With people being slammed by so many disparate images these
days via
advertising and music-video-influenced narrative editing,
it's a bit
surprising to me that movie audiences have trouble with
flashbacks.
On the other hand, audiences enter a theatre with certain
expectations
about the film-viewing experience -- factor in the fact that
most Hollywood
films these days are very plot-driven, linear constructs
(Action Scene 1
leads to Action Scene 2 leads to Action Scene 3, ad nauseum .
. .), and
those expectations are thrown off by a flashback.
In a way, film editing has devolved over the years. Some of
the classic
silent films are much more sophisticated in their
storytelling than
contemporary films that can rely on wonderful new technology.
In fact, show
an old expressionistic German silent film ("The Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari,"
let's say) to a contemporary audience, and I'll bet at least
80% of the
audience will have a difficult time watching it and figuring
out what the
heck is going on.
Part of the reason Tarantino became a cinema darling, despite
whatever
flaws his films exhibit, is his willingness to play with
storytelling
structures and step away from the linear model. --
Duane
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