Best movie mistakes of 1940

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Fantasia picture

Other mistake: In the intro to the Pastoral Symphony, the narrator identifies the deity who cloaks the world with Night to be Morpheus, who is the Greek god of sleep and dreams. However, the character in the animation is fairly obviously female, with long hair, eye shadow, and lipstick. My theory is that the character was intended by the art team to be Nyx, the Greek goddess of Night. Night would be a more likely candidate to be making it nighttime across the world, while Morpheus would be more likely to put people to sleep or send them dreams.

Roger Cline

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Suggested correction: Without further evidence/proof, this theory remains just that. A theory.

THGhost

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The Great Dictator picture

Continuity mistake: During the middle of the film, a butler comes in and out of the Dictator's office several times repeatedly. The door is open and shows the corridor outside the office, casting the shadow of a window off-screen. The shadow changes from small to big bewteen shots.

Sacha

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Pinocchio picture Pinocchio mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Pinocchio is locked up in the cage of Stromboli, Jiminy goes inside the cage lock, and he hangs his coat and hat on the outside of the lock. In the next shot, they have disappeared.

Hamster

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The Mummy's Hand picture

Factual error: When Kharis is being examined by Petrie, he says that the lines on his face were caused by him being buried alive. In the next sentence he goes on to say that Kharis shows the best example of the embalmer's art that he has ever seen. Strange - if you're planning on burying someone alive you wouldn't embalm them first - that process would kill them!

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Rebecca picture

Revealing mistake: The first morning the new Mrs De Winter is at Manderley, she goes to have breakfast, but when she attempts to pour milk into her coffee, there's no milk in the jug; she's just pretending to pour it.

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Swiss Family Robinson picture

Revealing mistake: During Fritz's fight with the giant anaconda in the swamp, James MacArthur's stunt double becomes apparent by virtue of a bald spot showing on the back of his head. (01:10:30)

Jean G

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Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe picture

Continuity mistake: Chapter 2: Freezing Torture. When Dale falls from the mountain, her pick stays on the top but she still has it in her hands in the next shot.

Dr Wilson

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The Sea Hawk picture

Continuity mistake: As the crew of an English ship are crouched down on deck prior to a battle with a Spanish galleon, one of them stands up and moves to the other side. As he does so part of the background projection (ocean and sky) is shown on his back.

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His Girl Friday picture

Continuity mistake: There is a scene when they are all in the press room when he's inside the desk. As Hildy goes to get water you can see she's wearing the black heels she's been wearing throughout the movie. In the next shot as she walks behind the table, if you look through the table legs you can see she's wearing a pair of flat white slippers/loafers.

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The Philadelphia Story picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where a drunk Connor visits CK Dexter Haven at his home after Uncle Willie's party, Dexter's pyjamas and dressing gown change from shot to shot. First his pyjama top is done up, then it is open, then done up, then open again.

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Road to Singapore picture

Continuity mistake: In the first fight scene aboard the boat, Ace's hat falls off his head. He then breaks through a door and falls down. As he stands up, the hat reappears on his head.

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Busman's Honeymoon picture

Continuity mistake: Near the beginning Harriet Vane produces tokens for herself & Lord Peter Wimsey of miniature handcuffs with one cuff "open to symbolise we're giving up on crime". She puts hers on as a bracelet. Immediately after & several times throughout the film it's clear hers is a set of closed handcuffs.

Christopher Walters

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The Shop Around the Corner picture

Continuity mistake: As he is talking, Jimmy Stewart is writing on small boxes and placing them in a pile. He sets one down, and when the camera changes, he's suddenly got one in his hand again. (00:27:35)

Jack's Revenge

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The Grapes of Wrath picture

Other mistake: Noah, the brother, just disappears from the movie with no explanation at all.

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Go West picture

Continuity mistake: Baxter and Beecher are riding in a horse-drawn wagon. As they go across a bridge, the train carrying the Marx Brothers approaches. Baxter and Beecher leap off the bridge, one jumping to the right and one jumping to the left, but they are side by side when they land in the river below.

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A Kick in Time picture

Continuity mistake: Once Spunky is kidnapped and Hunky takes off chasing the truck, you see the truck going along the road passing just some grass and one large rock on its left side. Once Hunky catches up to the truck, it cuts to a side view close up of him and Spunky's head sticking out the back, and suddenly the truck is passing a very large rock that was not there in the previous shot. The rock is taller than the truck, so it would have shown. And then it's very obvious the background is then looped as the same huge rock passes the truck every few seconds repeatedly. (00:01:35)

Quantom X

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Saps at Sea picture

Continuity mistake: The electrical outlet beside the door explodes and falls off the wall when the doorbell is rung. A few minutes later, when Dr. Finlayson leaves, the outlet has replaced itself. (00:18:35)

Jean G

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Elmer's Candid Camera picture

Continuity mistake: When Elmer thinks he's going mad, we see a close-up of the book "How to Photograph Wild Life" and you can see there is damage to the front cover and the spine. But when the rabbit throws the book at Elmer at the end of the cartoon, there is now no damage to the book at all.

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A Wild Hare picture

Continuity mistake: When Elmer thinks he has captured Bugs in his trap, there is a sign by the trap that reads "Carrots." In the next shot, the sign has gone.

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