One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a very ingenious movie. The book is just as good and crazy as the movie is. There are a great number of similarities and differences between the book and the movie. The biggest change between the two is that the movie is seen from McMurphys" point of view. The book is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden and that greatly changes the way everything is seen. One more big change is the fact that Taber is alive in the movie. In the book Taber died before McMurphy ever came on the ward. The biggest similarity between the two is the constant battle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. McMurphy and Nurse Ratched are the two biggest influences on the patients in the ward. The other huge similarity between the two is the ending of the movie, which is almost identical except for one change.
The difference in point of view is what separates the book from the movie. In the book everything is seen from Bromdens" point of view. In the movie a whole new perspective is given seeing things through the eyes of McMurphy. The machines and all the crazy stuff that are seen by Bromden in the book are lost in the movie. One thing that also greatly changes is how well the characters are known. The fact that McMurphy is saner then Bromden helps to make the characters more familiar. The movie would be a lot longer if all the characters were described like they are in the book. For this reason not all the characters are given a background in the movie. Changing the point of view also makes Bromden seem like more of a mysterious character in the movie.
In the movie Taber is alive from the beginning to the end. In the book Taber dies before Mcmurphy ever arrives on the ward. Taber ends up becoming one of the main characters in the movie. Taber is constantly tormenting Cheswick and driving him crazy in the movie. Taber is also one of the patients on the ward that McMurphy influences throughout the movie.