Continuity mistake: To show time has passed, the wooden fence on the beach deteriorates, but the top of the fence, with Anna Muir carved in it, was never anywhere near the water - it was way up inland, far away from the water's edge - but now it is in the water, waves washing over it.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
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Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: George Sanders, Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, Edna Best
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More mistakes in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Lucy Muir: I wish you wouldn't swear. It's so ugly.
Captain Gregg: If you think that's ugly, it's a good thing you can't read me thoughts.
Question: On the beach, Mr Scroggins carves Anna's name - Anna Muir - on the end of the wrong end of a wooden "fence" (it faces inland; so how on earth could captains at sea see her name as they pass by?) and what is the purpose of the wooden "fence"?
Answer: Whether or not the carving was placed inland as a convenience for the audience to see it, it is still a mistake with regard to the dialogue indicating that persons at sea being able to read Anna's name on the post. To avoid the mistake, the scene should begun showing Mr. Scroggins on the seaward side of the post carving and the for the camera to pan around to show that he is carving the name "Anna Muir." The sea could still be in the background and the dialogue would then make sense.
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Chosen answer: The scene takes place at a public beach where Anna and her mother go swimming and the fence may be connected to that. Anna is a small child and Mr. Scroggins carves her name where she can always easily see it, and it is far away from the water's edge. Of course, for the purpose of the movie, it was placed in such a way to be seen by the audience as a way to gauge the amount of time that is passing. It becomes worn and deteriorated over the years.
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