The Big Sleep

Continuity mistake: Marlowe walks over to the roulette table where Lauren Bacall is playing and the croupier has a chip in his hand. In the next shot he doesn't. (01:11:20)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe goes into Eddie Mars'place and the butler opens up the door with his left hand while his right hand is at his side. In the next shot his right hand is touching the door. (01:06:00)

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Continuity mistake: Carol Lundgren rings the buzzer and Joe Brody walks toward the door holding a cigarette in his right hand. In the next shot as he answers the door the cigarette is in his left hand. (00:56:30)

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Continuity mistake: At Geiger's house, Marlowe uses a long piece of rope to tie up Carol Lundgren and extends the end of it several feet to the right of his body. The next time we see the body the rope is not there. (00:59:15)

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Continuity mistake: Eddie Mars looks at Marlowe and says, "Got any good ideas soldier?" and Marlowe exhales a big puff of smoke in his direction as he speaks. In the next shot there's no smoke between the two of them. (00:44:20)

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Continuity mistake: As she sits on his desk talking about Carmen, Marlowe says to Lauren Bacall, "Go ahead and scratch". The picture of Carmen is in his right hand but in the next shot both the picture and the envelope are in both hands. (00:34:10)

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Continuity mistake: At Arthur Gwynn Geiger's house, Marlowe finds the camera hidden in a hollow sculpture and in the close up it's in direct light. In the next shot it's covered by Marlowe's shadow. (00:22:45)

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Continuity mistake: In the Hollywood Public Library Marlowe Looks in the book "Famous First Editions" and has it opened to chapter XIV. In the next shot the book is opened to a different page. (00:13:20)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe walks into Art Huck's garage and Lash Canino says, "You got time to fix his tire?". Canino doesn't move an inch in the 12 seconds between the two shots were we see him but all the stuff behind him is rearranged. Most notable is the lamp used to dry the automotive paint, which if you look at its label, has been rotated 180 degrees without any one going near it. (01:35:45)

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Continuity mistake: As he walks up to Art Huck's garage Marlowe's car is in a totally different position (with the right front tire now on a rock) from when he just skidded off the road. (01:33:55 - 01:34:30)

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Continuity mistake: After they finish their drinks in the restaurant Marlowe says to Lauren Bacall , " I don't want to hurt you, I'm trying to help you" and she goes from holding her right hand in her left to holding her left hand in her right between shots as she looks at him. (01:04:45)

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Continuity mistake: Lauren Bacall takes Marlowe's handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and she begins to wipe off the water that Mona Mars threw in his face. He stops her and says, "Never mind, Angel, the water feels good". She puts the handkerchief back in his pocket, but two shots later it's not there. Then at the end of the scene, it reappears again. (01:39:15)

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Continuity mistake: As he sits tied up by the couch, Marlowe says to Lauren Bacall, "Take this thing out of my mouth," and his entire face is wet with the water that Pat Clark threw on him. In the next shot as she takes the cigarette out of his mouth before they kiss, his face is almost dry (1945 Version on DVD). (01:42:15)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe skids off the side of the road in front of Art Huck's garage and takes a gun out from under his dashboard. There's no vent window on the driver's side door of his car but then when he gets out of the car a vent window appears (1945 Version on DVD). (01:36:40)

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Continuity mistake: In his office, Marlowe sits down in a reclining chair as he speaks to Harry Jones. When we first see it the chair is about six inches away from the bookcase but two shots later in a close-up it's right against the bookcase. (01:25:20)

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Continuity mistake: As Marlowe walks out of Eddie Mars place there are cars in the parking lot. In the next close up shot the cars are entirely different. (01:12:40)

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Continuity mistake: In Joe Brody's apartment Marlowe says to Lauren Bacall, "Don't argue with the man, do as he says, sit down". She sits down on the right side of the couch next to the pillow and never moves from that spot, but several shots later in a wide shot she's sitting in the center of the couch. (00:50:00)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe says to Dorothy Malone in the Acme Book Shop, " I was just wondering if you have to?" and she puts the paper cup in her right hand down twice. (00:17:50)

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Continuity mistake: As Marlowe walks into Geiger's bookstore his handkerchief is sticking out of his jacket pocket. He never touches it again but the next time we see it it's neatly tucked into the pocket of his jacket. (00:13:50)

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Continuity mistake: After driving Lauren Bacall home from Eddie Mars' place Marlowe walks into his apartment and we see the number 206 on the door. In the next shot from inside we see another door that doesn't have 206 on it. (01:17:05)

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More mistakes in The Big Sleep

General Sternwood: Do you like orchids?
Philip Marlowe: Not particularly.
General Sternwood: Ugh. Nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men, and their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption.

More quotes from The Big Sleep

Trivia: At the end of the movie Lauren Bacall says to Marlowe "Phil, there's two men out back behind some trees". This is the only time in the movie that she refers to him by his first name. (01:49:45)

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More trivia for The Big Sleep

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