Narrative technique · used in 1 film

Flashback Within Flashback

Placing a second flashback inside the first so the main storyteller's version of events gets corrected by a deeper memory. The truth arrives from inside the story already told.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) poster

    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

    John Ford · 1962

    Stoddard's story seems settled until Doniphon tells him what really happened at the showdown. That inner memory turns the legend of the gunfight into a lie that a friend let stand.

    Where to see it: Convention confession: Doniphon reveals that he shot Valance from cover with Pompey's rifle at the same moment Stoddard fired.

Questions

Quick answers

What is flashback within flashback in film?
Placing a second flashback inside the first so the main storyteller's version of events gets corrected by a deeper memory. The truth arrives from inside the story already told.
Which films use flashback within flashback?
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
What kind of technique is flashback within flashback?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Elderly Frame Narrative, Revisionist Genre Argument, Symbolic Object.

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