Continuity mistake: In the chapel, before Indy turns the chalkboard over to explain the staff of Ra and the medallion to the G-men, the chalkboard goes back and forth from tilting forward to tilting backward a few times.
Factual error: The captain of the Bantu Wind, Katanga, wears a hat that originated from the Yugoslav People's Navy. But the Yugoslav Navy wasn't formed until 1945, 9 years after this movie takes place.
Factual error: During the fight scene at the German flying wing, the pilot ducks into the plane and pulls out a pistol and cocks it. The pistol is a P38 9mm semi-auto that the Germans did not issue until 1938, two years later.
Factual error: The interior of the German U-boat is completely different from the real interior of a Type VII U-boat, which is correctly shown in movies like 'Das Boot' or 'U-571'. For example, the ladder from the conning tower faces a different direction, the map table is too big and on the wrong side, the valves for submerging are on the side of the control room and not at its front and stern, depth gauges are too big...etc. All interiors were standardized, so it could not have been an individual build.
Character mistake: When the crew of the German U-boat boards Katanga's ship, the submarine moves in a position perpendicular to the ship's bow as if to block its path. In reality, this would have been a pretty stupid move by the German captain, as Katanga could have rammed the submarine easily. Any kind of damage to the hull, especially ramming damage (even from small ships), would have been catastrophic to the submarine. It makes no sense to make a manoeuvre like this.
Continuity mistake: As Indy and Marion are starting to run from the plane, you can see the yellow wheel chocks are back in place under the plane's tires.
Continuity mistake: After Indy steals the idol, while he is hanging in the well, in the front angle his left leg is bent and already outside, in a quite comfortable and secure position; yet in the angles from behind both legs are inside, hanging loose.
Factual error: When Indy flies to Nepal, there is a scene of the sea plane taking off with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The movie is set in 1936, and the bridge wasn't completed until 1937, with pictures from December 1936 showing large gaps still in the deck that do not appear in the movie. (00:23:00)
Other mistake: At the beginning of movie when Indy is about to steal the gold idol, the camera does a close-up of it. The idol has been in a decaying temple for hundreds of years. but it appears shiny and new, as though just placed there. You'd expect the idol to at least be dusty or covered in jungle debris.
Other mistake: When Indy and Marion are sealed in the well of souls, they are completely cut off from the outside world. As such, other than the torches, it should be pitch black, but it is surprisingly well lit in there.
Revealing mistake: When Belloq's head explodes, the actor has been visibly replaced by a dummy.
Factual error: There's absolutely no way Sallah and Indy would be able to lift that 'lid' (for lack of a better word) off the ark. That thing is solid rock and would weigh close to a metric ton - and none of them look like professional deadlifters to me.
Factual error: When Indy is attempting to steal the Ark when driving the truck, one of the soldiers shoots him in the arm. Then another German punches him repeatedly in the same arm, causing Indy great pain and injury. After suffering a wound like that there's no way he'd be able to move that arm, let alone raise it above his head. But the next day after the boat is stopped by the sub, Indy jumps into the water and swims to the sub without any problems.
Continuity mistake: When Toht frees Marion, Dietrich enters the tent, and a few seconds later, Gobler does the same. In the next shot, Gobler enters first, and Dietrich second. (01:07:52)
Continuity mistake: When Belloq and the Germans are at the Well of the Souls, a top-down view shot when Indy yells, "Why don't you come on down here and I'll show you!" shows Belloq and a German soldier kneeling down to the left of him, also looking down into the hole. But, the side view shots show only Belloq standing near the opening.
Continuity mistake: When Indy is listening to the one Army agent he is in the process of putting his right hand into his pocket. In the next shot the hand is back on the leather case. (00:16:46)
Continuity mistake: When the Cairo Henchman pulls the knife on Marion, the blade edge changes position from down to up to down again.
Revealing mistake: During the big car chase where Indy follows the ark, he comes down a hill on a horse to get into the truck. You can tell the ground has already been disturbed by the horse from previous takes.
Revealing mistake: After the German is chopped up in the propeller and the plane explodes, you can the blasting cord exploding along the path to the explosion.
Continuity mistake: When Indy sits down in the seat of the plane look behind him, there is nobody holding a Life magazine or fitting the description of the man later shown watching him from the other seat.
Answer: I also remember this scene. After the ark is sealed, the camera performs a close up of the side of the crate. The stamp reads "Top Secret Army Intel 9906753 Do Not Open" This stamp is burned off just like the swastika is in the scene on the submarine, because in the eyes of God, no nation is holy or worthy enough to claim ownership of the ark. However, this final scene was cut (the burning of the stamp) from the film for a variety of unclear reasons. While it was in theaters, this scene was not included on the DVD version.
Add me to this. We saw the movie in a "pre release" version in Orlando Florida. No advance warning of the movie. We went to see another flick and at the end were "invited" to see this if we were willing to critique it afterwards. This scene was included. I also always wondered why the change.
I also remember seeing this mysterious 'burning' of the logo, most likely it was on a VHS copy of this movie. Yes, it did exist.
I saw it in former Czechoslovakia in the second half of 80's in cinema (west movies came to the east countries' cinemas years later). And I thought it was a great joke that burning out the swastika wasn't just because the Nazis are bad but because nobody is great enough to own the arc. Then after the Velvet revolution I saw the film again on TV (beginning of 90's) and said everyone around: watch it until the end, wait on the post-credit scene, there will be a surprise.
And there was a surprise. The scene was cut off! I was angry on the TV they didn't show the scene. I cannot be influenced by internet discussion or urban legend. The internet didn't exist yet.
I saw it in Portland, Oregon, and was so impressed with the message it carried, that I told friends and we went several times just to see it. Funny thing was when I mentioned it a few years ago, many people said I was a LIAR that it never happened. I could not convince anyone. It was removed because it wasn't Politically Correct. USA is a force for good, God would not burn off AMERICAN TEXT! BUT WE DID SEE IT. Thanks to our Australian eye witness, we know we did not imagine it.