performance.
Zoom of the shoes . . .
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Spelling is optional. Unless it's funny, then we will point and laugh.
I'm off to Broadway now. It's a theater weekend! I haven't exactly slept...
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In a comment to your last year's report, I told you then that I saw only film, but not a play. I had watched Forman's Amadeus four times until I finally appeased my hunger. It's the same situation with this play too. I haven't yet seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on stage, but I managed to see the film three times - in one week. The film had never been presented in Yugoslavia before, so when it came finally, film-lunatics went in large numbers to see it, among them a little me. Of course, I had to grasp the opportunity when that one showed up suddenly.
Good luck at finding The Shoes!
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Nope that was it. I just really disliked this play - although I loved the performances. I don't have time to write a long review, especially for something that I disliked. So, I wrote about the best parts - the performances.
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Just few minutes ago, Rhys reminded me about HP's last book - only four more days and you, in US, will have a pleasure to read it.
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Right! I can't wait to be spoiled as to the ending. I want Draco/Snape end up blissfully together 4evah.
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the "villains" are the Big Nurse's (Ratched's) "boys" --
the black attendants who brutalize the inmates. The
racism, sexism, etc. of it is really troubling.
It's also a throwback not to the 1960's, when it was published,
but to the early 1950's, when Kesey worked in an insane
asylum in Oregon (if I remember correctly). I know a lot
of people think Kesey was IN the nuthouse, but he wasn't --
he only worked there!
Reply
My impression of Kesey/Kerouac and that whole beat crowd was that it was sort of a boys' club. I definitely picked up on misogyny in "On the Road".
Fun factoid: My mom went to high school (in Denver) with Neal Cassady, and my boss went to college (Columbia) with Kerouac.
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DIE KESEY DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!
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It might be because of the period in which it was written but this only means that misogyny was more acceptable then, not that the book/play isn't. But then, again, I saw quite a lot of misogyny in Equus....I have no problems with the idea of staging plays that are ideologically so dated and problematic, but I'd like to see the directors tackle those issues.
Thanks for your review! Glad that Randy is doing so well.
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This definitely contributed to my comment on the misogyny - it isn't JUST nurse Ratched, all of the female characters, present or not, are seriously demonized at worst, or stupid sluts at best.
Glad that Randy is doing so well.
It's such a joy to watch him work, it really is.
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I have no reason to want to defend the play, but to be scrupulously fair, while there are notable exceptions, the guys in public mental institutions who have five-star mothers would be well in the minority. And history tells us attendants in prisons and institutions are sometimes good people but often are not. It may be that Kesey chose this setting so he could more easily release his pre-existing prejudices, but it'd be a very unconvincing play if it was set in the male quarter of a mental institution and most of the women seen and referred to were kind and caring.
I do agree with gmta_nz that "It might be because of the period in which it was written but this only means that misogyny was more acceptable then, not that the book/play isn't."
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