Continuity mistake: During the ride of Rohan, there are a number of close-up shots showing characters as well as wide shots showing the whole army. In the close-up shots, the horses you see are brown, black or white, however, the wide shots are different. They show all brown or black horses, with the exception of Theoden's one white horse.
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: 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: Inside Mt. Doom, there is a wide shot of Gollum on top of the invisible Frodo. In this shot, Sam is lying in the background with his arms at his sides. Then when he attempts to get up again in the next shot, his arms are in front of him.
Continuity mistake: At Orthanc before Gandalf and company confront Saruman, Treebeard is standing right in front of them and some Ents are in the background, but in the subsequent shots of the group on the ground and from above Orthanc, Treebeard and the other Ents are no where to be seen. After Saruman dies and Pippin finds the Palantir, Treebeard is back again. (Extended Edition) (00:11:00 - 00:14:20)
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: As Frodo, Sam and Gollum begin to climb the stairs at Cirith Ungol, Sam asks, "Hey, what's in this tunnel?" then grabs Gollum and pushes him to the stone wall. In the wideshot, Gollum's back is noticeably up against a different part of the wall, than in the previous and following close-ups. (00:59:35)
Continuity mistake: As Faramir and the Gondorian soldiers start to ride down the path in Minas Tirith, there is a close-up of Faramir passing a particular building, and then over a dozen shots later, when Gandalf shouts, "Faramir!" Faramir still rides past the same building. In the next wideshot with Gandalf, they are on a different part of the path, yet in the next close-up Faramir is once again still at the same building as earlier. (01:29:00)
Continuity mistake: At Dunharrow, Éowyn talks with Merry, who stands in front of the tent's door flaps. In the interior shots, there are short ties hanging from the grommet holes on both sides of the flaps. Yet in the next exterior shot as Merry heads to the smithy, there are long ties hanging only on one side of the flaps, the other side has empty grommets! (01:13:50)
Continuity mistake: On the balcony at Minas Tirith, when Pip hands Gandalf the cup of water, the large rug at the foot of the bed is clearly visible, as is the wood bench on the balcony. In following shots, including when Gandalf says, "This will be the end of Gondor as we know it," the bench's position very noticeably differs and the large rug is actually gone!! (Extended Edition) (00:52:55 - 00:54:15)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo, who is alone, finishes writing and turns to the beginning of the Red Book, we see 'There and back again, a Hobbit's tale, by Bilbo Baggins' written on the page. However, the handwriting on the page in this close-up is different than when it is first seen in FotR, when Bilbo first writes it. Then when Sam comes into the study, he reads aloud, "There and back... and The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins," in the close-up of Frodo's handwriting. Sam then exclaims, "You finished it!" Frodo closes the book, but as he closes it we see that page again and 'The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins' is written differently than the previous close-up of that page. (03:01:40)
Continuity mistake: After Pippin has looked in the Palantír Merry rushes to his side. There is a shot of Pippin lying lifeless on the floor and Merry is nowhere to be seen. Then it cuts to Gandalf shoving Merry aside and Merry is again right next to Pippin.
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)
Continuity mistake: Frodo is tied up in the Tower at Cirith Ungol and in the first few shots his wrists are tightly bound left over right. Yet after Gorbag threatens Shagrat, in the shot of Frodo as we see them fight behind him, Frodo's now bound right over left and in this shot his hair and webbing are completely different than the previous shot. The rope, its knots, his hair and webbing change throughout the shots. (02:18:20)
Continuity mistake: After the battle of the Pelennor fields, as the King of the Dead and his army disappear, in the shot behind Gimli and Aragorn, Gimli looks around at the disappearing army and holds his axe horizontally in his right hand. In the next shot from the front the axe is now on the ground and he is leaning on it. (02:17:00)
Continuity mistake: According to the map shown in the opening prologue to the Fellowship of the Ring, the tower of Barad-dur should not be visible through the Black Gates - it's far off to the east, with an outcrop of the Ash Mountains in the way. (02:31:20)
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)
Continuity mistake: When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli reach the Dimholt Gate, a ghostly gust of wind rushes towards them and scares the horses away. Aragorn lets go twice of Brego's reins in consecutive shots. Also, the shot just before Aragorn shouts, "Brego!" Gimli faces the camera and Aragorn is some distance away from Gimli and Legolas, but in the next shot when Aragorn does shout, their positions have changed quite a bit. (01:24:30)
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: When Frodo and Sam wake up in the culvert, the area of ground just outside of it in the interior shot looking out differs from the exterior shot as Sam stands at the opening. (00:06:15 - 00:07:25)
Answer: Aragorn is 210 years old when he dies. Some of the early texts give his age at death as 190, but Tolkien eventually confirmed that 210 is the correct age.
Tailkinker ★