Mise-en-scene in the credits of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• what does the imagery of the opening shots (the credit sequence) suggest to the audience?

In the opening sequence the credits show Mountains covered in snow which conveys the bleakness of the film, and then a car cutting through the darkness with McMurphy inside this represents that his character is vibrant and full of life which contrasts to the Mountain. The mountains in the credit sequence could portray the mental institution and how McMurphy differs from this.

• Compare the different ways that we are introduced to the two main characters Nurse Ratched and McMurphy 

Nurse Ratched is the first character shown at the beginning of the film, this could represent her dominance over other people including her patients in the institution. Also in the opening sequence she enters the mental institution through a caged door with a red light shone above it. The colour red has associations with war, danger , power, rage, anger, leadership and malice. Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). Nurse Ratched in the credit sequence wears a black outfit , this conveys that she has a more sinister side to her character than what is shown directly. Also black has connotations of power, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour and could denote strength and authority. Black contrasts with brighter colours, such as blue ( the colours McMurphy wears ) this can signify the difference between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy and how as the film progresses their characters might clash. The colour blue is associated with knowledge, tranquillity and intelligence this conveys McMurphy's character and highlights the contrasts between him and the authority figure in the film. Rebellion is suggested in the opening sequence when McMurphy arrives at the mental institution wearing a leather jacket which shows that he is a defiant and free-willed character. In the credit sequence Nurse Ratched is represented as the most dominant and superior character as this conveys the 1970's gender roles and how they were challenged by women , this is also shown by how McMurphy is displayed as being inferior. The difference between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy could foreshadow the conflict later in the film.