Continuity mistake: The Watcher in the Water holds Frodo upside down, and just as its head comes out of the water, but before its mouth appears, in this shot part of the back of Frodo's cloak is tucked into his belt at the back of his waist. The cloak is not tucked into the belt in the previous or following shots. (00:17:45)
Continuity mistake: After Boromir is hit with the second arrow, he falls to his knees. When he shoves his sword into the Uruk in the close-up, the silver clasp on Boromir's red shirt, at the center of his torso, is not clasped to the red loop on the opposite side (but it was in previous shots). However, in his extreme close-up, when he screams out, it is properly clasped like the rest on the red shirt, but in the very next shot it is not clasped yet again, and of course it is in following shots. (01:23:40)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf and Saruman fight at Orthanc, Gandalf causes Saruman to slam backwards into the wall and then Saruman makes Gandalf spin horizontally in mid-air. In the next shot, when Gandalf falls, the wrap around his left hand is visible, yet, he does not wear it in the previous and following shots. (00:50:35)
Continuity mistake: During the prologue, in the close-up shot of Isildur coming and kneeling at his father's side, we see he removes his own helmet and lays it down above Elendil's head. Elendil's own helmet is lying to the left of his head. In the wide shot from above, there is now a helmet above Elendil's head and a helmet between Elendil and Isildur. There is no helmet to the left of Elendil's head. (00:03:40)
Continuity mistake: After spotting the Crebain from Dunland, the Fellowship try to hide. Just after Frodo and Aragorn hide under some boulders, there is an aerial shot of the area. Frodo, holding the green cloak, can be seen ducking behind the tall boulder on the left, even though he's shown already hiding in the previous shot. (00:06:35)
Continuity mistake: Near the beginning of the film, when Frodo and Gandalf are riding in his cart together talking, there are some close-up shots of just one character or the other. However, the background in the Frodo shots and the background in the Gandalf shots are moving at noticeably different speeds.
Continuity mistake: At Bag End, Bilbo invites Gandalf in and he hands Bilbo his staff and hat. Before the hand off, the knot of the wrist strap on the staff is seen just as Gandalf says, "Bilbo Baggins." and the rim of his hat is seen throughout. After the hand off, as Bilbo carries the large staff in front of him, the strap hangs down and it's a different knot than seen before. The rim of the huge prop hat is seen when Bilbo puts it down and there is a slice on the rim that was not there before. (00:15:50)
Continuity mistake: On their way to the Falls of Rauros, the Fellowship rest at night on the shore. The three boats are side by side at the shoreline, in the first shot. Then we see the boats near the rockface beside the sleeping Hobbits, and next to Frodo and Sam when they're speaking. (01:08:45)
Continuity mistake: In the opening shot of Bag End, as Bilbo says, "The Third Age of this world," we see the halls outside of Bilbo's study as Bilbo writes. There is a dresser with books on it, books lying near the coat tree, stacks of books and papers all over the floor and against the walls. Later, just before Bilbo says, "Frodo, someone at the door," and then when Bilbo searches for the Ring in the hall, in all three of these shots, the arrangement or even existence of quite a few of those books and papers is different. This has nothing to do with his search of the Ring. (00:08:00 - 00:12:50)
Continuity mistake: While Bilbo stretches at his desk and calls out "Frodo, someone at the door" the words on the page in his book can be seen. The last line written is these four words "among the very wise." Yet in the next close-up shot of Bilbo writing again, the last line on the page is these five words: "counted among the very wise." They are different variations of the same page in Bilbo's book used in these two shots. (00:09:20)
Continuity mistake: Gandalf stands at the door of Bag End waiting for Bilbo. Slung over his shoulder is his large pouch that rests at his thigh, and attached to the large pouch is a small pouch, near the flap. When Gandalf enters Bag End the small pouch is gone, not hidden, just gone. (00:15:35)
Continuity mistake: At Dwarrowdelf, as Gimli runs towards the Chamber of Mazarbul with Balin's Tomb, we see outside the doorway an assortment of body remains, armor and other objects. Then after hearing the approaching Orcs, Boromir looks out of the doorway, and we see to his left that the various body remains and armor are different. When Aragorn and Boromir close the doors to the room, outside we see the position and/or variety of body remains, armor and objects change again. (00:25:05)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf gets the doors open to the mines, the doors open and you can see Gimli's axe on the right. The camera angle changes to a close-up of Gimli and he is seen in a sitting position smoking his pipe turning his head to the doors. The camera angle changes to a wide shot and he is seen standing with his axe in his hand. (01:45:25)
Continuity mistake: When Arwen is being chased on horseback through the woods by the Ringwraiths, at one point her face gets grazed by a tree branch, which leaves a long red scratch on her right cheek. In the following shot from up behind the horse she's riding, when she turns around one more time to see where the Wraiths are, her face is conspicuously unblemished, only to have the scratch re"surfaced" on subsequent close-ups. Also, during this long flight to the Ford sequence it is quite discernible in many cuts by cueing on her face (esp'ly in slo-mo) that the rider is a stunt double. (01:21:10)
Continuity mistake: Upon the Fellowship entering the Chamber of Mazarbul and discovering the tomb of Gimli's cousin Balin, a ray of light is shown shining into the room from the side opposite to the entrance: the side with the long drop later featured prominently by Pippin. After exiting the chamber, another ray of light is shown shining into the tomb from the opposite side it was earlier depicted, appearing to enter the chamber from the entrance side through a small hole above and slightly to the right of the door. No such ray of light, or hole, is seen prior to the Fellowship entering the chamber: the direction of the light just completely flips upon them exiting the room. (01:52:50 - 02:01:45)
Continuity mistake: This is in the extended version only. When the hobbits are in the bar in Hobbiton, and Merry and Pippin are on the table singing, Frodo is skipping around the table singing too, with four mugs of ale in his hands. However, as he skips around, you can see that the mugs are empty, but he then puts them down in front of some other hobbits, and they have something in them.
Continuity mistake: At Bag End, Gandalf tosses the envelope with the Ring into the fire. He grips tongs tightly between his thumb and other fingers and reaches into the fire with his thumb facing his left side. In the close-up, the Ring is grasped on the same side as his thumb, with the excess Ring on the other side with his other fingers. Yet in the next shot, Gandalf lifts the Ring out of the fire and the Ring is grasped on the same side as his other fingers, with the excess Ring at the same side as his thumb. This has nothing to do with camera angles. (00:36:55)
Continuity mistake: While Gandalf is nervously waiting, Frodo is looking for the envelope with the Ring in the wood chest. In the first shot looking up from the POV of the chest, Frodo holds the envelope with the flap up near his fingers and the seal below it. However in the next shot the envelope is reversed, with the flap opposite his fingers. (00:36:40)
Continuity mistake: When Legolas lets loose the final arrow into the Troll's mouth, at Balin's Tomb, and the Troll drops down. The things lying on the ground near the Troll's right arm, are in different positions in the close-up and wide shot. (00:33:25)
Continuity mistake: During the prologue, after Sauron strikes Elendil, we see Narsil falling right at the corner of a dirtless, sandless smooth rockface and the sword has only some blood stains on it. When Isildur grabs Narsil, it is now in the middle of dirty, sandy rock, and the sword has dirt all over it now. (00:03:35)
Answer: It is a different staff. Look at the branches at the top of the staff.
Garlonuss ★