Factual error: Here's a big historical mistake. The character of German Admiral Lütjens is depicted overall in this film as a wild-eyed Nazi fanatic. In real life, he was distinctly anti-Nazi, vehemently protested the anti-Semitic actions of Hitler's regime, and was himself subject to intense Nazi scrutiny as he was a quarter Jewish and his wife was half Jewish. He was one of many German naval officers who fought only for their country, not Hitler.
Continuity mistake: McQueen and Brynner take a hearse up the hill to deliver a coffin to the graveyard. When they go back down the hill, you can see a plume fall off one of the horses' heads, but in the next shot, the plume is back on. (00:16:05)
Factual error: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes into the "restored" full-length video version, there's a birthday party for little Lisa Dickinson, and the Alamo defenders sing "Happy Birthday" to her. The Alamo battle happened in 1836. According to David Ewen's "All the Years of American Popular Music," the song "Happy Birthday to You" was composed and copyrighted by sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill, first as "Good Morning to All," in 1893.
Continuity mistake: Before Pollyanna arrives on the train, when Jimmy Bean pushes the metal hoop down the road, two girls stop their doll carriages right beside each other and grab their dolls, but in the next shot their carriages are about 4 feet apart, which is now wide enough for Jimmy to run between. (00:01:10)
Factual error: Jack Lemmon cooks spaghetti for Xmas dinner. On New Years Eve he picks up the tennis racket, through which he had poured the spaghetti, and one piece hangs limp from the racket. It would of course, have long dried and be hard as before cooking.
Continuity mistake: When Cary Grant tells Deborah Kerr to keep the door closed, she is holding a record album. As a reaction to his directive, she lowers the LP to about waist level. The camera shot changes and she's holding the LP higher again. (00:27:55)
Visible crew/equipment: When the slaves roll the flaming ball down the hill, we see it strike several Roman soldiers. Look closely, they are actually stuntmen dressed in asbestos suits.
Factual error: In the scene where nickels fall on newspapers announcing that Roosevelt beat Hoover, at least one of them appears to be a Jefferson. The election occurred in 1932. The first Jefferson nickel was minted in 1938.
Revealing mistake: When Henderson and his wife are walking on the upper deck before jumping off, you can not see any of the superstructure above them that should be visible.
Continuity mistake: In the scene when Lulu Bains is prancing around in the dressing room, there is one steady shot of her. In this shot, as she moves around, the right strap on her outfit begins to slip off her shoulder. The shot ends by her side with the strap completely down her mid-bicep; however, in the very next shot, which is from the front, her right strap is back up, and it's her left strap which is halfway down. The print wasn't reversed to this effect, either.
Visible crew/equipment: Anita Ekberg's character and Marcello are at the top of the church tower leaning on balcony railing while looking over the city. You can easily see the "wire" attached to Anita's hat that forecasts the moment where her hat blows off her head. (00:33:15)
Continuity mistake: In the bar scene, near the beginning of the film, the pint glass that Albert Finney holds, constantly changes position. (00:06:05)
Continuity mistake: Watch for the varying hairstyle of Mrs Brady in the scene in which Rachel comes to complain to her that her husband is a fake.
Continuity mistake: As the cabin boy is cutting him loose, David Balfour's bruised cheek and black eye switch from the left side of his face to the right when one shot is reversed. (00:28:00)
Factual error: In the scene where Elizabeth Taylor is driving from New York City to Boston to start a new life, she drives over the Tappan Zee Bridge, from the Westchester County side toward the Rockland County side (heading east to west, you can tell from the location of the toll booths and from the way the bridge looks.) If she had left NYC by the Lincoln Tunnel, she would have had to cross the bridge going west to east. If she had left NYC via the Bronx, by far the more direct route, she shouldn't have gone over the TZ Bridge at all.
Audio problem: When Merritt is arguing with her professor, she says, "We're supposed to be intelligent" but her lips are actually saying "Don't be afraid; my opinion is yes." This is the exact same shot used a moment later when she actually says this line. (00:07:10)
Visible crew/equipment: Just before the doctor tells Jordana that Ari is at Yad El, he shakes the hands of a couple kids passing by him whilst walking up a small flight of steps. When he does so, the shadow of the camera can be seen on his coat. (01:59:00)
