For a full rundown of the previous 8 matches, the ‘rules’ and other such nonsense, see this post

Round 1, Match 9: Dr. Strangelove vs. Citizen Kane

Round 1, Match 10: Bridge on the River Kwai vs. Schindler’s List

Round 1, Match 11: Psycho vs. Patton
------------

Film vs. Film Challenge: Round 1, Match 12

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest vs. The Shawshank Redemption

Confinement and yearning to break free are at the heart of these two films. Man trapped by their circumstances, for right or wrong. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest immediately won huge acclaim. The Shawshank Redemption was a flop discovered later on home video. Both are now beloved.

VS.

VOTE!

Shawshank gets my vote.

This one is tough, I liked Shawshank Redemption when it first came out so I never understood why it was considered a flop. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest was one of Jack Nicholson's great Oscar performances. Damn you for making me actually have a hard choice this time St. John! Nicholson wins this time.

Shoot, this is a tough one. Gotta go with Shawshank. Although... I have to add Cuckoo's nest to my list of "it's been too long, watch this again" flicks.

No contest.

Both film's are about masculinity. Cuckoo shows us a man struggling to express his maleness in a feminized world. Nurse Ratched represents the domineering 1970's feminist that is telling every guy in the world, "The party's over." Unable to tame McMurphy, she effectively neuters him.

Shawshank travels in very similar waters, but lacks the clearly defined feminist antagonist (unless you consider his wife's affair to be an indirect cause of his imprisonment). In this case, it is about a man who is stripped of everything, his wealth, his reputation, even his liberty. Dufresne struggles to win back everything, slowly, gradually, over time. He is surrounded by broken men, but refuses to let himself break, too.

Shawshank wins my vote.

This one is pretty tough for me. I like David's breakdown of the films' thematic elements and will stand in his corner on those observations.

I think even moreso than that, though, I go with Shawshank because it's quite lovely to look at when compared to the dirtier, uglier Cuckoo's Nest, and because I found Shawshank to be quite uplifting. I feel kind of down after watching Cuckoo's Nest, kicked around by watching Jack get broken and sad that his gigantic spirit was killed. Shawshank lifts me up; it's very life-affirming. There is a wonderful spirit there, one of friendship, and survival, and persevering. The end scene chokes me up something fierce.

I mean, for that opera scene alone Shawshank should win. What a wonderful, wonderful movie moment.

Shawshank Redemption is the 3rd greatest film of all time.

So I vote Shawshank.

Shawshank Redemption is one of the greatest films I've ever had the pleasure of sitting through. Easy (Reader!) choice for me.

David and Eric sum up my opinion as well.
Shawshank gets the vote. (though Cukoo's Nest is still a great movie)

This vote was close, and could easily have been different, but Shawshank just had my favorite characters/ moments.

Shawshank, one of my top 10 of all time! tuff, tuff opponent though. cuckoo would have beaten out many other contenders!!!

Shawshank Redemption. Both great films, but that one leaves you with a better feeling of fullfillment at at the end.

Shawshank all the way. Almost as easy a choice as Psycho over Patton.

I go with Cuckoos.

I like Shawshank all right, and have watched it a millio times, but do i think it is one of the top all time films? No.

Shawshank for shaw.

Cuckoos nest was dreary and had the terminally unsexy Nicholson to boot.

I voted for Cuckoo's Nest. Shawshank is OK, but I don't understand why it's considered a great movie.
Chip

I went with Cuckoo's Nest. I love Jack!

ShAWSHANK. No contest.

If Shawshank was a "flop" that people overlooked, then how the heck did it get a Best Picture nomination and a Best Actor nomination for Morgan Freeman? (Quite an accomplishment for Freeman since he is clearly playing a supporting role and it is Tim Robbins who is the leading man. Just goes to show what an impression Freeman made on Academy voters.) I distinctly remember this film rising to the top of the iMDB charts when it was in the theatres. It may not have caught on the way Titanic did, but it quickly earned cult status BEFORE it came out on DVD.

This is a fairly easy choice for me for a number of reasons. First, I read the novella before the movie was made and it made an impression on me. (When I was reading it, M*A*S*H was on my mind and I imagined Alan Alda as Red and David Ogden Stiers as Andy. Go figure.) I also like the upbeat ending of Shawshank as opposed to the downer of Cuckoo's Nest. Finally, I have never forgiven the Academy nor film critic snobs for picking Cuckoo for Best Picture over Jaws. This does not change the fact that Cuckoo's Nest is also a classic film

Interesting thing you might want to know. Kirk Douglas bought the film rights to the book and he wanted to star in it himself. But by the time they could get this green-lit, he was clearly too old so he let his son produce the film and cast Jack Nicholson. Few people who saw Michael Douglas accept the Best Actor award for Wall Street realized it was his SECOND Oscar. His first was for Cuckoo, which I still firmly believe should have gone to David Brown and Richard Zanuck instead.

Kirk later got his wish though. Before his stroke, he starred in a TV movie about an ex-baseball player who ends up in a nursing home run by a sadistic nurse. Nobody has commented on this, but I firmly believe Amos was written as a chance for Kirk Douglas to finally play McMurphy...

I think it's criminal that Milos Forman doesn't enjoy the same amount of fame as some of his contemporaries. His work is always nuanced and brilliantly paced.

That said, I think SHAWSHANK is a shade better than CUCKOO'S NEST. Darabont's superb screenplay and exactitude as a director (not to mention Thomas Newman's score) make the movie unforgettable. Yes, Stephen King's original novella owes a lot to the film ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ, but by taking the "Dr. Watson" route (using Red as the narrator), he created something almost gentle and idyllic in tone, despite the brutal trappings of the tale.

Another vote for SHAWSHANK.

One more thing about the film---there is a great twist midway through it. Since I read the novella, I knew what was coming but they do a good job making you think something entirely different is going to happen...