Directed by: Neil Burger
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell
Factual error: When Eisenheim is at the Vienna rail station, catching his train after the Crown Prince has died, the overhead electric cables of the modern railway are visible in several shots.
Factual error: When the narrator says Eiseinheim bought a theater, watch the houses on the background, on the right side of the screen. One of them has a visible modern antenna on its roof.
Continuity mistake: At the start, in shots from the stage towards the audience, all of the fires are lit, but in a closer shot of the audience near the front of the stage, at least one of the fires is out. During the final illusion shown at the end, the same shot or at least very similar to the one used at the beginning shows the same mistake again. (01:28:25)
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Answer: The trick is done with electromagnets under the stage holding the sword upright and stuck to the floor (switched off when Leopold takes the sword). Audiences at the time would have been unfamiliar with such a technique.
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