Back to the Future

Continuity mistake: When Biff chases Marty out of the cafe in 1955 and Marty 'makes' the skateboard, there is an odd shot of a tree. When Biff's car drives through the grass, the big tree in the shot is shaking violently, yet all the trees are completely still during the chase before and after this shot. During this entire scene, differences regarding varying degrees of windy then calm, wet vs dry pavement and variations in shadows cast are numerous. (01:06:30)

Paul Van Scott

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the 1955 skateboard chase scene around the town square, note how the skateboard used throughout the whole chase scene changes at least 4 times. Namely different wheels, trucks and the trucks' wooden mountings. (01:03:15)

Paul Andrews

Revealing mistake: When Marty crosses the park in front of the court house and the camera pans around following Marty while showing the town, watch one of the buildings in the middle background. Part of the building is grey and has 2 windows and is supposed to have a slanted roof, but if you watch closely, it appears that building is in fact only a wall with nothing behind it. (00:34:40)

Continuity mistake: In the chase scene with Marty and the Libyans, Marty is driving away from them. He changes into second gear but in the next shot he shifts into second gear again without changing back. (00:30:15 - 00:31:10)

AidanN

Continuity mistake: When Marty arrives in 1955, he puts the DeLorean behind the sign, and walks into Hill Valley. When Marty and the 1955 Doc come back later, the DeLorean is facing the other way round to what it was at the beginning (you can tell because at the start Marty pushes the BACK of the DeLorean AWAY from the Lyon's Estates billboard, but when they come later, the FRONT is facing TOWARDS the billboard). (00:35:05 - 00:51:15)

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Suggested correction: I watched the film and the DeLorean does not change direction when behind the billboard; it faces the same direction both when Marty pushes it behind the billboard and when he and the 1955 Doc come back later.

apikachu68

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Marty's been thrown back by the amp, the papers on top of him change between the first and second shot. Precisely a Polaroid photo, a poster/map and a vase are missing. (00:04:20)

Sacha

Factual error: When Marty walks out of Lorraine's house, next to the front door is a light dimmer switch. Dimmer switches weren't invented until the late 1950s to early 1960s. (00:47:34)

Matdan97

Continuity mistake: After George lays Biff out, Marty pulls the family photo from his pocket. The way he holds it suddenly changes, judging by the position of his index finger as the shots change. (01:23:45)

ryguy_1983

Continuity mistake: At Twin Pines Mall, when Marty is recording Doc Brown, Marty is raising the video camera to record Doc Brown saying, "No, no, no, this sucker's electrical," but when this piece of film is played back in the Doc's garage in 1955 it appears as if Marty was already recording when the Doc starts speaking. (00:25:15 - 00:50:40)

Bunglebus

Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the film, when sending the DeLorean into the future, the wide shot shows the DeLorean heading for Marty and Doc then disappears leaving a trail of fire. Notice the cut as the car park goes from being dry to wet with puddles. (00:20:00)

Paul Andrews

Continuity mistake: When Marty is at the "Start" line waiting for the alarm clock to ring, he moves up his return time and the engine stalls out. Next we see Marty turning an ignition key with several other keys on a chain like the ones used on ceiling fans with the little balls and a plastic fob with the paper insert that reads 555-1138 Out-A-Time on it. After Marty arrives back In 1985 in town square, he pauses and gets out for a moment. While returning the the car he puts the DeLorean in drive and again the car stalls out. Again we see Marty restarting the DeLorean, we see a different set of keys. The key mysteriously changed in the time travel to an after market type with a thin wire ring on it, no key fob and the other keys are missing. (01:38:43 - 01:42:44)

Continuity mistake: When the Doc is trying to pull the cable to connect it the cable is stuck and when he pulls the cable hard the other connection breaks off. Watch when it breaks off you cn see that after Doc pulled it the cable gave him more length and would surely get Doc's arm to the other cable but when they show the Doc a second after he hasn't moved one bit. (01:39:35)

ShooterMcGavin34

Back to the Future mistake picture

Revealing mistake: At the end, the DeLorean hits the left dustbin and comes to a halt - you can easily see that it's not Christopher Lloyd driving, it's someone with a much bigger build, wearing an awful white wig. Further, he isn't wearing sunglasses until he gets out of the car. (01:45:55)

Continuity mistake: After Doc accidentally unplugs the cable and is sending Marty back, he unplugs the cable 15 seconds later and it shows Doc, and the clock's hand change. A split second later the clock's hand changes again.

Visible crew/equipment: When Marty is riding past the cafe on his skateboard and all the chicks are waving at him, you can see the reflection of the camera lorry and crew behind him. (00:06:25)

AidanN

Continuity mistake: While being chased by Biff, after Marty knocks down a man and a woman, the man stands up and helps the woman stand up, but a frame later he is rolling on the floor with the woman on top of him.

Sacha

Audio problem: Lorraine comes to see Marty in Doc's garage in 1955 to ask him if he will go to the dance with her. Just before Lorraine moves to the other side of the car from where she walked in, she begins to say something to Marty. The problem is that her lips don't move when she talks, I guess the right clip ended up on the editing room floor. (01:11:40)

AidanN

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: George McFly's holding a pen in his right hand, then a cut to a wide shot reveals him not holding a pen as he rests his arm away from his body on the table. Then when the camera cuts back his arm is back in front of him holding the pen. (00:14:10)

Paul Andrews

Marty McFly: Calvin? Why do you keep calling me Calvin?
Lorraine Baines: Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear.

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Trivia: Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty. After filming quite a few scenes they realised his acting style was too dramatic for the humor desired, so they cast Michael J Fox (who they couldn't originally get because he was busy with the TV show Family Ties). Filming was on weekends and nights around his TV schedule and using his double at other times.

Stefanie

More trivia for Back to the Future

Question: How is Marty able to play a 1980s videotape on a 1950s television set? Is this just another example of Doc's ahead-of-his-time inventiveness?

Answer: The video camera was in the DeLorean. With the right kind of adapter, which was common enough in the 80s that Doc might've had it on the camera or been able to jury-rig something in the 50s, it would have been possible to connect it into the antenna screws in the back of the TV like an old Atari and play it directly from the camera.

Captain Defenestrator

TVs in the 50s had a two prong antennae connection (two screws in the back that you put a prong antennae into) TVs in the mid 80s also had this. The coax connection (the one wire that screws in) was starting to become common, but, the two prong connection would have been more likely on any given TV at the time, so, whatever wire they used to preview recordings probably had that. very convenient that Marty brought those cords with him.

An old Atari 2600 RF Adapter would be how one would link a video camera to an old-fashioned television. A simple-enough part that Doc could probably make one with 1950s technology.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: Video tape system back then could output an NTSC video signal, just like broadcast at the time, and up to HD in the 2000s. Usually there was a switch on the video device to change the output frequency between channels 3 or 4. Depending on what was an open channel in your area.

Answer: Doc is smart and eccentric enough to probably have such a thing randomly rattling around in the Delorian as old burger wrappers would rattle around inside a normal car. And Marty could also conceivably have such a thing at his or Doc's domicile for his own video gaming convenience.

dizzyd

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