Revealing mistake: As Captain Willard stands on the steps of the temple there's a wide shot of the natives. If you watch closely you'll see the movie jump. (03:12:30)
Continuity mistake: After Chef rips the picture from his Playboy magazine he crouches down. In the next shot as he's taping it up he's standing. (01:12:15)
Continuity mistake: As Chief Phillips is shooting he yells, "You savages, come and get it". After he says this the warrior with the spear who eventually kills him can be seen on the shore running in the opposite direction. In the next shot Lance, who is now at the controls, guns the engine. The boat moves forward, not in a circle, yet two shots later when the warrior throws the spear the boat is further back down the river than it was before not further up the river where it should be. (02:22:20)
Continuity mistake: As Chef is firing the rear machine gun there are two belts of ammo on the 60 caliber gun behind him, one hanging out of the gun itself and the other one draped over the gun's protective metal side. In the next shot as the captain runs up to him there's only one belt of ammo. (02:21:35)
Continuity mistake: As they approach the French plantation we see a close-up of the right side of the boat which was just in a horrific Vietnamese rocket and machine gun attack. There's none of the damage that you would expect to see on the side of the boat. But specifically we saw close ups of where the hand-held machine guns are stored, and the spot where Captain Willard is standing which were all hit with heavy fire and riddled with holes. (01:55:40)
Continuity mistake: As the soldiers crash the stage, Playmate Carrie Foster signs one of her pictures on a soldier's back as he leans over. In the next shot she signs it again. (01:09:40)
Audio problem: As he leaves the USO show Bill Graham ignites a smoke canister before he gets into the helicopter and says, "So long," but his lips indicate that he's just whistling. (01:10:10)
Continuity mistake: As Satisfaction plays in the background, Lance is holding on to a white tow cord as he skis. Earlier as they pull out of Hau Phat we see him holding a blue tow cord before he unwraps his new water skis. Thirty seconds later in another shot he is holding the blue tow cord. (01:15:05)
Deliberate mistake: After Hubert exit's the French Plantation dinner scene the stage lighting on Roxanne and Captain Willard shuts down abruptly before their close-ups. There's no one there to touch a light switch and we can see outside and the natural lighting hasn't changed. (02:13:30)
Continuity mistake: As Captain Willard jumps off the boat at the French plantation we see a wide shot of the debris on the dock. The fuel drums to the right of the screen are rearranged two shots later as he walks up to the door. (01:56:25)
Continuity mistake: As the helicopters land in Vin Drin Dop "The Ride of the Valkyries" is still playing but none of the helicopters have speakers hanging out of their side doors to play the music the way they did before. (00:42:30)
Factual error: Captain Willard narrates to himself, "I am beyond their timid lying, morality, and so I am beyond caring" as we see a downed helicopter burning in a tree. The main rotors are detached and would not be sitting on top of the helicopter had it actually crashed and not just been placed there. In an actual helicopter crash the rotors fly off. (01:22:10)
Continuity mistake: As they get ready to leave the beach party Kilgore says, "bring me my Yater Spoon, the eight-six". The soldier to the right of Mike has a cigarette in his mouth that is gone in the next shot. (00:34:00)
Continuity mistake: As the boat leaves the USO show at Hau Phat Captain Willard says, "The war was being run by a bunch of four star clowns who were gonna end up giving the whole circus away". He says this as he walks to the back of the boat moving the 60 caliber machine gun on his way so that is faces frontward. In the next shot it's been moved and is now facing sideways. (01:11:40)
Continuity mistake: As he speaks to Captain Willard in the general's residence, Harrison Ford lights up a cigarette, leaving a big puff of smoke in the air behind him as he walks away. In the next shot the air is clear without a trace of smoke. (00:10:40)
Continuity mistake: As he gives the captain some water Dennis Hopper says, "Why would a nice guy like you want to kill a genius?" The tip of Dennis Hopper's right ring finger is black with soot. In the next shot the soot is not there. (02:42:50)
Continuity mistake: As they stand and listen to the Frenchmen shouting at them, the floodlight on the front of the boat, along with the machine gun turret that it's attached to, move about 45 degrees to the left between shots without having any one touch them. (01:57:35)
Continuity mistake: As Lance water skis and Clean dances, Chief Phillips lays down to watch with his head leaning against the port side metal roof support. In the following shot he is leaning on his right elbow no longer near the roof support. (01:15:00)
Continuity mistake: As Dennis Hopper circles the bamboo cage saying, "I know something you don't know..." Captain Willard's earlobe has less blood on it than when Hopper began his walk and talk. (02:43:45)
Continuity mistake: As Captain Willard holds Colonel Kurtz' paper titled, "Commitment and Counterinsurgency" in front of the camera it changes color from yellow in the first shot to white in the second. (01:15:40)
Answer: It should be noted that "transmutation" is a word Coppola has used to describe the film making process. Https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LFTQcwgq4CY.
Bishop73