Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the chess scene, at the end of the (overlong) montage of shots of pieces being smashed, the White Queen turns her attention to a Black Castle. The first stroke of her sword clearly goes through the structure of the castle, which disintegrates. We cut to various different angles and watch pieces of the destroyed castle flying all over the place. Cut back to the original angle, and we see the Queen attacking again, but the Castle is completely intact - only the figure from on top of it is missing. And it can't have been the second castle, since that's Hermione's position. (01:58:26)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: In the Key room after Hermione asks, "What's this all about?" Ron takes his wand out and starts for the door. In the wide shot facing the door as he and Hermione pass to Harry's left the BAR attached to the underside of the broomstick bristles is visible. It is not visible in other shots. (01:58:30)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When Ron is hit by the Queen during the chess game, the stunt double is visible on the horse just a few moments before he falls. (01:59:00)

Visible crew/equipment: After escaping Devil's Snare, Harry, Ron and Hermione enter the Key room. When Ron says, "You're the youngest seeker in a century." In the next shot of Harry as he grips the broomstick, the wire that it hangs from is clearly visible at its bristles. (01:59:15)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: Being chased by the flying keys, as Harry zips by on the broomstick he tosses the key, Hermione catches it and runs to the door. In the next shot, a close-up, as she tries to unlock the door, an electrical cable hangs down beside the column, that was not in the previous shots. There is also an electrical cable coming out from under the back of Hermione's sweater that is blatantly visible as well. (01:59:55)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: During the chess game the Queen attacks the Knight's horse that Ron sits upon. In this close-up just before the spear actually hits the side of the horse, the large hole, used to aid the stunt, is visible in the belly of the horse between the stirrups towards the hind legs. This hole is not in previous shots. (Visible in fullscreen DVD.) (02:05:10)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: After the Queen attacks the Knight's horse during the chess game, Ron goes flying back and falls. In the shot as he hits the ground, the black protective gear that he wears is visible when his grey T-shirt rolls up and the button on his left cuff is open, yet closed in the next close-up. (02:05:15)

Super Grover

Visible crew/equipment: When the Queen attacks Ron's horse during the chess game, in the shot from behind Ron as he falls, the black straps attached to the horse's left rear leg, used to aid the stunt, are completely visible. (02:05:15)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the chess scene, when Ron falls off the horse, he is lying on his side on the floor with one knee bent so that one foot is higher than the other. When Harry and Hermione run over to check on him, one foot is on top of the other. (02:05:15 - 02:06:00)

Continuity mistake: Harry speaks with Quirrell near the Mirror of Erised and the arrangement of the cloth in his turban differs in two shots than in the rest of the shots. First in the shot facing Harry as Quirrell says, "While everyone else was running about the dungeon, he went to the third floor to head me off," and then in the back shot just before Quirrell unwraps the turban, after Voldemort says, "I have strength enough for this." (02:08:05 - 02:09:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At the end-of-the-year feast the Slytherin banner is green and gold, but their house colors are green and sliver, as evident by their robes. (02:11:00)

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: But the problem here is, you only see the banners once (as the shot pans down at the start of the scene) before they are changing to Red and Gold of Gryffindor. In the first show they are Silver and Green.

Ssiscool

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After Voldemort's soul flies through Harry, he crashes down on the stairs and his hand sticks out over one of the steps. In the next shot of Harry lying there, his hand no longer lies over the step. Harry is knocked out and could not have moved. (02:13:20)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After the final confrontation Harry has scratches on his face, particularly one on his chin. When visited by Prof Dumbledore the chin scratch is barely there but in the scene in the refectory it is back and appears larger than before. (02:14:00 - 02:17:50)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: As the students board the Hogwarts Express to go home, the cuts on Harry's face, particularly near his eye, differ in severity during this scene depending on the camera angle in a given shot. (02:21:55)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: While Harry and Hagrid stand beside Hogwarts Express, in the shot looking up at Hagrid as he takes the album out of his pocket, his thumb is on the back cover as he begins to say, "This is for you," yet in the next shot of Harry taking the album, Hagrid's thumb is on the front cover. (02:22:05)

Super Grover

Audio problem: In the scene at the very end of the movie when Hermione and Harry are getting on the train, Hermione says, "Feels a bit strange going home, doesn't it?" Harry responds, "I'm not going home, not really." If you look closely, Harry says the words and his mouth moves. Then the camera changes angles and Harry mouths the same words once more, but no sound comes out. (02:23:15)

Other mistake: In the scene near the end of the movie where Harry boards Hogwarts Express to go home, Hagrid stands on the platform and waves goodbye. He is wearing a coat and looks huge, as usual, but you can see when he waves, that his hand seems rather small compared to the rest of his huge frame. (02:23:15)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Revealing mistake: At the end of the film, when Harry is leaving on the Hogwarts Express, and the overhead shot shows the train pulling away from the station you can clearly see that Hagrid is of normal height, as the train roof is much taller than he is. (02:23:40)

Continuity mistake: Daniel Radcliffe, the boy who plays Harry Potter, has naturally blue eyes. In some shots Chris Columbus, the director, changed Daniel's eye color. But Chris C. didn't want to use that the whole time. It's not a lighting problem.

Hermione Granger: I'm going to bed, before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled.
Ronald Weasley: [to Harry.] She needs to sort out her priorities.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Trivia: For anyone who hasn't read the book: The inscription on top of the Mirror of Erised says "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". If you read the inscription backwards it says "I show not your face but your heart's desire".

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Question: I get that the DADA role is cursed because of Voldemort being denied the role when he applied for it at Hogwarts, but why does Dumbledore not let Snape take the role like he's wanted to every year? I thought Snape was a double agent (he spies on the Death Eaters and Voldemort for Dumbledore, and he pretends to be on Voldemort's side too), so unless Voldemort decides that he wants to get rid of him for being in the role, he's okay to take it on provided he's given it, and yet every year, Dumbledore turns down his application. Is it because Snape's too involved in Voldemort's side of things or some other reason? I hope I explained it well.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: There are several reasons. First, the position is cursed, so there is little reason to give Snape the job when he will not last any longer than all the previous instructors. If Snape did become the DADA instructor, something could happen to him that could result in his being harmed, having to leave Hogwarts, or be otherwise incapacitated in some way; that would render him useless to Dumbledore as a double agent. Also, Dumbledore trusts Snape, but putting him in an environment where he is teaching about dark magic on a daily basis would be too tempting and emotionally compromising to someone who had been so easily seduced by the dark side. He could possibly relapse. It would be like having a recovering alcoholic work as a bartender. Of course, he does eventually become the DADA instructor, and lasted no longer than his predecessors.

raywest

In the movies it is never mentioned that DADA role was cursed by Voldemort.

This is true; though it doesn't say it's not either. With trying to fit 7 long books and years worth of pages of HP information in 2 and a half hours; as long as the movie doesn't say it's not cursed, with our knowledge, there is no problem with reporting that it is. Even directors of non-book movies do this all the time; leave background information out that helps explain things they just didn't have time so they explained it behind the scenes.

More questions & answers from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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