The Straight Dope

Go Back   Straight Dope Message Board > Main > Cafe Society

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-15-2008, 10:36 AM
Sampiro Sampiro is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Is there a term for the revelatory/revisionist flashbacks used in TV & movies?

They're a plot device almost as old as film and particularly common in movies with a "twist ending". Examples (I'll spoiler just in case even though they're decade old movies):

Sixth Sense

SPOILER:
When it's revealed that Bruce Willis's character is a seen dead person there's a sequence of flashbacks in which you realize "hmmm, he wasn't interacting with his wife or anyone other than the kid after all, it just seemed like it".


Fight Club

SPOILER:
When it's revealed that Tyler Durden and the Narrator are the same person there's a flashback showing him beating himself up and having sex with Helena Bonham Carter's character


Thirty Rock has used the technique several times, including in last week's hysterical episode when Liz realizes "Oooh, now some of the things Oprah said make more sense..." ("My boyfriend's in 9th grade!" "I fly in first class free because my mom's a flight attendant!" "Well, I did sip champagne at my cousin's wedding...".)

They're flashbacks and they're revisionism, but I'm sure there's some kind of industry jargon for them other than revisionist flashbacks. Anyone know what the actual term is?

Last edited by SkipMagic; 11-15-2008 at 03:49 PM. Reason: Fixed tags.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

Send questions for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com

Send comments about this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy

Advertise on the Straight Dope!
(Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.)

Publishers - interested in subscribing to the Straight Dope?
Write to: sdsubscriptions@chicagoreader.com.

Copyright © 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC.