Have you ever been really into a movie and suddenly something happens to completely take you out of the story? For instance, a character gets out of a pool and is soaking wet, but in the very next scene set immediately after in the same place, they are completely dry with styled hair and full face of makeup. Or robbers jump into a blue car to get away, only to arrive in a red car at their hideout. Or the part in an actor’s hair keeps changing sides.
This happens to me every time I watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – specifically, Boromir’s death scene. Whether you hate Boromir for trying to take the ring from Frodo or understand his desperate need to save his city, his death scene is heartbreaking.
Until you notice his hands. Boromir falls to the ground and Aragorn is there with him. At the beginning of the scene, Boromir puts his right hand on Aragorn’s left shoulder. In the scene focused on him, you see him clutch Aragorn’s shoulder, even his hair. But when the camera shifts to Aragorn, no hand. Like, obviously no hand. Boromir eventually lowers his hand, then puts it on Aragorn’s right shoulder.
In the theater, I was crying into my popcorn, so I didn’t notice this discrepancy. But then the VCR tapes come out. And the DVDs. And the extended DVDs. And the weekend marathons several cable channels run on holiday weekends.
I may have a problem.
Anyway, I decided to see what other movies and television shows have mistakes, errors, or bloopers that made the final cut. I found hundreds! There are YouTube channels and podcasts dedicated to these fun facts. So, I decided to pick out some of my favorites.
In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo is lowered into the freezing chamber to be encased in carbonite. His arms are tied to his side and his wrists are tied to his front. Once the carbonite block comes out, his hands are untied and pushed out to the front. (Fun fact: You can get refrigerators with Han Solo encased in carbonite as the door. I am not that big of a nerd. Or maybe it is best to say, I am a nerd who does not have that much disposable income.)
In Gone with the Wind, there is a scene where an injured man is brought into the parlor. Melanie, played by the incomparable Olivia de Haviland, picks up an oil lamp to light there way. Only, as she picks it up, you notice it is actually an electric lamp with a cord. During the Civil War. She is just such a graceful actress that she quickly swoops the cord behind her voluminous hoopskirt and nobody noticed for years. Not until those pesky VCR tapes and DVDs with pause features.
Who can forget the Starbucks coffee cup and the plastic water bottle in episodes of Game of Thrones? Come on! Even a Targaryen needs a caffeine boost every once in a while! Wrangling those dragons takes a lot out of a khaleesi!
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Draco duel for Professor Snape’s class. In a crowd scene, right at the edge of the screen, you can see a camera man.
In North by Northwest, Eva Marie Saints character fires a gun in a crowded cafeteria. If you look carefully, you can see one of the child actors cover his ears before the gun goes off!
You can see a man with a tee shirt and cowboy hat on board in the final scene of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Maybe pirates are just equal opportunity employers.
Did chariots use gas? According to the movie Gladiator, they did. In one of the races, you can clearly see a gas cannister as a chariot crashes.
Have you seen American Sniper? If so, you saw the obviously fake baby Bradley Cooper’s character carried around. It was just sad.
One of my favorite songs is “Let It Go” from Frozen. But did you know that, while Elsa is letting go on the mountaintop, she pulls her braid from the back of her head to the front by pulling it through her arm instead of over. I know she is magic, but that seems a bit much.
In Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts can’t decide what she wants to eat. In one scene, she is eating a croissant, but when the scene cuts away and comes back, she has a pancake. The next cutaway? The croissant is back.
Have you ever walked several miles in sequined heels? If so, I applaud you! Even Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz had problems with the ruby slippers. In the scene before she and the Scarecrow find the Tin Man, you can see her wearing her worn, brown loafers from Kansas. Next scene, ruby slippers are back.
This one I did notice in the theater! In the earlier versions of Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, you can clearly see the reflection of the cobra that rears up in front of Indie after he dropped into the snake pit. I personally do not blame Harrison Ford for this precaution.
Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope has my favorite blooper of all time. Stormtroopers are searching the Death Star for our intrepid group of Rebels. One stormtrooper actually hits his head on the door! In the extended version, Lucas even enhances the sound of his head hitting the door frame. Again, didn’t notice in the theater. But you know… VCR tapes, DVDs, Blue Rays, extended editions…
Yeah, I have a problem.
There are countless others. You could lose hours rewatching your favorite shows and movies. You will be surprised what you find! (And don’t get me started on VCR tapes and DVDs and extended versions and Blue Rays and special anniversary editions…!)
