The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds

The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds (1965) is yet another epic restoration project overseen by the visionary Nicolas Winding Refn. Bert Williams, primarily known as an extra in films, directed this, his sole cinematic endeavor. Reading the synopsis, I anticipated a weighty Southern drama, but the film turned out to be a prime example of trash cinema at its finest.

Beyond the subpar acting and technical flaws, the film boasts a surprisingly bizarre cinematic language, simultaneously immersing the viewer in the events while also keeping them at a distance as a witness.

This film, which I had eagerly added to my Mubi watchlist, took me by surprise. It taught me, at the very least, to never question Nicolas Winding Refn's taste. The director's penchant for the unconventional shines through in his choice to resurrect this forgotten gem.

While the film may not appeal to everyone, its sheer audacity and unabashed embrace of its low-budget aesthetic make it a fascinating watch. The performances, though amateurish, exude a raw energy that is strangely captivating. The plot, while meandering at times, is punctuated by moments of unexpected humor and surrealism.

Technically, the film is rough around the edges, with grainy visuals and inconsistent sound quality. Yet, this only adds to its charm, giving it a gritty, authentic feel that is often lacking in more polished productions.

"The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds" is not a film for the faint of heart. It is a challenging, often uncomfortable viewing experience. But for those willing to venture into the depths of cinematic obscurity, it offers a unique and unforgettable journey.

I saw this film at the Drive-In, I believe it was The Arrow, when I was 11. The producers invited everyone who showed up free pizza at the end of the film. Both of my parents were in the film. I remember my Dad telling me that they lost a reel of the film when they were shooting in the Everglades which is why the story may not seem to flow very well. They didn't have the budget to re-shoot what they lost.

Long considered lost in the annals of cinematic history, a 35mm print of this Southern Gothic tale was discovered recently in a New York theatre. The film has since been restored and finally shown to audiences with the help of Mubi and film director Nicolas Winding Refn. This film is a classic case of a myth being built up so much that it doesn't quite live up to the reputation. The film is a passion project from star, writer, director, and editor Bert Williams. Williams plays an undercover cop called Johnson whose cover gets blown whilst trying to infiltrate a gang of violent moonshiners.

As he evades the gang through the murky swamps of the deep South, he finds himself washed on a small island. On this small island there's a dilapidated hotel with three somewhat off-kilter inhabitants. Johnson decides to stay at the hotel whilst the heat dies down, except strange occurrences keep happening to make him believe that he's not quite as safe as he thinks he is.

The film clearly draws a-lot of influence from past genre classics, most notably Psycho and Night of the Hunter. The film has an incredibly creepy atmosphere, alongside a couple of scenes with genuinely disturbing imagery. Unfortunately there's not much more to the film then that. The characters in this film aren't well defined or given much characterisation. The biggest issue I had was that the overall story felt dull, and it's not until the final twenty minutes when the plot starts moving that film becomes intriguing.

The film had a lack of urgency in the script and started to meander midway through. Due to the bland, uninteresting characters (and at times pretty bad acting), this film felt like a missed opportunity as the filler in between the interesting plot developments was poorly developed. The film would've made for a fantastic thirty minute short, but instead it's stretched out even with a short run-time of eighty one minutes. It's a shame because the film has some really great moments but not enough to sustain a feature film. In the end it's a film worth seeking out if you have Mubi for the rarity alone. However what you'll get is a B-movie mash up of Psycho and Night of the Hunter intersected with strikingly original moments that'll make you think this could've been a really great film.

When I watch a super-low budget, amateur movie like "The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds," I try to view it as if it were an amateur play at the local playhouse. My primary question: Did I enjoy it. The answer here is, yes, I (mostly) enjoyed it.

With that out of the way, the basic story line to "Nest" is pretty clever. (And director Bert Williams does just enough to hold the viewer's interest through to the very end where he ties things together.) The basic story line concerns undercover government revenue agent "Johnson" who has his cover blown and escapes into the everglades to avoid certain death. After an "interesting" encounter with a knife-wielding female, Johnson further escapes to an island housing the titular Cuckoo Bird Inn. The Inn is owned by religious fanatic, Mrs. Pratt, who is accompanied by caretaker, Harold, and Mrs. Pratt's daughter, Lisa. When he arrives, he is the only guest in the Inn. The balance of the film remains concerned with events at the Inn.

Now, if there is a defect here it is in the dialogue, which (not surprisingly) fills up quite a lot of the 1:20ish running time and can get rather sluggish at times. This movie would have suffered nothing by trimming its run time by 10 to 15 minutes. However, there are discernible plot points that move the action along. These center on Johnson's continued "snooping" of the restricted areas of the Inn and its surrounding property (much to the chagrin of Harold and Mrs. Pratt). What he eventually finds indeed qualifies the movie as a "horror" movie, though we get most of that in the last 20 or so minutes of the film.

Florida during the 1960s and early 1970s gave us some really strange gems, including "Two Thousand Maniacs!" (1964) and "Blood Freak" (1972). I will add this to my collection of Sunshine State curios.

If you tell me that a film is extremely rare &/or was lost for decades and miraculously resurfaced or got resurrected, chances are that this will equate to some immediate interest. This one turned out to not ultimately work as a mystery thriller, but still proved to be worth a look. Just have to add that if the character Harold's beard was fake, it has to have been one of the worst in the history of makeup, but if it was real that would be even more disturbing.