Factual error: The film is set in 1997. There is a scene where Amelie knocks on a house door and in the background is a new model VW Beetle. These weren't available until early 1998. You can also see several scenes with various new models of Fiat Punto and VW Golf which weren't available until 1999. (00:19:00)
Factual error: Princess Diana died on the morning of 31 August 1997, not 30 August. [Some subtitles say 30th August, some 31st. Can anyone translate the actual French?][The narrator says the 30th]
Factual error: At the time Amelie's mother dies, little Amelie is about 6/7 years old - you can see her standing in the church just before the tourist falls on her mother. Around the time Amelie leaves the house of her father, she is about 22 years old. However, the narrator speaks of a time-period of five years, which means Amelie would have to be around 15 years old when her mother died.
Factual error: When Amelie see the plane crash on TV, that scene was set circa 1980. However, the plane shown was an Airbus A320, which was not introduced until 1987.
Chosen answer: The Glass Man isn't as reclusive as he tells Amelie; he obviously talks to many people and spies on them with his binoculars (he knows all about Amelie's revenge on the grocer and the letter she wrote to Mrs. Wells). It isn't revealed where he got the specific information about Amelie's search for Dominique Bredoteau.
jle