Hollywood's Lesser Evils: Fun Mistakes in Major Movies

[GermanBusiness]

Let's trade some less "political" Hollywood mistakes. I can think of a few:

1) In the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," the final shootout happens in a town with lots of trees. But the real San Vincentes in Bolivia is way above the treeline. And, whoever those 2 Americans were, they killed themselves after they were wounded (at least according to those who say they found the bodies).

2) a) In the movie "Patton"...Patton says "I read your book!" after he beats Rommel in command of a tank battle. But Rommel had never written a book on armor battles, only on infantry tactics. In the reflection of his binoculars (which say "Made in Japan") you see the film crew. The tanks before him are all 1950s models.

b) The "poem for good weather" was not written during the Battle of the Bulge and its icy conditions...it was written on December 11th, 1944 because of the rainy conditions that preceded the German attack and worse weather.

3) In the movie, "The Longest Day", the two German pilots strafe the Canadians on Juno Beach...but then the planes overshoot the actors on the beach below and you see there aren't even any obstacles or other props beyond a certain point. You also see afternoon shadows during the Omaha landing scenes. The sun sets over the ocean...so you see shadows coming inland. Not convincing to someone who has been to Coleville sur Mer.

The German officer who detects the invasion fleet with his binoculars...has "made in Germany" on his binoculars. Nice touch.

You also see the same glider landing three times (the same call letters on the glider). The Pegasus Bridge was not located on the Orne River as the movie subtitles so "helpfully" suggest. Also, the Outreham Casino had already been torn down by the Germans in order for them to build a better bunker in its place in real life. The film had everyone fighting over the casino.

The American soldier who gets killed by a bolt action German rifle (which makes a sound like the 'friend not foe' code)...dies from a rate of fire that could not come from a bolt action rifle.

4) In the movie "Casablanca" everyone knows the famous scene where Bogie gets all wet while waiting for his woman in vain at the train station. But then he gets on the train and he is instantly all dry. This is actually an easy movie to find goofs in, as it was made so quickly. The lighthouse revolves at an uneven pace, for instance, when people standing outside of Rick's are talking (due to edits in the film). Major Strasser, the gestapo man, is always wearing a Luftwaffe uniform. The band starts playing the "Marseillaise" before they can put their lips to the trumpets. Nice trick.

5) In the new "War of the Worlds", the family drives up the east side of the Hudson...so would have had no need to cross the Hudson to continue on to Boston. You see the technician at the smoke machine during the ferry boat scene.

6) In "Braveheart"...when the wife is killed...you see a white 1990s SUV in the background. In real life, Marian was killed with her servants after Wallace visited her and then escaped when the building was surrounded on 3 sides. I'll never understand why the Battle of Stirling Bridge was not fought on a bridge in the movie. It was in real life. In the execution scene, you can tell the filming went on all day because the shadows switch from morning to afternoon. Wallace never sacked York of course. And there are far too many Nikes and jeans seen in the battle scenes.

[hattend]

Yep, I saw that last time TCM played the movie. I can't believe nobody caught that as it's quite obvious.

[Argh]

In Casablanca, Major Strasser said something about "blundering Americans". Louis called him on this, saying in 1918 he blundered into Berlin along with those Americans. But the Allies never reached Berlin in World War I, in fact, I don't believe there were any foreign soldiers in Germany at all when the armistice was signed, one of the things that upset Hitler and his ilk so much about the Kaiser and the ending of that war.

[blau993]

These are great.

As a native Philadelphian, one of my favorites was actually more artistic liberty than mistake. In the original "Rocky" movie when Stallone runs from South Philadelphia up to the Art Museum (and up its steps), he runs part of the way under an elevated rail line. Problem is that there is no elevated rail line on Broad Street, which is the street you would run on to get from South Philadelphia to the Art Museum. The elevated rail lines are either in Frankford in the Northeast part of the City or in West Philadelphia. Neither is anywhere near the route Rocky was supposed to have run.

[linda_22003]

And the same starlets have 1960s style blue eyeshadow! "The Big Valley" is a really horrific example of this anachronistic look.

[linda_22003]

Same idea in "No Way Out". Sean Young and Kevin Costner drive from DC to Annapolis (east to west) using the George Washington Parkway (a north-south road that doesn't go anywhere NEAR Annapolis).

[KC_Conspirator]

In the Alfred Hitchcock movie "North by Northwest" there is a scene where there is a shooting at tourist rest stop. They had to do a double take a little boy covers his ears early because they noise of the fake gun was so loud.

[Old Flat Toad]

In Patton, Scott's line was "I read your block", in reference to a move made by Rommel.

Lots of good stuff if you look closely-

The Long Ships- as the golden bell is tumbling down the cliff you can see the ornate knob at the top shatter. Then as the bell goes over the cliff it floats in the ocean.

Prince Valiant- PV's father shows him his ring, says he will send it if he needs help. The grain in the ring's green stone runs at a different angle from the ring finally sent to PV.

The Indestructible Man- Baddie Lon Chaney Jr takes a few hits from a handgun just before he kills a guy in an elevator. Watch closely and you can see the guy fumble the gun as he gets pushed back into the lift.The gun immediately fires a few more times for a total of,, You count 'em and laugh.

The Mysterious Island- When Capt Harding fights the Squid snail watch the bubbles coming from his air tank.

The Mummy-(Newer version)During the fight on the burning ship one of the Cowboys pumps about 14 rapid shots into a flaming victim with his six shooter.

[lilylangtree]

Didn't know that because I remember him when he first showed up on Stargate SG1 episode. He & Carter tried to rid the Comand Center from one of Anubis' plot to blow the earth up. He played a know it all dweeb that downplayed Carter's achievements. Nothing indicated that he was Canadian. Then he shows up as a regular on Stargate Atlantis with the same "I'm smarter than you, you pathetic creature" attitude.

[Mr. Blonde]

There is a big debate because in Pulp Fiction there are clearly visible bullet holes behind Vincent and Jules before the guy shoots at them with a "God**** hand cannon".

The one always got me after I had seen The Streetfighter. In True Romance, When Alabama first arrives in the theater, Clarence is watching the opening scene of Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken (1974). After Alabama asks Clarence to explain the story, it cuts back to the ending scene of the movie. Of course I never would have watched The Streetfighter without first seeing True Romance.

[Yaelle]

This is an absolute constant in movies and TV. Since my home town of L.A. is in more street scenes that anywhere else, you just get so used to them driving down one street, turning a corner, and being somewhere entirely different. You guys just don't notice it until it's your home town.

[fredhead]

I just remembered on this morning. It's in an old John Wayne B-movie. During the chase scene, they switch to a wide shot of the chase. In the background of the scene you can see the high-tension electrical lines.

Lots of great bloopers in the old B-movies.

[fredhead]

Another TV show, but in the opening sequence of "The Rifleman" Chuck Connors pumps 12 shots out of his rifle and then reaches into his pocket, pulls out ONE bullet and loads his rifle. Do the bullets reproduce inside the gun?

[fredhead]

IRT Gen. Patton's comment on Field Marshal Rommel's book,

The book referenced to is titled "Infantry Attacks" and I recall reading that Gen. Schwarzkopf referred to it when planning the Desert Storm attack.

[WildHorseCrash]

As a native Philadelphian...

Then you will appreciate in "12 Monkeys" when Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe drive over the Ben Franklin Bridge; before their conversation is over, they are in deep, deep woods.

(To non-Delaware Valley-ites: Camden N.J. and a string of exurbs and suburbs are right over the bridge, and there are no forested areas anywhere near the base of the Ben.)

[Phsstpok]

Braveheart's plot includes an affair between William Wallace and the Princess Isabelle, based upon Isabella of France. The film implies she is pregnant at the time of Wallace's execution, possibly carrying the future Edward III of England. Historically, the real Isabella was a child of nine still living in France at this time, she never met Wallace, and furthermore, was never a Princess of Wales, as she was married to Edward II after he became king. Also Edward III of England was born in 1312, seven years after Wallace's death; thus it is impossible for Edward III to have been Wallace's son. (Note: this idea may have been derived from the play The Wallace by Sydney Goodsir Smith.)

(copied from Wikipedia - I had heard she was only 5 when Wallace died)

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

To non-Delaware Valley-ites: Camden N.J. and a string of exurbs and suburbs are right over the bridge, and there are no forested areas anywhere near the base of the Ben.)

Nope, just homeless people sleeping there (seriously)...

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 1/24/2006. Thanks GermanBusiness.

Butch wrote some unknown number of letters to people back in the states. Of those which are known to have survived, not even one postdates the shootout in Bolivia on November 7, 1908. That's not a coincidence. He had a lookalike brother who (like the rest of the family) amounted to nothing, who in later years visited old friends he and "Butch" had had in common in their youth, and passed himself off as Butch.

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