Continuity mistake: When the Godfather sits in the garden, talking to Michael who has just returned from Las Vegas, he is holding his wine glass in his hand. When he puts it down the amount of wine in the glass doubles. (02:20:55)
Continuity mistake: When Vito Corleone gets shot, he rolls on his back and his coat opens up to show his shirt. Then we see Fredo sitting down on the nearby steps and crying. In the next wide shot, Vito is lying on the side, totally covered by his coat, and Fredo is sitting farther away than where we saw him before. (00:43:40)
Continuity mistake: Outside the hospital McCluskey punches Michael. A few days after the episode outside the hospital, Michael shoots McCluskey and Sollozzo at the restaurant, but there is no mark on his face where he was hit. Then in Sicily when Michael meets Apollonia for the first time, there is still no mark on his face, but suddenly at Apollonia and Michael's wedding, he has a large mark on his face.
Continuity mistake: In the meeting at the Las Vegas Hotel, while Michael is talking to Johnny before Moe Green enters, Fredo takes his sunglasses off and puts them away. A moment later he sits down with his sunglasses back on and takes them off again. (02:16:05)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where McCluskey breaks Michael's jaw the two cops who hold Michael by his arms get replaced by two others between shots. (01:06:25)
Continuity mistake: When Barzini's driver is shot, the killer first shoots him in the chest but the driver grabs his stomach, before he is shot there a second time. (02:34:20)
Continuity mistake: When Michael announces that he is going to kill Sollozzo, his speech suddenly is mumbled. Also the props in his swollen cheek change shape several times in this scene, as well as the way his hair is combed. (01:11:45)
Continuity mistake: When Michael asks Kay if she wants to meet Johnny Fontane the drink in his glass almost disappears between shots, then reappears later. (00:17:55 - 00:18:40)
Continuity mistake: When Luca Brasi goes to meet Sollozzo and Tattaglia, he is stabbed in the hand with a knife and is bleeding. A few seconds after you see a shot of the hand, the blood is already dry. (00:41:30)
Continuity mistake: When Tom Hagen and Woltz have dinner the scene starts with a wide shot with a huge log fire in the fireplace behind Woltz. In all later shots the fire is about half as high. (00:29:10)
Continuity mistake: When Sonny is gunned down at the toll station the bullet holes in the car roof disappear and reappear. Plus, there are some dents in the roof where the bullet holes appear. (01:52:45)
Continuity mistake: When Michael Corleone goes to Las Vegas to meet with Moe Greene, watch carefully when Moe sits at the table while continuing his argument with Michael. There's a glass of water that changes places from shot to shot. At one moment, the glass is behind Moe's arm, then in the next shot it's in front. Moe moves the glass at one point, but nevertheless, the glass continues to move from shot to shot. (02:17:30)
Continuity mistake: Michael shoots McCloskey in the throat with a black plated gun. The shot following shows Michael pointing a silver plated gun against a black background, so they probably needed something to stand out. Michael then finishes McCloskey with a black plated gun.
Continuity mistake: When Michael is sitting with Sollozzo and McCluskey, the owner (presumed owner) of the restaurant (shown from the rear, walks behind the bar to ring up and put a check in the register, he is smoking a pipe. (in his mouth) But yet a split-second later from a front angle there is no pipe in his mouth, hand, or anywhere near him.
Continuity mistake: In the meeting of the heads of all families, when Tattaglia asks the Godfather for assurance that there will be no vengeance, we see him leaning back in his chair, waiting for an answer. In the next shot the camera is on the Godfather, and we see Tattaglia leaning back again. (02:05:15)
Continuity mistake: Before Luca Brasi's hand gets pinned to the counter by Sollozzo's knife, Tattaglia holds it down on the counter with both hands, but then, in a close-up of the stabbing, Brasi's hand is hovering over the counter and Tattaglia's hands are nowhere. (00:41:20)
Suggested correction: Incorrect. Throughout the murder, Tattaglia holds Brasi's left-hand down, with both his own, while Solozzo stabs Brasi's right hand with the knife, which pins it to the table. Any apparent "hovering" is due to Brasi struggling to lift his knifed hand. There is no point where this changes.
Continuity mistake: When Sonny gets the vest with the fish, they move between shots.
Continuity mistake: At the restaurant, Michael, Sollozzo, and Captain McCluskey have just sat down at the table and the waiter comes over to take their order and pour wine. McCluskey asks Sollozzo what's good to order, and he recommends the veal. Before the waiter leaves the table, McCluskey is suddenly eating his dinner, even though they just arrived. By the way he is using his knife and fork, it is obvious that he is eating an entree, and not a salad or an appetizer.
Continuity mistake: When Tom is walking down the alley between buildings at Woltz Studios before he meets Mr. Woltz, the bag he is carrying looks like a travel bag and is almost equilateral triangle shaped. When he meets Mr, Woltz, his bag is a much thinner (isosceles triangle) shaped briefcase. In almost every shot the hand carrying the "bag" is switched. (00:27:45)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the shot where Al Neri shoots Emilio Barzini's bodyguards, the one on the right is still in the process of falling and hasn't hit the ground yet before it cuts, but in the next shot, he's already on the ground and not moving.
