The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Revealing mistake: When Pippin offers his services to Denethor, he crosses in front of Gandalf. Against Gandalf's white robe, the outline around Pippin is noticeable, due to the CG editing, which causes this shot to look unnatural. (00:35:10)

Continuity mistake: At Edoras, Gandalf and Pippin ride out on Shadowfax, as Merry runs up to the watchtower, followed by Aragorn, to watch them leave. The actual wood of the fence (height, direction of slant and amount in set) differs significantly (especially to Merry's left) in the shot facing Merry's back, as Aragorn reaches him, and the wide shots facing them. (Extended Edition) (00:36:15)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At Minas Tirith, while speaking with Gandalf, Pippin examines the Gondorian sword as the rest of his garments lie in front of him on the bed. The first shot faces him as does the third shot, but the middle shot is over his shoulder. The gloves' position differs in that middle shot. (00:37:15)

Super Grover

Deliberate mistake: After Théoden shouts, "Rally to me!" when the Nazgûl flies towards the King, in Théoden's close-up the buckle on his helmet's chinstrap is on his left, instead of the usual right. (00:37:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Aragorn shouts for Legolas, he turns to see the Mûmak heading towards him and the mountainside to the right of Minas Tirith is gone, though it should be visible at this angle, such as when earlier, as the Corsair ships arrive, that mountainside is visible in the wideshot facing Minas Tirith. (00:39:20 - 00:41:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Skully, the Orc lieutenant, shouts, "Come on, you sea rats. Get off your ships," the Corsair ship docks and the six mooring pilings are on top of the raised edge of the dock. However, in the following shots all the pilings are located on the ground beside the raised edge. (00:39:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli arrive, the Corsair ship has significant differences between the close-ups and wideshots. For instance, in Aragorn's close-up as he leaps over the ship's rail, there is a wide link chain running across the top of the rail that is gone in the wideshots. (00:39:35)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Éowyn stabs the Witch King, in the two wideshots as he withers away, Merry has his head turned to his left as he watches. However, in Merry's close-ups his body is turned the other way and his head is turned to his right, as he watches the Witch King disappear. (00:40:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Éowyn whips off her helmet and stabs the Witch King, her hair is neatly parted, long and straight. Yet, as she crawls in pain, away from Gothmog, her hair is in nothing less than a total mess. Then when Éowyn, still injured, crawls to Theoden her hair is once again nice and tidy. (Extended Edition) (00:40:35 - 00:41:10)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Legolas always carries two matching knives, crisscrossed under the quiver at his back. When he boards the Mûmak, Legolas removes one of those knives and uses it. Problem is, while the knife is still in his hand, there are two long silver blades that are still quite visible under his quiver. (00:42:30)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: When Gandalf is riding to the top of Minas Tirith, watch the second level carefully. You can see a background character (I think it's a soldier) disappear twice as Gandalf rides past. (00:42:50)

Greg Dwyer

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Gandalf says, "The board is set, the pieces are moving," he has black/grey eyebrows. But in the next scene when he asks Pippin to light the beacon, he has white/grey eyebrows. (00:43:40)

Continuity mistake: At Minas Tirith, Gandalf says, "Peregrin Took, my lad, there is a task now to be done," then we see him walk through a narrow passageway, exit and walk past crates, rope, etc. In the next shot as Pip walks past the same things, regardless that he is shorter than Gandalf, the crates, rope, etc. are positioned differently now. (00:43:45)

Super Grover

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Denethor holds the Horn of Gondor, the metal loop (with rope), which is affixed at its wide end, is located at the outer curve where it is cloven. However in both FotR and TTT, the metal loop at the Horn's wide end, is located on the inner curve where it is cloven, on the opposite side. (There are only two metal loops and they are permanently affixed.) (00:44:50)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Denethor dies, in the side shot of Minas Tirith (its right side when facing the city) the considerable vast gap between the Citadel at the top of the city, with the bridge that leads to the Tomb of the Stewards/large cemetery, and the mountain behind is shown; however, in other side shots the Citadel is much closer to the mountain. In the many aerial and ground wideshots of the distinctive buildings of Minas Tirith as a whole, there are very significant changes in the design and position of buildings, stone railings, etc., some of which disappears then reappears. There are changes in the texture/landscape of the high center prow and the mountainsides beside the city levels as well. (This has nothing to do with damage sustained or with camera angle.) (00:45:35)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: When the Orcs attack Osgiliath, Faramir takes his sword and it appears as if he plunges it into the belly of an Orc. However, he really turns the sword before it hits the Orc and the tip coming out of the back of the Orc is CG. The angle of his hand on the hilt as the blade penetrates and the CG blade in the Orc's back do not line up. (00:46:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: As Pippin climbs to light the beacon, in the overhead wide shot the stacks of wood are seen on a double step platform at the top of the cliff. Where Pip climbs, there is a wide ledge above him leading to the platform, between the four columns. Yet, in the next close-up, there is barely any ledge between the cliff side and the double step platform on which the stacks of wood sits and the cliff side is also rockier in the close-up. (00:46:35)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Pippin finds Merry's cloak, in the shot facing the ground he picks it up and Merry's Elf leaf broach is vertical, as it points towards Pip's right. However, in the next shot facing Pippin, the broach is now horizontal and points to his left (viewer's right). (00:46:50)

Super Grover

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Gandalf and Pippin walk to the prow of Minas Tirith, and while the wizard says, "Childless lords sat in aged halls, musing on heraldry..." the camera passes the two tall stones at the prow. The depth of the stones are the same at both the narrow top and wide bottom, they are irregularly shaped and the actual points are curved. The prow's short side stone walls meet the two front stones at their edges and part of the wall is broken. However, after Gandalf says, "The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men," in the next shot facing Mordor, the stones are completely different. The two tall stones come to a perfect point, they are straight at all sides and the design of the stone differs. The wall is not broken and both sides jut out past the side edges of the two tall pointy stones. (Extended DVD.) (00:48:40)

Super Grover

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: In Cirith Ungol where Frodo is tied up, as the Uruk and Orc fight, Shagrat throws Gorbag on top of the hole. In the next shot of Gorbag, as he brings his left leg up out of the hole, three circular lights are visible in the hole below. It may be necessary to darken the brightness of your screen, in order to see the three lights properly. (Extended Edition, Disc 2). (00:48:45)

Legolas: So, it's a drinking game?
Gimli: Last one standing wins!
Legolas: [after several drinks.] I...I feel something-a slight tingle in my fingers. I think it's affecting me!
Gimli: Ahh...what'd I say? He can't hold his liquor... [falls over.].
Legolas: Game over.

More quotes from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Trivia: Sam's line at the end of the film ("Well, I'm back") is also the last line of the novel.

Cubs Fan

More trivia for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Question: Where were the other Wizards during the fight for Middle-Earth?

Answer: There are only five wizards. Saruman and Gandalf are heavily involved, as we see. Radagast, while not mentioned in the film, has a particular affinity with the birds and animals - it is he who sends the Eagles to the last battle, and to rescue Gandalf from Isengard. The final two, Alatar and Pallando, known as the Blue Wizards, went into the far eastern regions of Middle-Earth and never returned. Tolkien felt that they would ultimately have fallen from grace, much as Saruman did.

Tailkinker

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