The Green Mile
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Suggested correction: How can you tell his jaw is slack when he had a hood over it the entire time?

lartaker1975

I have the movie and during Del's execution, the hood is partially burned off. After he finally dies, his jaw is completely slack.

I also have the movie and can confirm that not only is Del's jaw slack but, when the hood is burned off it looks like most of his face has been burned off leaving nothing but a skull. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh3u3Kqdynw.

Suggested correction: Rigor mortis can occur as quickly as 2 hours after death. One of the first muscles of the body to stiffen is the jaw. It also depends on the age of the deceased and calcium amount.

lionhead

Suggested correction: The guards would have done what they could to make his remains less grotesque. Closing his jaw is probably one of their regular duties.

MovieFan612

Once the body dies, muscles can not constrict, and they relax. A guard could never close the jaw or mouth after death anymore than he could close a dead man's eyes shortly after death. That's a movie myth.

Bishop73

Continuity mistake: When they tape Percy's mouth shut before putting him in the restraint room, the handkerchief is partly outside his mouth and gets stuck to the tape, when they let Percy out, the handkerchief has moved. If he's been locked in there with the straight jacket on, there is no way he could have moved it.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: He could have and likely did move the handkerchief with his mouth.

MovieFan612

Continuity mistake: When William "Wild Bill" Wharton spits the Moon pie into Brutus "Brutal" Howell's face you can see that the Moon pie lands on his shirt, tie, lapels of his coat and on the right shoulder of his coat. In the next shot when Brutal and Paul throw Wharton into the padded room, you can see that the right shoulder of Brutal's coat is completely clean, but the Moon pie is still on his shirt, tie and lapels. (01:20:58)

Continuity mistake: When John first steps into the bedroom at Hal's house, Melinda's nightdress is up by her thigh. Yet in the next shot, it is down over her knees.

Migster

Continuity mistake: Roll on 1 means to crank up the generator all the way. On top of the machine are light bulbs that all light up when the generator is turned up. However, when they are executing Del they have a sideshot of Brutus and you can see the lightbulbs all lit up, but Percy hasn't said Roll on 1 yet. (01:37:00)

Continuity mistake: The guards take John to see the Fred Astaire movie and John sits well to the right of centre in the theatre. We see John mesmerized by the movie, Paul sitting a row behind in the centre of the seat theatre and the light from the projector spreads wide directly behind and over top of Paul's head. Yet, when we see John again a moment later, when he's says "They's just like angels", the projector light is directly behind John, deliberately giving the illusion of a halo. This would not occur as shown unless John had moved over to the centre of the theatre.

MovieFan612

Continuity mistake: When Paul and Brutal give Wild Bill the laced cola, Brutal pours cola from his bottle till it's just below the label. After Paul gives Wild Bill the cup and when he comes back, the amount of cola changes. It's now above the label on the bottle.

Matdan97

Continuity mistake: When John Coffey grabs Percy by the throat, Percy pulls out his night stick and drops it on the floor. A long leather strap can be seen attached to the handle. But after John lets him go, the long leather strap can be seen dangling on Percy's right side, when it should be still lying on the floor with the night stick outside of Coffey's cell.

Hawk

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Too vague. The girls are represented by dummies and the scene is consistent.

MovieFan612

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: How can you tell his jaw is slack when he had a hood over it the entire time?

lartaker1975

I have the movie and during Del's execution, the hood is partially burned off. After he finally dies, his jaw is completely slack.

I also have the movie and can confirm that not only is Del's jaw slack but, when the hood is burned off it looks like most of his face has been burned off leaving nothing but a skull. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh3u3Kqdynw.

Suggested correction: Rigor mortis can occur as quickly as 2 hours after death. One of the first muscles of the body to stiffen is the jaw. It also depends on the age of the deceased and calcium amount.

lionhead

Suggested correction: The guards would have done what they could to make his remains less grotesque. Closing his jaw is probably one of their regular duties.

MovieFan612

Once the body dies, muscles can not constrict, and they relax. A guard could never close the jaw or mouth after death anymore than he could close a dead man's eyes shortly after death. That's a movie myth.

Bishop73

More mistakes in The Green Mile

Old Paul Edgecomb: I'm a hundred and eight years old, Elaine. I was forty-four the year that John Coffey walked the Green Mile. You mustn't blame John. He couldn't help what happened to him...he was just a force of nature. Oh I've lived to see some amazing things Elly. Another century come to past, but I've...I've had to see my friends and loved ones die off through the years... Hal and Melinda...Brutus Howell...my wife... my boy. And you Elaine...you'll die too, and my curse is knowing that I'll be there to see it. It's my atonement you see; it's my punishment, for letting John Coffey ride the lightning; for killing a miracle of God. You'll be gone like all the others. I'll have to stay. Oh, I'll die eventually, that I'm sure. I have no illusions of immortality, but I will wished for death...long before death finds me. In truth, I wish for it already.

More quotes from The Green Mile

Trivia: Originally, Tom Hanks was also going to portray Old Paul Edgecombe as well. Unfortunately, the make-up department couldn't get him to look old enough. Dabbs Greer was then cast as Old Paul Edgecombe.

More trivia for The Green Mile

Question: When the guards are talking to Percy in the restraint room, Paul says he knows he sabotaged Del's execution. Why did he let him get away with it?

MikeH

Chosen answer: Percy's aunt is married to the state Governor, giving Percy powerful connections. All it would take is one phone call from Percy and Paul and the other guards could lose their jobs and if Percy wanted to, never find jobs again. Something Paul or his friends didn't want to happen.

The characters talk about this several different times in the movies, how political connections can ruin careers.

MovieFan612

More questions & answers from The Green Mile

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