Continuity mistake: After Cedric is told that there are no more nannies he comes home, and when Chrissie grabs hold of his leg the teddy jumps off and on the blanket, beside the door. (00:05:50)
Continuity mistake: When Mrs. Blatherwick sits in the rocking chair in the kitchen, before the "mouse" races across the floor, in the first shot her left hand lies on her belly, with her right hand over her left, patting it gleefully. When it cuts to a close-up, her hands are in the opposite position. (00:10:20)
Continuity mistake: When the Brown kids are making a mess in the kitchen, the bites in the large round bread that Sebastian holds change, and actually become fewer. (00:15:25)
Continuity mistake: When Eric, Tora and Aggy are getting ready for bed, Simon walks in and mocks, "And since when have we decided to do what we're told?" The towel to his right (viewer's left) is rumpled up, yet hangs straight in previous and following shots, then is rumpled again. (00:19:55)
Audio problem: When Simon is sitting on bed, he says "We're getting rid of her tomorrow." However the audio to this line comes a few seconds before his mouth moves. (00:23:40)
Continuity mistake: When Evangeline shows Nanny McPhee the book she is learning to read, the book mark changes between shots as Nanny holds the book up. (00:33:20)
Revealing mistake: In the scene where Nanny McPhee seems to suddenly "appear" to Cook, after the children have gotten sick, you can see Nanny stand up from behind the counter, if you watch closely through the red bottle as the camera passes. (00:34:05)
Continuity mistake: After Evangeline has left with Aunt Adelaide, Nanny McPhee enters the children's room, and as she and Chrissie walk to the bed they pass Eric's, Lily's and Tora's beds, with the bare wood floor at the center - there is no rug. However, when Nanny McPhee leaves their room the long red and white rug is at the center of the floor, between all the beds. (00:51:55 - 00:52:55)
Continuity mistake: When Nanny McPhee tells Cedric, "Lesson three, to get dressed when they're told is complete," he picks up a pen and fiddles with it. In the next close-up, Cedric's hands are clasped together, and a moment later he picks up the pen and fiddles with it. (00:53:40)
Visible crew/equipment: After Nanny McPhee and Mr. Brown discuss the subjects of Evangeline's wellbeing with Aunt Adelaide and Simon's cleverness, when Nanny McPhee leaves the room the crew member's movement is seen in the mirror reflection, over the mantle. (00:54:40)
Continuity mistake: Just as Mrs. Quickly sits down on Mr. Brown's wife chair and as Eric puts an arrow in her seat, the seat cushion is brown. However, when Mr. Brown adjusts the seat, the cushion in his hand is yellow. (00:57:40)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Selma Quickly takes the rattle from Aggy to break it the rattle's big end is to her right but when she does break it, it's the other way around.
Revealing mistake: Whenever Mr. Brown is at his work in front of a dead man, you can easily see any of the men (if more than one) twitching and breathing. This especially occurs when Mr. Brown is talking to Simon; the man's abdomen is moving.
Continuity mistake: In the wedding scene at the end, a food fight begins and the bride cake topper is knocked off the cake as it ensues. But in later shots it is visible over Simon's shoulder, back on.
Continuity mistake: At Midgewaller & Sons, when Mr. Brown finds the card for the deceased Thadius Quickly, not only does the handwriting differ later at home, but the red swatch pinned to the card differs as well.
Continuity mistake: When the tarantula is crawling on Selma Quickly's hair, Cedric dives onto her. In the first shot his hands are around Selma's neck, as he is falling on top of her, but in the next shot his arms are wrapped around her waist with her arms dangling over his.
Continuity mistake: Near the end, Evangeline has some frosting near the bottom of her nose in a far shot, but when it cuts to a close-up, the blob of frosting is more towards the middle/top of her lip.
Continuity mistake: After Nanny McPhee catches Mr. Brown talking to his wife's chair, and he leaves the room, she looks at the chair and goes to bow. In the close up shot she is starting to lean to the left and in the wide shot she is leaning to the right.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie when the father is getting married to Mrs. Quickly, there is a food fight where the cakes and such are being thrown at everyone. When the father gets green frosting on his face first he has a spot of frosting on the left side of his face, then it is gone, then it's back on his face, then it becomes two spots.
Revealing mistake: When Eric is using the guillotine to cut the head off Christi's teddy bear you can see the Velcro attached to the bear's head showing where it is supposed to come off.
Answer: The skull and crossbone flag can be interpreted in a number of ways. Death, both literally and symbolically, is an ongoing theme in the story. Cedric Brown, the children's father, is a widower, and he is also an undertaker. There have been a number of nannies for Mr. Brown's rather naughty children, but they have systematically gotten rid of each one, basically "killing them off," though not in a literal sense, until Nanny McPhee arrives.
raywest