The top mistakes in Atonement http://www.moviemistakes.com/film6969 en Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:55:44 +0000 129586 The BEF was a professional army and was not staffed with conscripted prisoners. 129594 In the approach to Dunkirk, Robbie is carrying a pistol, complete with webbing holster. He has no rifle and is carrying a bayonet on his haversack, presumably not having the usual belt frog to carry it more easily. As a Private (this is emphasized in the dialogue) in an infantry regiment, he'd have carried a rifle and not a pistol. Although he might have acquired the pistol during the retreat, he's less likely to have changed his webbing order to match. This may be a deliberate directorial choice. The dialogue emphasizes his natural "officer qualities", and that his prison record has prevented him from becoming one. The wearing of officer's equipment, even if historically inappropriate, also reinforces this and distinguishes him from his comrades. 135530 When Briony sees Cecilia coming out of the fountain (from Briony's perspective), Cecilia steps out of the water with her right foot first. When we see the same scene afterwards, from Cecilia an Robbie's perspective, Cecilia steps with her left foot first. 137094 The early scenes in <i>Atonement</i> take place, according to the opening caption, in "England 1935" on a single summer's day. The action shifts at the beginning of scene 9 to "Northern France four years later" according to the caption. This, then would have been the summer of 1939 when Britain wasn't yet at war. The Dunkirk retreat took place in the summer of 1940, <i>five years</i> after the action in scenes 1-8. 129593 In the love making scene in the library, Robbie pulls down the strap of Cecilia's dress and she pulls her arm out. In the next shot it is up and over her shoulder again.