The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) - 30 mistakes

Continuity: In the opening scene, the first side shot of James' desk with papers, books, telephone, watch, etc., differs somewhat from the next front shot in regard to the arrangement of some of these items.

Continuity: In the opening scene, as Dr. James Longstreet sits at his desk, his left white shirt cuff is folded over the cardigan. In the next shot, while his arm did not move, his cuff is half folded, and while his arm rests on the desk not moving, in the next shot his cuff is completely unfolded. He also removes his glasses and in this side shot he does not have his left hand near his head. In the next continuous shot from behind, his left hand is up and his head is leaning on it.

Continuity: Aboard U.S.S. Eldridge, during the experiment's mishap, in the generator room David has his sleeves rolled up high on his arm, way above the elbows. In the next shot when he and Jimmy run to the top deck, his sleeves are at his elbows.

Continuity: David and Jimmy are running from the military helicopter, when they run into an electrified fence. Jimmy actually hits it and in the first shot he grabs hold of the fence with both hands, then he *removes* his right hand only to put it *back* onto the *electrified* fence. In the next close-up shot, Jimmy is standing at a different place along the electrified fence, this time right near the pole and Jimmy's left hand is now lower on the fence than it was in the previous shot. Then in the next back shot, Jimmy's left hand is higher up on the fence again.

Continuity: When Dr. Longstreet approaches the scene of the chopper accident, in the wide shot his scarf hangs straight down. In the next close-up, his scarf is folded one end over the other. In the next wide shot, his scarf hangs straight down again.

Continuity: When David and Jimmy are at Scotty's Junction, Nevada, Allison is on the pay phone outside the diner. In the first shot, the hanging phone book's open pages face left, in the next shot, they face right and in the third consecutive shot the open pages face left again.

Continuity: David, Jimmy and Allison drive away in her car, and there's a rear view mirror on the windshield. In the next shot of them, there is no rear view mirror. Driving down the highway and the close-up of Allison looking through the mirror at David, there's obviously a rear view mirror again. In the next shot of the three of them, there's no rear view mirror again. When Allison rescues David, inside the car shows a rear view mirror. Then view from outside, as David climbs over the front seat, there's no mirror yet again.

Continuity: Dr. Longstreet, in 1984, is in his office near the black file cabinet. Before he gets the files on the U.S.S. Eldridge, in this shot the plant is right next to a set of files on top of the cabinet. Once he removes the files he wants from the drawer, in this shot the plant is at the wall, further away from the files up on top.

Continuity: When Dr. Longstreet, in 1984, is in his office, in the wide shot the rolodex is near the telephone and papers. In the close-up shot of his desk as he sits down, the rolodex is not there. The globe on the file cabinet also shows different continents in the close up than the wide shot.

Continuity: Dr. Longstreet takes photographs out of the two top secret folders and places the folders and some photos on the desk to his left. In the next close-up as he looks at the photographs, the folders and some other photos are now rearranged in the center directly in front of him. In the next front shot, the two folders on the desk are to his left again.

Visible crew/equipment: When Allison drives and collides with the police car, as her car flies up part of the angled ramp used for the aerial stunt is seen to the right of the police car.

Continuity: After Allison's car rolls down the embankment, in the first shot there is no snow on the roof of the car. In the close-up of the car, as the police draw their guns, there is now snow on the roof.

Continuity: When Allison has her arm X-rayed at the hospital, she is wearing a star pin on her blue sweater. In the shot preceding this one, as she follows Jimmy's gurney down the corridor with the doctor, since her jacket is open it is plain to see she is not wearing a star pin on her blue sweater. Because of the position of the pin, it should be seen.

Continuity: Just before David walks through the door of Jimmy's hospital room, there is a close-up of the monitor with the orange notebook lying on top of it. In the next wide shot the notebook is lying in another position.

Continuity: In the Doctor's office at the hospital, David and Allison sit in front of his desk. In the shots facing the Doctor the silver lighter is on the desk. In the shots facing David, the lighter is on the pack of cigarettes.

Continuity: At the hospital, as David walks up the corridor clutching his hand, he passes a nurses' station that has a plant at the corner. In the next shot, as he starts to run from the MP's, now there are two books under the plant.

Deliberate "mistake": As David runs from the MP's in the restaurant, he jumps off the balcony onto the bar below. It is very obvious that it's the stunt double for Michael Pare doing the jump.

Continuity: As David runs from the MP's in the restaurant he jumps down onto the bar from the second floor. The shot of the bar from above and the shot of him landing on the bar differs in regard to the items on the bar and placement of people. As David runs onto the first table from the bar, the food on the plate belonging to the man in the brown suit differs in the next shot as the man ducks to his right.

Continuity: As Allison drives searching for David, who's on the run from the MP's, the windshield wipers are on. In her two close-up shots in between, the wipers are not on.

Continuity: In the hotel room, David watches TV and next to the TV are plastic cups. In the shots facing David the cups are right up against the TV and there's a phone book lying on top of the TV set. In the shots facing the TV, the cups are further away on the dresser and there is nothing on top of the TV set.