The Birds (1963) - 121 mistakes

Continuity: As Melanie stands in front of the pet shop and watches the birds flying, more time passes than the two seconds implied. The kittens in the right window go from playing to sleeping between shots and a grey kitten appears in the window that wasn't there before.

Continuity: When Melanie is walking up to the counter in the bird shop she has a black purse in her hands. In one shot she is walking to the counter with her purse in her hands, but in the following shot, her purse is laying on the counter and is now taking off her gloves.

Continuity: As Melanie approaches the cashier, there are several birds up high in the cage directly behind the cash register that aren't there in the next shot.

Continuity: As Melanie speaks to the pet shop cashier she holds her head to the left. In the next shot she's looking straight at the cashier.

Revealing: Melanie has no problem taking the letter for Mitch out of her pocketbook as she places it on top of the bird cage. The crew put adhesive tape on the back of it, so she can push on the letter with her thumb to keep it in place for the close-up.

Revealing: When they show the perspective of being in Melanie's driver's seat looking out the windshield we don't see Melanie's legs as you would expect, but a mechanism that allows someone to steer from the passenger seat so the camera has an unobstructed view of the driver's seat.

Continuity: The top of the bird cage that Melanie brings to Mitch's apartment has 24 rungs but when we see it again on the floorboard of Melanie's car it has only 12 rungs.

Continuity: As Melanie drives up the main street of Bodega Bay a kid on a bike appears riding behind her between shots. He wasn't there in the previous shot when they show her behind the steering wheel and we can see back behind her car.

Visible crew/equipment: As Melanie parks in front of the general store stage lighting and the reflection of a crew member can be seen in her car door as she opens it.

Audio problem: They use a different overdubbed tone for the bell on the door of the general store when the manager opens it. Before as Melanie walked into the store we heard the real sound.

Continuity: As they look across the bay at Mitch's house, the store manager changes position between shots. He moves closer to Melanie as he asks her if she wants him to order a boat for her.

Audio problem: When Annie says, "Did you drive up from San Francisco by the coast road?" her lips are mouthing something different.

Continuity: As Annie and Melanie speak about how they met Mitch, watch the shadow move down the front door. A considerable amount of time has gone by between shots.

Continuity: The signature on the card that Melanie signs to Cathy in the close-up on the hood of the car is different when she leaves it leaning on the birdcage at Mitch's house. The "Y" at the end of her name is different on the two envelopes.

Continuity: As Melanie signs the card to Cathy there's a guy in the phone booth to the left of the Bodega Bay bar who's not there in the next shot.

Continuity: After Melanie signs the card to Cathy she never puts her left glove back on. We're able to see her drive down uninterrupted to the boat and she never puts it on, but when she walks out of the car to the boat it's back on.

Continuity: When going along the water in her hired boat, Melanie passes a pole bobbing about in the water. In the next wide shot the pole has vanished.

Continuity: As Melanie approaches Doodles Weaver to get her boat there are no lobster traps where he is standing. Two shots later she climbs down the ladder and there are two traps to the right of the ladder.

Audio problem: Before Melanie starts off across the bay we hear the boat keeper start the boat's engine. But this is only an over-dub, the engine's not really running as there's no turbulence behind the boat like in the next two shots.

Continuity: As Melanie starts off across the bay we see the boat keeper watching her from the ladder. A few seconds ago there were lobster traps piled all around and above the fence behind him.