1954 | Not Rated | 2h 3m | Drama, Western
Some filmmakers use a narrative trick that almost feels like cheating in order to pique curiosity about their films. This clever setup involves starting a movie in the present and having the characters elude to something critical to the story that happened in the past.
An example of this technique can be seen in the excellent 1949 World War II war drama “Twelve O’Clock High” (starring Gregory Peck), in which a middle-aged American named Maj. Stovall (Dean Jagger) reminisces about the past at an old overgrown airfield. We wonder what he is thinking about before a flashback ensues to fill in the details….