The Birds

The Birds (1963)

553 mistakes

(15 votes)

Continuity mistake: After Mitch ties the shutter closed both sides of the window look identical with each shudder being seen through the window, but as he walks back into the living room just before the lights go out the left shutter is the same and the right shutter is black. (01:44:05)

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Continuity mistake: As Lydia looks through the window of Mr. Faucet's kitchen there is a distinct pattern on the wall to her left. As she comes through the door the pattern on the wall is different and she's in a different room. (00:59:35)

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Continuity mistake: The interior of Lydia's truck (especially the roof) changes when they show the close-up of her driving. (01:00:55)

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Continuity mistake: In the very last close-up of Mr. Faucet's face the right side of his collar has been changed from the previous shot. It's now tucked under his shirt. (01:00:30)

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Continuity mistake: As Lydia walks up to Mr. Faucet's door she takes off her right glove and puts it in her left hand. Her right hand is empty and she uses it to open the door but when she comes through the other side of the door, the glove is in her hand again. (00:59:25)

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Continuity mistake: You can tell by the shadows on the wall that the headboard of Lydia's bed is pushed up further against the wall in the overhead shot. (01:04:00)

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Continuity mistake: As they talk in her bedroom and Lydia says, "Do I sound very foolish to you?", the pillows behind her are propped up differently between shots. (01:03:15)

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Continuity mistake: As Melanie runs to Annie, the pile of papers on the left of her desk changes between shots and a blue booklet appears on top. (01:12:00)

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Continuity mistake: In the close-up shots of the party scene the grass is much greener than in the wide shots, where some brown is mixed in. (00:52:30)

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Continuity mistake: When Melanie runs back into the classroom Annie's hands are by her sides. In the next shot they're up higher. (01:12:00)

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Visible crew/equipment: As they talk Annie walks over to sit behind her desk and we see a quick shot of her hallway. Look closely at the mirror hanging on the far wall and you can see the quick reflection of the studio equipment in it. (00:42:05 - 00:46:50)

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Revealing mistake: Many times through the movie it is noticeable that the distant background hills and beaches are backdrop paintings. A good example of this is when Mitch and Melanie are talking on the hill at Cathy's birthday party. (00:49:00)

Hamster

Visible crew/equipment: As Lydia gets into her truck you see a reflection of the stage lights in the steering wheel. (01:00:55)

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Continuity mistake: As Melanie and the two girls get into the cream colored station wagon parked on the side of the road the upholstery on the driver's side door changes drastically between shots. (01:15:00)

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Audio problem: At the end of the movie when they're walking out of the house you hear a door open, but the doorway is empty - it's just an open space, with no door. (01:56:40)

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Continuity mistake: When Mitch is closing the shutter after the birds have started to fly into the window you can visibly see blood on the shutter, yet when they switch cameras and he shuts the shutter the blood is gone. (01:42:05)

Continuity mistake: After Melanie saves the little girl in the blue dress from the gull they run past the table with the birthday cake and punch on and almost get to the door. In the next shot they run past the table again. (00:52:55)

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Continuity mistake: As Mitch and Melanie walk past the Bodega Bay School we get a good look at the mud caked all over both his shoes. It's there for the whole scene except in the close-up when he picks up the rock, where his shoes are immaculate. (01:29:40)

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Continuity mistake: When Mitch puts the mirror up against the front door he hits the chair to the right of the door and knocks it out of place. In the next shot it's been moved back to where it belongs. (01:43:30)

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Visible crew/equipment: When Melanie pulls up to the school to check on Cathy we hear voices of the children singing inside and a crew member's reflection is seen moving in the car door as she opens it. (01:08:30)

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More quotes from The Birds

Trivia: When we see the school children running away from the birds, they were actually running on a treadmill with Bodega Bay footage added in the background.

More trivia for The Birds

Question: When the birds attack the town a gas station attendant is hit by a bird and drops the gas hose he is using to fill a car. The gasoline flows down the street and under a car; a man drops a match and lights the gas causing an explosion. Why didn't the gas pump shut off when the man dropped it?

michael g

Answer: The movie takes place in the 1960s, so presumably gas pumps worked a bit differently back then. This is also a small town and probably the gas station had not modernized. There may not have been automatic shut-offs, or if there was, it was faulty.

raywest

The automatic shut off is in the handle of the hose. When a person grips the handle they have to lift a levered switch to allow gas flow; the lever is spring loaded so that if it is released the gas will stop flowing. I have looked at older antique gas pumps and they are all the same; even the visible glass gravity flow ones. If that hose was dropped the the gas should have stopped flowing.

michael g

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