Flashback

Through the continual use of flashback, Baldwin fills in the history of Malcolm X's life as Malcolm drives his car from a parking lot in New York City to the Audubon Ballroom on the day of his assassination. In the first few lines of the opening scene of One Day, When I Was Lost: A Scenario, Baldwin uses the side-view mirror of Malcolm X's car to flashback to historical scenes in Malcolm's life. As the screen fills with fire, Baldwin takes the audience to the threatening image of hooded men on horseback, destroying a home and scaring a pregnant woman, who turns out to be Malcolm's mother.

As Malcolm drives along the city streets, this flashback process continues as certain images, such as the "cupola, at the topmost height of a New York building," stir memories in Malcolm's mind. Without warning, the audience is taken to Africa, Omaha...