really enjoyed this one. jack nicholson was fantastic as per usual. does the film adapt the book one to one, or is there more to dive into in the book?

>>21949475 (OP)

If you love the movie, you will at least like the book. It's told from the perspective of the Chief, so the perspective is interesting. I read it when I was much younger, and a long time ago, so I've forgotten a lot, but go for it. It's short and you can find it for a buck anywhere. One detail I remember is that the book basically begins with the subdivisions of all the patients in the hospital, noting their differences in mental capacity and the like.

>>21949475 (OP)

Can't say for sure, but I will say this: Kesey's other major novel, Sometime a Great Notion, is exceptional. I therefore recommend.

>>21949475 (OP)

You'll enjoy it but the plots diverge and converge frequently. It's not the same as the movie, but it's still on par.

>>21949475 (OP)

Kesey hated the movie because it portrayed Nurse Ratchett as the villain. In the book he makes it clear that Ratchet is just part of the machine of the hospital. The entire institution is what keeps the inmates and destroys their humanity, not one bitchy nurse. Once you read the book, you can see Keseys problem with the movie very clearly.

in democracy all public servants are guilty

>>21949475 (OP)

The book is far better than the movie. The movie kind of butchers and merges characters together.

How could the book be better when the film literally won Best Picture? The book won nothing at all.

>>21949475 (OP)

i recently read the book and watched the movie after and have an unfinished essay on the differences. the book is exceptionally deeper than the movie; comparatively the movie is a shell of the book with the themes and characters it presents. this is mainly due to the butchering of bromdens character, inner dialogues, and experiences and memories in the translation from book to film. my favourite part about the novel which is nowhere to be found in the film is its criticism of industrial society. even little things - like in the start of the book the mention of the plaque congratulating the patients for getting along and functioning, or the man who runs tours through the hospital basically advertising the patients as an achievement of modern society to able people - serve to support greater thoughts that the story makes one consider.



yeah the movie was REALLY successful, but it utterly fails depth wise compared to the novel. some people consider it the best film adaptation of all time, but that just makes me consider that film is an inferior medium to writing. im obviously biased, i much prefer everything in the book to the film.

forgot to add, my favourite chapter in the novel is definitely chapter 7

Winning isn't everything anon

op here, thanks team. sounds like i'll be reading the book.

i'll check that one out for sure!
