Best war movie continuity mistakes of all time

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Gods and Generals picture Gods and Generals mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where the three Confederate soldiers are about to be executed for desertion, a blindfold is placed around the deserter on the right. It is a narrow strip of cloth covering his eyes. The camera pans to the firing squad and then back to the three men. The blindfold on the deserter on the right, is now much wider.

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Force 10 from Navarone picture

Continuity mistake: When Captain Drazak arrives at the camp carrying the bodies of the bandaged men, he passes in front of the child. The child makes fun with his right hand, but in the next shot, from behind, the child uses his left hand.

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Valiant picture

Continuity mistake: When Valiant flies down the gun barrel, he takes off his backpack and helmet, and he lays them down in the barrel before squeezing through the back of the gun. When he comes back out through the gun with the other birds, the backpack and helmet are not there.

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Tora! Tora! Tora! picture

Continuity mistake: During the attack a parked US plane is blown up and the prop goes cartwheeling off along the runway. Not wishing to waste a perfectly good explosion the director filmed this from several different angles and used the same explosion several times. You can easily see the prop each time.

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More Lions for Lambs continuity mistakes
Memoirs of a Geisha picture

Continuity mistake: When Mother and Mameha are waiting for the bid on Sayuri's mizuage, Mother's cigarette is short at one point, but becomes longer in the next shot.

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The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc picture

Continuity mistake: When Joan first meets with her captains in Orleans, they argue. She walks away and La Hire calls her "a helluva woman". As she walks away, you can see him looking at her. Immediately, she turns back, and he is now looking at the other captains as she walks up to him and belts him. He must have turned his head very quickly, too quickly to be caught on film.

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Little Big Man picture

Continuity mistake: When Jack and Mrs. Pendrake meet in the whorehouse and talk through a screen of glass beads, Jack is standing very close to the screen, that's why it's out of focus when the camera is on her "looking through his eyes". However, in one shot it's not, and that looks quite strange because Jack hasn't moved away from the screen. (01:46:35)

NancyFelix

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M*A*S*H picture

Continuity mistake: In one of the early surgery scenes you see Trapper operating, although he arrives only later as the new chest cutter. (00:13:20)

NancyFelix

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Waterloo picture

Continuity mistake: During the entire battle the ground is sticky mud. When the French cavalry charge however the ground is dry, so dry there is dust coming from the horses' hooves as they gallop.

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Doctor Zhivago picture

Continuity mistake: The city railroad scenes were filmed in Spain, and many of the forest railroad scenes were filmed in Finland; in both of those countries, most of the railroad track is broad gauge (the rails are more than 5 feet apart). The plains and mountains railroad scenes were largely shot in Canada, where the rails are "standard gauge": 4' 8 & 1/2" apart. The rails can be seen to jump between far apart and closer together more than once as the movie progresses.

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The Bridge on the River Kwai picture

Continuity mistake: The commandos are in the river, at night and they are setting the charges on the bridge, the variety show is going on at the same time. Between the British soldiers heads and the roof of the auditorium, the Japanese soldiers are standing in bright sunlight.

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Hotel Rwanda picture

Continuity mistake: When Paul is talking to George after giving him the Cohiba cigar, at one point, he puts his hand to his face as the camera is facing him. When the shot cuts to George, Paul's hand is down, then immediately back up to his face when the shot cuts back to him.

Macalou

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Heartbreak Ridge picture

Continuity mistake: When Highway first assembles his men, it is meant to be very early morning (5:00 am.). Judging by the very short lengths of the shadows, it is quite obvious that it is around noon.

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The Killing Fields picture

Continuity mistake: When the protagonists are trying to get to the French embassy they pass a VW beetle whose windshield is smashed by a Red Khmer. The camera angle is not very helpful but if you look closely you see that the window is gone already, and the pieces flying over the hood are from the bit of glass that sticks in the frame. (00:56:50)

NancyFelix

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Titus picture

Continuity mistake: Young Lucius kills a fly and Titus comes round the table to talk to him. There are several shots of the table. The position of Young Lucius' fork changes from the right hand side of his plate to the left.

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From Hell to Victory picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene when the aeroplanes have the dogfight, the German plane is in fact a Spitfire and the two British planes are in fact two Messerschmidt 109's. In the making of the film in Spain, they needed one German and two British planes for the scene, so the only way they could do it was to put British markings on the two Spanish Airforce Me 109's, which they had more of than Spitfires.

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The Last of the Mohicans picture

Continuity mistake: When Duncan tries to explain his version of the raid of the Camerons' lodge to Cora part of his uniform is a read seat-belt-like piece of cloth. This wasn't there in the scene preceding imediately. (00:47:30)

NancyFelix

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Australia picture

Continuity mistake: Shortly before the big cattle drive arc begins, Kipling Flynn pours a teacup full of rum for Lady Ashley to drink. The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder view as Lady Ashley starts to tip back her teacup; at this point, you can see that the cup is completely empty.

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Pathfinder picture

Continuity mistake: The writing on Ghost's sword early in the film has the Turisas rune (representing TH in Thunder) near the hilt, but later not only is a different font used but now the Dagalas rune (representing the D in sword) is at the hilt.

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