The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Continuity mistake: When Pippin approaches sleeping Gandalf there is a shot of Gandalf hugging the cloth covered Palantir, yet when Pippin waves his hand in front of Gandalf's eyes the cloth is wrapped around the Palantir differently. When Pip places it on the blankets and opens the grey cloth, in the first close-up, then a wide shot and subsequent close-ups, the cloth lying around the palantir is arranged differently. (00:20:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: During the drinking game, after Legolas says, "I think it's affecting me," in the close-up when Gimli slams his mug down and slurs, "What did I say?" the tower of mugs are in front of him. When Gimli passes out the tower of mugs are visible from the other side, but it's still obvious that they're positioned differently. (Extended Edition) (00:21:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Pippin steals the palantir from Gandalf and replaces it with the water pitcher while Gandalf is sleeping. In the extreme close-up, when Gandalf refocuses his eyes the pitcher is seen at his arm. However in the next close-up, Gandalf has NOT even moved yet, but the pitcher is not at his arm in this shot. We do not see or hear the pitcher fall on the floor in this shot. (00:21:20)

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

Continuity mistake: At Edoras, after Pippin steals the palantir, it rolls out of Aragorn's hands and Gandalf chases it. Pippin lies motionless on green, grey and blue bunched up blankets and a rug etc. In Pippin's close-up, just after Gandalf says, "Fool of a Took!" there is just a grey blanket under his head and a different fur rug to his right. Then in the following close-ups, it alternates between both green and grey under him, to just a grey one. (00:21:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Pippin is being tended to by Gandalf after being affected by Sauron through the palantir. The blankets under Pip's head differ in some of his close-ups. Then when looking down on Pippin, Gandalf's hand is touching Pippin's head throughout most of these shots. Though when looking up at Gandalf, his hand is not at Pippin's head in at least two shots that are wide enough to see a hand, if it were there. (00:21:45)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Aragorn's shirt has been mended at the shoulders where it was ripped from his fall during the Warg attack in TTT, but the pattern of the thread that was sewn onto the shirt, at both shoulders, is different throughout many of the shots in this film. (00:21:50 - 00:24:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Sam rescues Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol and gives him back the Ring, Frodo puts it around his neck and you can see it against his bare chest. The chain is noticeably much longer and thicker than the one he's been wearing previously. (00:22:45)

Continuity mistake: While the Orcs attack Minas Tirith, the fix-it shop on one of the levels is seen in various shots and its look changes in consecutive shots. The bucket that hangs at the doorway is gone in the first shot, yet it's back four shots later and the rubble in front is vastly different in both shots, etc. (00:23:05)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Gandalf is confronted with the Witch King, Gandalf's (whose hair is over his cloak) and Pippin's hair blow wildly in shots facing them. Yet in the back shots Pippin's and Gandalf's (whose hair is tucked neatly) hair does not move. (00:23:40)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Gandalf and Pippin fall to the ground, after the wizard's staff is broken by the Witch King, their body positions differ in consecutive shots, as does Pippin's when he stands up. (00:24:05)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Gandalf discusses Pippin's contact with Sauron to the others, in the Golden Hall of Edoras. Right after Gandalf's line, "They will be," in the shot of Gandalf's back, all of his hair is in underneath and in front of his cloak, but when Gandalf approaches Aragorn to say, "You must come to Minas Tirith..." his hair is over the top of his cloak. (00:24:20)

Continuity mistake: In Edoras, after Gandalf lifts Pippin onto Shadowfax, as Gandalf says, "Three days ride..." Pippin's left hand is seen and the fingers are very short and very chunky - NOT because his fingers are clasped - it is obviously the scale double's hand in this specific shot. Then when Merry hands Pippin the pouch of Longbottom leaf, Pippin's left hand is seen again and Billy Boyd's hand and fingers are very thin and lanky. The two hands seen in these two consecutive shots quite obviously do not look anything alike. (00:25:35)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: During Arwen's vision of Eldarion (her future son), you see a close-up shot of Arwen, just before she meets his glance and in this shot the folds in her velvet hood are broad and the pattern lies a certain way. In the next shot of her the fabric folds are smaller and the pattern differs, which stays consistent through Elrond's line. After her vision disappears, the scene cuts back to her (just before her escort says his first line) and her hood returns to the way it was in the first shot. (00:27:30)

Continuity mistake: When Éowyn rests on a chaise in the golden hall of Meduseld, Aragorn speaks with her. The position of her robe, the tassled pillows and tassled material, under her feet, etc., changes in consecutive close-ups, semi close-ups and wide shots. (Extended Edition) (00:27:35)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: After Arwen's vision, when an Elf escort says, "...we cannot delay.", in the close-up he faces her and his hair is behind his shoulders. In the next wide shot as Arwen begins to leave, the escort now turns to face her, his hair is in front of his shoulders and the neck/shoulder area of his cloak is different than the previous and following close-up. In the next close-up, his hair is behind his shoulders again. (00:28:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: As Frodo and Sam walk in Mordor, Sauron's Eye turns towards them and Sam yells, "Frodo, get down!" Frodo collapses and when he hits the ground, in the close-up, the Ring on the necklace is at his right cheek. In the following wide shot, the Ring is lying lower down on his shirt. In his next close-up, the Ring is at his right cheek again. (00:29:20)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: At Rivendell, the shards of Narsil shown lying on the cloth include the hilt, four small shards and the long pointy tip. In Fellowship, there are also two shots with two different versions of the shards, within the same scene with Boromir and Aragorn, also mentioned in Mistakes. In RotK, when the two Elves are reforging the blade, in one shot the pointy tip of the blade is shown with the tip broken. Though, in all three of the shards' shots in FotR and RotK the pointy tip is unbroken. Also, the long tip shown in the first shot lying on the cloth is much longer than the tip being shown while being reforged. This has nothing to do with camera angles. (00:29:55)

Super Grover

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

Continuity mistake: At Rivendell, in the first shot Arwen holds the book and it's open to the page with the drawing of the door on the right side. Then in the next close-up, (before the book falls) she is still holding the book open, but it is now open to a different page. Then the book starts to fall to the floor. (00:30:15)

Continuity mistake: At Rivendell, Arwen sits holding the book and we see the bouquet of flowers, the chair at the side of the table faces the camera, the pillows beside her that switch positions and the patterned floor is brightly colored rose tones with high gloss. Yet, in the close-up dropping the book (and following shots), though the floor has the same pattern, it's now light pastel tones, matte and granite-like, with no gloss at all. After Elrond lifts the book, in the wide shot the flowers are very different and the chair is now in front of the table facing the chaise lounge. Then when Elrond takes her hands in the next shot the chair is on the side of the table again. (00:30:15)

Super Grover

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

Continuity mistake: Legolas sends an arrow directly to Grima atop Orthanc, and as Grima starts to fall back the arrow is quite visibly well below the coat's fur. However, when Grima actually hits the ground, the arrow is now higher up, protruding from the fur. (Extended Edition.) (00:16:35)

Super Grover

More mistakes in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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

Trivia: When Gandalf is talking about the gathering of the armies of Sauron, the next shot shows the Corsairs on a ship. Walking from right to left is Peter Jackson in a cameo as a Corsair pirate. In the extended version he is pierced in the chest by Legolas' arrow and dramatically dies. (00:38:30)

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

Question: When Déagol finds the ring, Sméagol asks to have it. When Déagol asks why, Sméagol says because it's his birthday and that he wanted it. Was it really Sméagol's birthday or was he already so quickly drawn by the ring's power that he only claimed it was in hopes that Déagol would hand it over?

Answer: In the book, it absolutely was his birthday.

Brian Katcher

What chapter in the book where smeagol kills deagol?

DFirst1

The Fellowship of the Ring, chapter two 'The Shadow of the Past.'.

Brian Katcher

Answer: It probably wasn't his birthday on that exact day, that would be too much of a coincidence. But close is definitely possible, or at least closer than Deagol's. Both were immediately drawn by the ring, heavily enough that they fought over it and Smeagol becoming the ultimate winner. Both did everything to keep it.

lionhead

More questions & answers from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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.