At first, a black bird flies circles in the sky overhead.An outline of a car - with its headlights on - emerges almost imperceptibly, filmed with tremendous depth of field, as it plows through the swirling snow toward the camera.The film""s story was based onNew York Sun(now defunct) newspaper reporter Malcolm Johnson""s expose, found in a series of 24 articles calledCrime on the Waterfront.Tracy opens a concealed compartment in the back of the limousine - a close-up shot reveals that it holds a collection of perfume bottles - she removes a bottle of "Complete Surrender" that she calls "Uncle Willie""s favorite.It was feared they would run out of rations in a few weeks, not see the Blue Star again, possibly sail off the edge of the world, or get eaten by sea serpents (Edmund""s main fear).P.) "Mac" McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), 38 years old, is escorted into the ward where he meets some of the bizarre, memorable patients/inmates (most of whom are voluntarily committed):"Chief" Bromden, aka "Broom" (Creek Indian Will Sampson in his film debut), a silent, dignified, huge and towering Indian giant - a "deaf and dumb Indian" "as big as a god-damn tree trunk" - with a father blinded after many years of alcoholismBilly Bibbit (Brad Dourif in his film debut), a pathetic, incessantly stuttering, paranoid boychild, thirty-year old - shy, virginal, impressionable, and deathly afraid of his motherDale Harding (William Redfield), an ineffectual, rationalizing intellectual - relatively sane but unable to get over his wife""s betrayal and adultery when she "seeks attention elsewhere"Charlie Cheswick (Sydney Lassick), an insecure neurotic lacking self-confidenceMartini (Danny De Vito in one of his earliest roles), a short, smiling with an immature personalityTaber (Christopher Lloyd in his film debut), a cynical, rouble-making sadistDr.