Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Continuity mistake: When Harry and Hagrid walk into Diagon Alley, in the first shot, as they start down the street, on their right they immediately pass; 1- a man in black standing at the doorway to the Daily Prophet office, writing in a notebook, who then starts to walk away. 2- particular men and women walking past the store. 3- store window with Quidditch uniforms. 4- children looking in store window. A few shots later, they pass on their right a man, with bushy grey sideburns, walking with a woman dressed in black, yet in the next shot that same man and woman are chatting in the doorway to the Owl Emporium on their left. Then a few shots after that, still walking, Harry and Hagrid pass all the numbers, 1 through 4 again in close-up. (00:20:40)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: The morning of Dudley's birthday, Petunia wakes Harry and the next shot shows Harry in the cupboard with the shelves behind him. When Dudley runs downstairs and pushes Harry back into the cupboard, things inside are positioned differently. This also occurs in the two shots when Harry plays with the small plastic figures inside the cupboard and then when he peeks out as Vernon attaches the wood to the mail slot. (00:04:20)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Snape enters the classroom during the first Potions class, there is a lit candle and an hourglass on the desk directly behind him. But in the following shots the candle and hourglass change positions and move farther away. (00:49:20)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: As Hagrid aims his 'umbrella' at Dudley while he eats Harry's birthday cake, in the side shot one end of the blue string (that was tied around the cake box) hangs down the side of the table, but when Vernon rushes Petunia and Dudley off, in this shot that end of the string lies on top of the table. Yet, when Hagrid says, "We're a bit behind schedule. Best be off," the string hangs off the side again. (00:17:30)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Madame Hooch approaches and then welcomes the class to their first flying lesson, the angle at which their shadows are cast changes dramatically in consecutive shots throughout this scene; and in some shots there are no shadows. (00:55:00)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: The size and style of the writing on the envelope from Hogwarts at the starts changes depending on the shot. When Uncle Vernon picks it up, the word "stairs" is a fair way from the edge of the envelope. When he flips it over and you get a close up, the same word is a lot closer to the edge. (00:08:50)

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: When Harry lifts the mail from the floor at the Dursleys, the Hogwarts envelope flap is sealed shut and it has the red wax seal at the tip. Yet in the kitchen after he hands Vernon the other letters, Harry holds the Hogwarts envelope and though the red seal is on the back, the flap itself is NOT sealed shut. The wax seals differ in both shots as well. (00:08:45)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: The way in which Mr. Ollivander holds out the second wand for Harry to try differs, in the shot facing Mr. Ollivander and the next shot facing Harry. (00:26:25)

Super Grover

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 Hermione walks toward the troll, just before she asks, "Is it dead?" the long towel hanging from the rod beside the sinks is visibly straight. When Harry lifts his wand with troll booger/bogey, in the shot of him as he grimaces and groans, the towel on the rod is visible behind him and it's messy. Yet when McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell walk in, the long towel is straight again. (01:12:00)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Madame Hooch leaves with Neville to go to the hospital wing, Seamus holds his broomstick with the bristles on the ground as Malfoy ridicules Neville. However, as Malfoy steps on his broomstick and then flies away, the bristles on Seamus' broomstick are now at the top. Then when Harry takes off on his broomstick, the bristles on Seamus' broom are on the ground once again. (00:57:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Malfoy first talks, the window behind him is bright blue. He says "it's true then, what they are saying on the train, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Everyone says "Harry Potter" and when it cuts back to Malfoy, the window is much much darker. Both a mistake in terms of continuity between windows, and also a mistake because we'd seen everyone turn up in total darkness earlier, so the window shouldn't have been lit in the first place. (00:40:30)

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: At the hut on the rock, Harry lies on a grey blanket spread on the ground between the fireplace and the couch. When Hagrid bangs on the door, Harry quickly jumps up and hides, leaving the blanket behind. Though the blanket is visible on the ground, in some shots, it is however, gone in the three wide shots with the Hagrid body double, as he zaps a tail on Dudley, then as all the Dursleys run upstairs, as well as the shot after Hagrid says, "We're a bit behind schedule, best be off." (00:12:55)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After shopping in Diagon Alley, when Harry confronts Hagrid about Voldemort, in the first overhead wide shot Hedwig's cage is right next to Hagrid on the bench and is positioned a particular way. Yet in the next shot, the cage is much farther from Hagrid and is positioned the opposite way on the bench. (00:28:45)

Super Grover

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

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Dudley falls into the water in the Python's exhibit, his clothes are completely soaked. Yet when Dudley yells and bangs on the glass, in the shot facing Petunia as she screams, it is quite apparent that Dudley's sweater/jumper is not entirely wet. The wet hair at the back of his head lies flat in the second shot as well. (00:07:15)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After Seamus' disaster with the rum spell, the mail arrives. Ron catches his mail, then holds the Daily Prophet in his right hand and the letters in his left. Yet in the next close-up he holds the Daily Prophet in his left hand and the letters in his right. (00:54:05)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Mr. Ollivander takes the first wand out of the box to give to Harry, the board, shelf, roses, etc., are visible behind him. When Harry takes the second wand to wave, just before the vase explodes, in the close-up the hanging red feathers, black roses and notes to the left of the roses all visibly differ to the previous shot of them. (00:25:50)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: At the Quidditch match, after Hermione sets Snape's cloak on fire and someone shouts, "Fire! You're on fire!" there is a close-up of Harry with his hands gripping the Nimbus 2000. In this shot, the wire rods which are attached/taped to the broomstick, near Harry's fingers, that lead under both of his red sleeves, are entirely visible. (01:21:35)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Dumbledore: It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Trivia: The Hogwarts motto, 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titilandus', is Latin, and means 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon.'

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

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.