Raiders of the Lost Ark

Revealing mistake: When the thug with the blade sticking out his back is standing still, there is some kind of squared device on his back under his clothes, presumably to retract the fake blade to end the sequence.

Movie Nut

Audio problem: In Marion's bar, she uses a burning log to knock one of the goons out. As his face changes, you hear "ow!" then he moans as he falls over. However, his mouth doesn't match any of the sounds.

Movie Nut

Continuity mistake: When Indy is shot in the arm in the car, there's no blood on the windscreen at first, but in the very next shot there is.

MikeH

Continuity mistake: When the guy at the start who betrayed Indy is shown stabbed by many spears, in the shot when Indy says "adios", he stays with him the entire shot. However, in the next shot, he's far away from him.

MikeH

Continuity mistake: When seen from the outside the entry hole to the Map Room is quite vertical. The angle is different when seen from the inside. Further, the hole is so vertical that the sun wouldn't be high enough to shin through the hole at 9 am.

Jacob La Cour

Continuity mistake: After the door to the Well of Souls is opened, Indy and Sallah take a sneak peek at the inside, immediately after, from a new angle, Indy sneaks in again.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: The morning after Indy makes out with Marion, when he goes to check why the boat engines have stopped, the position of her hands, the wrinkles on the blanket and the dress behind the bed change positions between angles.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: Indy walks to the hill where the ark is, holding a shovel that keeps facing different directions depending on the camera angle. Also, Indy holds it either by its black metal part or by the wooden stick. This all changes back and forth.

Sacha

Audio problem: While Indy tries to escape from the Well of Souls a stick in his mouth falls on Marion, who starts to cry very loudly; however, her mouth doesn't move an inch.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: In the map room, Indy places his brush facing a 9 o'clock direction. A frame later it faces a 6 o'clock.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: In the map room, Indy brushes the sand off of a stone, leaving a clean horizontal trail. A frame later, in the close-up, the upper left part above the trail is suddenly clean.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Belloq traps Indy in the Well of Souls the sky keeps swapping between a dim yellow dawn sky, and a brilliant morning blue sky.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: In the bar, the Nazi plays with the fireplace and threatens Marion, who takes a cigarette to her lips. A frame later, her hand is in a totally different position.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: After Marion's been thrown in the Well of Souls, a net and pair of sticks over the crate behind Belloq appear or disappear randomly between shots.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: After the kids save Indy at the bar, he exits and there's a man on the right carrying a load on his shoulder. He appears and disappears randomly depending on the angle.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Indy's crew is lifting the stone door to access the Well of Souls, big clouds of white smoke come out from every corner. A frame later, from a wider angle, they're gone.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: About to grab the idol, Indy passes a stick over a pile of sand on the ground which has a leaf on the center. A frame later the leaf is on the left side.

Sacha

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

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Trivia: There's a Star Wars reference to Obi-Wan and C-3PO on the plane rescuing Indy at the start - it has the registration OB-CPO.

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Question: After the scene where Indy first goes onto the German U-boat, he runs around apparently looking for something, then the scene changes to the inside of the sub where you can hear that the order has been given to dive. Was there an actual scene cut out of the film where Indy lashes himself to the periscope? (When Raiders first came out in Aus, I vividly remember seeing it with this scene.)

Answer: The scene you describe was indeed filmed. It was cut out of the US release of the film although I cannot speak for the Australian version. The scene also appears in the Marvel Comics adaptation. http://www.theraider.net/films/raiders/deleted_scenes.php has a list of this and the other deleted scenes.

Phil C.

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