Best history movie continuity mistakes of all time

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The Longest Day picture

Continuity mistake: Shadow of the dolly against the smoke of battle during the invasion of Omaha beach. The direction of the shadow and the geography of the beach indicate that this scene, while set at dawn, was filmed in the afternoon.

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JFK (1991)

JFK picture

Continuity mistake: Guy Bannister brutally pistol-whips Jack Martin (Jack Lemmon) across the face several times as a warning never to discuss his inside knowledge of the assassination. In the next shot of Jack on the floor, he has no blood or any visible abrasions whatsoever on his face. (00:14:04)

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Pocahontas picture

Continuity mistake: Early in the movie when Thomas falls overboard, John Smith ties a rope around his waist (00:02:56) and jumps in after him. Thomas is very far away from the ship (00:03:12). But when the men pull John and Thomas up, John is holding on to the rope with one hand and the end is left dangling (00:03:36). One of the men who pulled them up then coils the rope with a mere two coils (00:03:48), not nearly long enough to have reached Thomas while he was overboard. In the same scene, when we are viewing the men pulling John and Thomas up from above (00:03:38) there is no extra rope at their feet as there should have been for such a long rope.

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Flags of Our Fathers picture

Continuity mistake: When the "Flag-Raisers" begin stripping down to go swimming, they show a few of the Marines already down to their boxers. They switch to a shot of Bradley and then back to the Marines and all have their pants on.

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The Lion in Winter picture

Continuity mistake: In the last scene of the movie Eleanor leaves by boat to go back to her castle prison. When we see Henry waving good-bye he is standing right next to a post when we see him from the back, but this post is nowhere when he is shown from the water. (02:08:10)

NancyFelix

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Zulu Dawn picture

Continuity mistake: Colour Sergeant Williams and Private Storey are miscredited as "Company Sergeant Major Williams" and "Corporal Storey." Neither is promoted over the course of the film, and both are not only addressed as "Colour Sergeant" and "Private," respectively, but also bear the rank insignia of a Colour Sergeant and a Private, respectively.

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Red Tails picture

Continuity mistake: The scene shot when Lt. "Lightning" Little first goes to meet Sophia was also shot at the same time as when Capt. "Easy" Julian arrives to tell Sophia of Lightning's death. The jeep is the same jeep, parked in the same exact spot; even the laundry on the line is exactly the same. (00:23:05 - 01:56:00)

brianbrown

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The Other Boleyn Girl picture

Continuity mistake: The morning after her wedding night, we see Mary walking with Anne telling her about the wedding night, notice Mary's braids in her hair, one braid is in a circle, yet in the next scene where Mary and Anne are folding a blanket, her braid is now down in one long braid. (00:12:20 - 00:15:30)

ShadowDancer

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The Man from the Alamo picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where we see the room from a wider shot there is no rifle leaning against the barrel. We then get a closer shot of a man talking and there is now a rifle leaning against the barrel.

keiko

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The Battle of the River Plate picture

Continuity mistake: In the final shot, just as the credits are rolling, the British warships are sailing away with the sun setting behind them. In an earlier scene the radio commentator says that the sun is setting and a shot of the sun touching the surface of the sea is shown.

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The Wind That Shakes the Barley picture

Continuity mistake: When Teddy has delivered Damien's letter to Sinead, he puts his cap on, gets on his motorcycle and puts his pair of goggles on the handlebar. The scene then cuts to a wide angle and the goggles are around his neck.

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We Were Soldiers picture

Continuity mistake: During the transportation of the first wave of Air Cav soldiers (the one led by Lt. Col. Moore), the number of helicopters changes from around six, to around sixteen, then back to six.

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Rapa Nui picture

Continuity mistake: When the competitors climb down the cliff they reach a flat, stony beach. However, when Noro falls behind he dives from a remarkable height directly into the water. (01:12:30)

NancyFelix

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Luther picture

Continuity mistake: When Luther arrives at the monastery for his questioning, he arrives at night, and it is raining very hard. When he is ushered into the room with his mentor, Luther is still wet from the rain, but it is sunny outside the window.

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Geronimo picture

Continuity mistake: The book Geronimo steals from the wagon train is red. When he gives it to his wife it is black.

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being picture

Continuity mistake: The actress loads her 35mm Praktica camera with Kodak film. That's not really strange, but the film is situated in 1968 around the invasion of the Russians in Prague. The film cassette is clearly visible as having DX coding on one side for setting the film speed automatically. This feature had yet to be invented in 1968, because it was released in the early 80's.

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Jesus Christ Superstar picture

Continuity mistake: During entire scene with dancing king Herod and his men, shadows on the floor are at different angles from one shot to another. (01:16:15 - 01:19:30)

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