Michael Douglas slams U.S. politics while honoring ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ at Karlovy Vary: “We’re flirting with autocracy”
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While attending the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Michael Douglas not only reflected on cinema history but also expressed his worries about the future of democracy in the United States.

Douglas was in town to showcase a newly restored version of Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. During the event, he spoke to reporters about the current political climate in the U.S., stating that the country is “flirting with autocracy,” as reported by Variety.

Douglas elaborated, saying, “I view democracy as something incredibly valuable and yet fragile, requiring constant protection. Politics now seem more driven by profit. Money has become a significant factor in democracy… We used to hold ideals in the U.S. that are no longer present today.”

He added, “I prefer not to go into too much detail — the news speaks for itself. I myself am worried, I am nervous, and I think it’s all of our responsibility to look out for ourselves.”

The screening marked 50 years since Cuckoo’s Nest premiered in Karlovy Vary. Douglas, who produced the Oscar-winning classic, was joined by producer Paul Zaentz and Forman’s family for the tribute. “It’s a treat to come back here to the scene of the crime,” he said.

Douglas also reflected on the film’s historic Oscar win: “I ask you, in the last 20 years, has there ever been anywhere near that kind of quality of movies there?” (Cuckoo’s Nest beat Jaws, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, and Nashville.)

Zaentz revealed a potential Cuckoo’s Nest TV series is in the works — not a remake, but a new story told through Chief Bromden’s perspective. “At the end of the first series, the Jack Nicholson character would die,” he said. “That I’m OK with, but never a remake.”

He’s also developing a The English Patient series and Backyard Desert, a drama about U.S. border agents encountering a dying Mexican immigrant.

Douglas, meanwhile, said he has no immediate plans to return to acting following his throat cancer battle. “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set,” he said. “I say I’m not retired… but otherwise, no.”

That said, he’s developing “one little independent movie” — and in the meantime, he joked, “In the spirit of maintaining a good marriage, I’m happy to play the wife” in his long-time relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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