Cuckoo's Nest - The American, Czech, and Native American Experience

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), in collaboration with the Czech Embassy and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), presented a memorable screening of director Miloš Forman One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with a very special surprise in the Warner Theater on October 28, at 1 pm. Audience members were treated to a call from Miloš Forman himself at the event. The event also included the reading of a special letter from President Obama celebrating Czech and American inspirations through the acclaimed director. Following the screening, Melissa Bisagni, Media Initiative Program Manager at NMAI, served as moderator with panelists Pavel Jech, dean of the prestigious film school in Prague (FAMU); Josef Lustig, professor and filmmaker; and Katherine Ott, medical sciences curator (NMAH). The panelists addressed questions concerning the inspiration behind Forman’s film, the Native American experience as seen through the film, and mental health institutions. The film won five Oscars and catapulted Miloš Forman’s career into stardom.