So when all those so-called screenwriting gurus tell you avoid flashback, have them take a look at Casablanca. Without that romantic interlude, explaining their true love, it's just another B flick. Also some of the best sub-text dialogue around -- from Ilsa's talk with Sam to Rick's sticking it to the Nazis -- gives you portents of the past and also what lies ahead.

So true, John. Hence that recent series I ran on flashbacks and voiceover narration. There is a prejudice against both, but in my view that is a result of them being badly used. When they are used well, as with Casablanca and as you noted, flashbacks can work quite well.