Further Research: Louise Fletcher

Louise Fletcher was an American actor, who is best known for her unforgettable role as Nurse Ratched in an American psychological drama(1975) "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", directed by Milos Forman. The main point of the film is the struggle of individuals in the institutions' system which usually works with a machine-like efficiency. It is all about individual expression which was represented in a character of McMurphy and about the the danger of tyranny in a face of Nurse Ratched. After watching this movie I was most impressed particularly by the play of Louise Fletcher. Her acting skills were so strong that only by her facial expression and calm behaviour everyone felt a big fear just by looking in her eyes.

Through the character of nurse Ratched the paradox of such hospitals was shown. In fact, it should be the place for recovering but here we can see the opposite side. It is like a 'machine' aimed at patients' demolition in which nurse Ratched was a main character.

Louise Fletcher: Nurse Ratched

I am impressed how masterly Louise Fletcher embodied the role of a character with obviously psychological diseases and how she managed to convey the messages through it. Therefore, I decided to figure out what techniques or ways she used to create such a great result.

What really attract my attention is her special vision on how to use her background in the process of acting. She decided to remember the life when she was younger, and the way people behaved and treated each other. Some of these memories were very similar to the film's theme so she applied it to her character, It is something similar to Method Acting technique I would say which appeals to me. In my opinion, own background and life experience are the most important and effective ways to understand the circumstances, because it always easy when you went through it already.

Louise Fletcher: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Louise Fletcher was very detailed in portraying Nurse Ratched. She thought about everything - appearance, hair style, costume, behaviour. She even asked several people for advice on the name of the character. This obviously shows that unless you are very deep in learning your character, you can't achieve a great result. Because in order to embody the role, you need to create another person with their own background, habits, hobbies, character and appearance.

Louise Fletcher's colleague Marlee Matlin who was deaf remarked Louise as a "brilliant actress" and the first who spoke using sign language while giving speech in Oscar. "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" was definitely phenomenal and got lots of awards in different nominations. Therefore, in 1976 Louise Fletcher also had a chance to win an Oscar for the role of Nurse Ratched.

References

Maishman, E. (2022). Louise Fletcher: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s Nurse Ratched dies aged 88. BBC News. [online] 24 Sep. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63019250 [Accessed 13 Nov. 2023].

Frey, A. (2019). ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ Themes. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-themes-4769198.

Gilbey, R. (2022). Louise Fletcher obituary. The Guardian. [online] 25 Sep. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/25/louise-fletcher-obituary [Accessed 13 Nov. 2023].

Corbett, D. (2022). Crafting an Unforgettable Villain: Lessons from Louise Fletcher’s Portrayal of Nurse Ratched. [online] Writer Unboxed. Available at: https://writerunboxed.com/2022/10/14/crafting-an-unforgettable-villain-lessons-from-louise-fletchers-portrayal-of-nurse-ratched/ [Accessed 13 Nov. 2023].