Continuity mistake: After Pippin looks at the Palantir, and Gandalf is holding his face, when the shot is on Pip, his face is sweaty and flushed. When the shot is on Gandalf, Pippin's face is pale. (00:31:45)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf and Pippin reach Minas Tirith, Gandalf's cloak is fairly clean. As they ride up through all of the gates of Minas Tirith, the bottom of Gandalf's white cloak is filthy, yet when they reach the top Gandalf's cloak is much cleaner again. During their ride glimpses of the stirrups are visible. (00:32:00 - 00:33:00)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf and Pippin walk into the hall where Denethor is sitting, the back of Gandalf's cloak is clean and white. After Pippin offers his services to Denethor, Gandalf walks out on Denethor and when he turns around and starts to leave, the bottom of Gandalf's cloak is much dirtier. (00:33:55)
Continuity mistake: During the Mûmakil battle, when a Mûmak topples over, as Éowyn and Merry fall off their horse, in some of the shots their sheath straps hang from their left shoulders to their right sides. Also, please note Merry's chinstrap buckle which is on his right, but is normally on his left. (00:34:50)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Continuity mistake: After Gandalf and Pippin have their unfortunate meeting with Denethor, they walk towards the prow of the city. As they stand there, the distance between themselves and the White Tree/guards/statues differs significantly between Gandalf's and Pippin's individual close-ups, their back shots and when Gandalf moves closer to Pip. In some of these consecutive shots soldiers walk up the ramp in front of the White Tree, yet in other shots they're non-existent. (Extended Edition) (00:48:50)
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 ★