Continuity mistake: While Ajax and Hector fight, Hector head butts Ajax, and three shots later in a wide shot, half of the hammer end of his unusual spear actually breaks and falls to the ground behind him to his left. But lo and behold, in the next close-up the bloody hammer end (bloodier than the previous shot) of his spear is whole and intact. (01:20:00)
Continuity mistake: While Menelaus and Paris duel, Menelaus punches Paris in the face (the first time) and as he spins around spitting blood, the red bruise on Paris' right cheek is perfectly visible, yet in the very next close-up his face is quite pristine - the bruise and blood are actually gone. But of course in the next close-up Paris' cheek bruise is back with blood on his chin as well, and in the following shots the amount of blood goes back and forth. (01:14:35)
Continuity mistake: When Achilles is hit with the fourth arrow in the close-up, he now has two arrows in his torso (the first in his ankle, the second he pulled out). Yet in the next wide shot of Briseis, as she runs toward Paris yelling, "Paris! Don't!" there is only ONE arrow in Achilles' chest, but when Paris hits him with the fifth arrow, no doubt the missing arrow is back again. (02:28:45)
Continuity mistake: During the duel between Menelaus and Paris, the blade tip on Menelaus' sword actually breaks. It is perfectly visible when he and Paris slam their two swords together, at the start of the same shot just before Menelaus grabs hold of Paris' shield and pushes him away. Of course it's nice and pointy in the following shots. (01:14:50)
Continuity mistake: When the Trojan rider finds the Greek fleet that are hidden below, in the wide shots this rider has very long curly black hair and his helmet has its decorative hair formed into a thin long twist as it hangs down from the top of the helmet. However, in the close-ups of the rider, he has very short brown hair and all the helmet's decorative hair hangs down thick and loose. (02:18:20)
Continuity mistake: When Hector and Paris return to Troy with Helen, in the last wide shot as they ride in the chariot the camera pans toward the palace, high up in the distance over particular buildings. Later, just after Odysseus sets fire to the pyre with Achilles' body, when Odysseus' voiceover says, "...I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat," the entire palace is actually GONE in this shot, though it should be visible over the very same buildings as the earlier shot, since the angle of the camera is similar. Composite people simply neglected to add the palace in this pyre shot. (00:28:20 - 02:32:15)
Continuity mistake: Achilles walks on the left side of the large grassy area when he is hit with the third and fourth arrows in the close-ups and since the statue to the left and back edge of the grass are visible, the dead soldier's position is apparent. Then after a facial close-up of stationary Achilles, in the next wide shot Achilles is now on the right side of the grassy area. (02:28:35)
Continuity mistake: Priam walks toward the edge of the balcony to see fire ravaging his city. In the shot prior to that one, Troy's center square (with the temple of Poseidon) is shown and behind the two large columns, the left and right tall doors at the top of the stairs are engulfed in flames, the center door is not. When Briseis runs from the galloping horse, in the very next shot of the square with the 'Trojan' horse, only the left door at the top of the stairs is engulfed in flames and the right and center doors are both perfectly intact, then of course as Agamemnon shouts, "Burn Troy!" the left and right are completely engulfed again. (02:22:40 - 02:23:30)
Continuity mistake: After Agamemnon's death, the first soldier that Achilles kills when rescuing Briseis, lies on the grassy area directly in front of the large center statue. The dead soldier repeatedly changes position. For example, when Briseis runs and shouts, "Paris! Don't!" the body is about 3-4 feet away from the edge, yet when Achilles drops to his knees, the body is right at the edge. In the last aerial shot of Achilles' body, the dead soldier is actually gone from the front of the statue. (02:28:45)
Continuity mistake: When Paris finds Briseis with Achilles, Paris lets loose his first arrow, with four left in the quiver, then when he runs up the step he pulls his second and there are three left. He then releases the third and fourth arrows, which should leave him only one in his quiver, for his final shot. Just after Briseis shouts, "Paris! Don't!" before he lets loose his fifth arrow, there are still three arrows actually visible behind him. However, when he runs down the stairs his quiver is empty. Perhaps some Legolas elf magic is at work here. (02:28:10)
Continuity mistake: Just before Hector fights Achilles, he hugs his wife, and son. The boy is rather big in his wife's arms. A moment later, we see a wider shot of the family looking on, and the wife hands the boy to someone to hold for her. The bundle we see in her hands is very tiny compared to the baby she'd just had in the previous scene. (01:55:35 - 01:57:30)
Continuity mistake: After Hector stabs Ajax blood dribbles from Ajax's mouth and lands on the sand. However, once Ajax breaks the spear in his stomach and continues fighting, this area has no blood on it.
Continuity mistake: After Ajax's death, when Agamemnon shouts, "Forward!" as they charge, Agamemnon's two horses have very distinctive white markings on their faces. Then when Agamemnon and Odysseus (on the same chariot) retreat, after the cheering of Trojan royalty, in the close-up as Odysseus shouts, "Back to the ships!" the white markings are entirely different, and now both horses are actually wearing blinkers on their bridles to cover their eyes. (01:20:50 - 01:21:55)
Continuity mistake: When Paris and Menelaus duel, the distance between them and each of the two armies changes drastically in different consecutive shots, even when there is minimal movement by the two men. For example, when Menelaus takes Paris' shield away and Paris trips forward in two consecutive shots. (01:14:45)
Continuity mistake: In the opening scene, just after Achilles has arrived, he begins to walk off from Agamemnon, and as the shot faces Agamemnon talking to the gentleman beside him with the white hair and beard, this man's position differs between shots. (00:07:25)
Continuity mistake: When Priam sees the city on fire, in the shot facing his back, he walks to the edge of the balcony. In the next close-up facing him, the large statue (the seated statue opposite the throne) and a particular white statue are a certain distance behind him. In earlier shots, including when Priam and Hector stand on the balcony, the distance between the balcony and the seated statue at the opposite end of the room is far greater. The statues are deliberately much closer, for the close-up on Priam's devastated expression. (02:22:50)
Continuity mistake: When Achilles goes to see his mother, Thetis, as they speak the position of her long hair differs repeatedly, e.g., behind her shoulder then in front, depending on the camera angle. (00:25:30)
Continuity mistake: In the first shot that pans Ajax's ship, as he walks towards the bow, Ajax's weapon leans on the rail at the prow and to HIS left there is a green shield, blanket and other items lying on deck, as well as the seated men rowing. The first seat is empty, on the second seat sits a dark-haired man and a bald man sits on the fourth seat. However, when he yells, "Row you lazy whores..." in the close-up, he yanks a man sitting in the first seat that was previously empty, the man on the second seat has gone grey (from stress?) and the (bald) man on the fourth seat has grown a full head of hair. Ajax's weapon, the green shield and the other items are gone too. (00:41:30)
Continuity mistake: When Hector stabs Menelaus, in the close-up the tip of the blade protrudes at his back a few inches to the right of the second circular design, under the shoulder flap. However, when Hector pulls the blade out, the tip of the blade is directly in the center of the circular decorative design. (01:16:50)
Continuity mistake: After Briseis kills Agamemnon, Achilles slices the first soldier's neck and as the man falls back it is apparent that his helmet (and wig) falls off (a bit more noticeable on VHS). However, in the following shots it's quite an accomplishment that this soldier has his helmet on, as he lies dead on the grass. (02:28:00)
Answer: They didn't know the Greeks weren't bringing cavalry. The Greeks did use them and sometimes brought them by sea. It was there to stop a cavalry charge and to break up fighting formations.
LorgSkyegon