William Lanigan

Revealing mistake: When Jackson and his entourage ride in front of a big house at what he is told is Chancellor's Crossing, there is smoke coming out of the chimneys, especially the one on the left. Jackson and Jim stay there for almost 19 seconds and the smoke never moves, neither rising or blowing to the side as real smoke would. Obviously the house and background are a painting. (01:50:52)

William Lanigan

15th Aug 2022

Gods and Generals (2003)

Revealing mistake: As Jackson and his men ride up to a big house which he is told is at Chancellor's Crossing, there is smoke coming from the chimneys, especially the one at the left. The scene goes on for over 15 seconds and the smoke never moves. Even on a bitter cold night the smoke would rise and move even if slowly. Obviously the big house is a background painting. (01:50:00)

William Lanigan

Factual error: The movie obviously takes place in the 1960s. On the map on the screen in the Politburo meeting room where it shows where the Chinese are preparing to move into the "rice bowl" countries, Thailand is shown (in Chinese) as Siam. Siam was changed to Thailand in the late 1930's.and an official map like that 30 years later wouldn't make that mistake. (00:11:26)

William Lanigan

9th Aug 2022

Dracula (1931)

Trivia: Producer Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rebekah Isabelle Laemmle called Carla is the young woman reading about the mountains and castles in the coach at the very beginning of the movie. She is thrown into someone's lap by the violent movement of the coach because the driver was in such a hurry to reach the inn by sundown. She had small parts in a dozen or so other movies, the last one filmed in 2014 at age 104.

William Lanigan

Character mistake: When Herr Falkstein introduces himself to Frederick he tells him he has come 5,000 miles to bring him his great-grandfather's will. The ancestor in question was supposed to be his grandfather, not great-grandfather. (00:11:53)

William Lanigan

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

Suggested correction: Victor is Fredrick's grandfather, but not the one who died. Baron Beaufort von Frankenstein died, leaving the estate to Fredrick. Beaufort is his great grandfather.

Bishop73

2nd Jul 2022

Angels & Demons (2009)

Continuity mistake: After Vittoria sees the little spot of blood on her chin she wipes it all off with her finger, but a moment later a good bit of the spot is still there. (00:08:30)

William Lanigan

26th Feb 2021

The Blob (1958)

Other mistake: The movie supposedly takes place in the Downingtown, Pennsylvania area (although the theater is in nearby Phoenixville). On the (supposedly) Downingtown police station desk, under the phone, is a phone book for the Seaford/Laurel area which is in southern Delaware, almost 120 miles away. (00:43:53)

William Lanigan

Factual error: According to most if not all documentaries and scholarly articles on the Titanic when the man in the crows nest (named Fleet) sighted the berg he called down on the phone "Iceberg, right ahead!" In the movie he says "Iceberg, dead ahead." In testimony he said he said "right ahead." Right ahead is the British term, dead ahead is the American term. Fleet was British.

William Lanigan

26th Apr 2020

Them! (1954)

Factual error: After the credits, at the beginning it shows "New York 1883" but in an early scene when Powell is reading the newspaper in his study he is complaining about the Mayor of New York whom he calls "Honest Hugh Grant." Hugh J. Grant did not become mayor until 1889.

William Lanigan

16th Aug 2019

Goldfinger (1964)

Continuity mistake: In the final scene where Bjork is singing the last song, as she starts strands of hair are in her mouth and over her right eye, but a bit later they are gone. Since her arms were strapped to her side she couldn't have brushed the hair out of the way herself.

William Lanigan

Question: At the very beginning when the twins are talking to Scarlett it sounds to me like George Reeves says something about the "other 48 states" wanting war. Am I hearing that incorrectly? There were only 34 states when the war began.

William Lanigan

Answer: To answer your question, I looked for on-line versions of the "Gone with the Wind" screenplay. What you are hearing as "other 48 states" is actually "those fool Yankees." The full line is, "Y'know, those fool Yankees actually want a war?" Also, the line is actually said by Stuart Tarleton, played Fred Crane, not by George Reeves as his twin brother, Drew. In writing, it doesn't seem they would sound alike. When I watched the opening scene of "gwtw" on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymbmvQJcLDc&t=6s), I can see how the error was made. I might have misheard it, as well, if I didn't already know what the line was from my research. Mr. Crane's enunciation is rather muddled.

Michael Albert

George Reeve plays Brent Tarleton, not "Drew."

raywest

Answer: I watched this scene several times on HBOmax, both with and without the closed captions. The line, spoken by Brent Tarleton (George Reeves) is: "You know, those poor Yankees actually want a war." It does sound like he says another word just before saying "Yankees," but it's so muffled that it's unintelligible and the closed captions do not record it. It could be "poor fool Yankees," but that's a guess.

raywest

Answer: In the version I am watching it is definitely Reeves' character who say the line, right after he tells Scarlett "War. Isn't it exciting Scarlett?" Then comes what sounds like what I posted. Is it possible there are different versions?

William Lanigan

8th Sep 2016

Philadelphia (1993)

Question: Philadelphia City Hall is a massive building with thick walls. Right after their arguments in the Kendall case Hanks and Washington are seen in the elevator using their cell phones. Cell phones didn't get great reception in 1993 anyway, so would they have worked at all in an elevator inside a massive building?

William Lanigan

Chosen answer: Probably not. But occasionally phones have worked in places they shouldn't. a signal gets through, somehow. In the movies, anything is possible as long as it moves the plot along.

Other mistake: When Bp. Lakota is being interviewed by George Faber when he is just off the plane from Russia, he responds to a question by addressing Faber by name, Mr. Faber. It is extremely unlikely that Lakota could have known Faber's name beforehand.

William Lanigan

25th Nov 2012

Little Women (1994)

Trivia: Although Louisa May Alcott published stories in the Atlantic Monthly when it was partly owned and edited by James T. Fields, he did not publish Little Women as is indicated in the movie. Little Women was published by Roberts Brothers of Boston.

William Lanigan

13th Oct 2011

Son in Law (1993)

Factual error: Becca is going home for Thanksgiving, to South Dakota where it's already pretty much winter by that time. Yet the grass is green, the trees are full of leaves and the crops haven't been harvested yet. More like about August instead of November.

William Lanigan

27th Jul 2011

Dracula (1931)

9th Mar 2011

Little Women (1994)

Trivia: In reality the girls' father, Amos Bronson Alcott, was never in the war nor wounded. However, Jo (Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women) was a nurse in Washington D.C. in 1862 and when she fell ill it was her father who had to go to Washington to get her.

William Lanigan

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