Cotton Comes to Harlem

Continuity mistake: At the end, Digger is holding the picture in his right hand, the one he has on the steering wheel, shown in the background. Of course, he never keeps the hand that steady on the wheel in the rest of the scene. And in the last shot of the sequence, as Ed keeps reading, the hand has dropped down already. Also, technically he had the hand on the steering wheel but not holding it, while in the close-up with the animated picture, he is gripping it. (01:35:10)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: Backstage, Deke begins to carve open with a hook the famed bale of cotton. Multiple wads are spread around the main opening. When Coffin Ed throws him on the bale, the smaller bits have vanished. Same happens in a much shorter timespan when he punches him in the gut: clean bale, but multiple wads were scattered a moment before when he threw him on it. (01:26:15 - 01:28:00)

Sammo

Revealing mistake: During the messy situation in front of the precinct, one of the militia guys throws one hilariously fake Shoryuken-like punch at someone, missing him by a mile (the head of the guy is not in view, behind other people in the crowd and still you can tell he's not anywhere in range). (01:05:10)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: People march in the street clamoring for the release of Deke. Watch the white dude next to a car: a few people are about to pass him by, and he is holding his hand up, gesturing. In the closer view, he's just watching them pass with his arms limps down his sides. (01:00:40)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: Grave Digger shoots a flare and lights up the junkyard with a rather goofy effect (it's obvious that a spotlight is being used). Moreover, a moment later the villains shoot the other villain (white dude in a full suit), and there's no real continuity in his posture, position and lighting of the shot. (00:47:35)

Sammo

Audio problem: After the scene with the white dude visiting Sanford to look for cotton, we see the reverend being greeted by a bunch of people playing billiards. There's a marked discontinuity even in the audio played as he walks forward to a hi-five, not to mention that nobody had the cue anywhere near the green carpet but still you see in the second shot that balls are rolling. (00:46:00)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Revealing mistake: Iris' taxi stops in front of the Apollo. The street is pretty much empty, but once she is shown getting off the cab, there's suddenly cars, people all over the sidewalk and even in the middle of the road, pretty much everyone looking at the camera crew filming. (00:36:50)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: When the cop is duped by Iris into taking his clothes off, the shadows change noticeably. In the wider angle sideviews there's a pronounced shadow on the top of the door while in the closer views of the cop the door appears more open - or at least the clean shadow disappeared.He also projects a shadow in different spots of the wall, again depending on the angle of filming. (00:31:20 - 00:32:05)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Continuity mistake: At home with the widow, Reverend O'Malley is talking to her as she stands by the window. The lighting of the scene changes blatantly depending on the angle of the shot - just look at the shadow suddenly in the middle of the curtains in the closer view. (00:29:25)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Iris splashes Coffin Ed with the glass as he speak into the phone receiver. She barely gets him and in the same shot as he turns towards the camera to grab her, his jacket and shirt have barely any wet spots. Throughout the scene the stains change in number and size for no reason (even assuming some might have dripped from the cheek to the jacket). (00:17:45 - 00:18:55)

Sammo

Revealing mistake: When the guy who was stealing money from the lady's garter gets run over by the getaway car, it's obvious that the actor stops way before connecting with the corner of the car - and the trajectory of his bump afterwards does not make any physical sense. (00:15:15)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: In the sequence when Gravedigger and Coffin toss up in the air one of the guys who walked up to them provoking them, all the dynamic of the toss is just plain odd looking, he continuity of the guy standing up is choppy, and the light appears to be changing radically as well. (00:08:40)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: Johnny's widow is back from her little scouting, and is telling the Reverend about the cotton bale in Harlem. During the scene there's an obvious shadow cast by her head over her right shoulder that disappears in the reverse shots. (00:37:55)

Sammo

Revealing mistake: As the final chase for Deke starts, Ed tosses a wicker basket at Iris. The toss is already pretty weak looking, but to make matters worse, Judy Pace tosses the gun on purpose in front of her a moment after being 'hit'. (01:28:55)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: Iris enters the house of the widow with no problem, just turning the knob, and just lets the door close behind her - yet when O'Malley has to escape, people outside the door are frantically trying to open the door to no avail.

Sammo

Continuity mistake: The junkman played by Redd Foxx closes the door in front of the white guy, who gets in front of the broken window and shouts at him. His hand in the faraway view is on the sill, and in the tighter angle is at the side. (00:45:05)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: At O'Malley's release, he is approached by a man wearing a red fez. The people in the background change position at the close-up (the guy in orange turtleneck gets much closer to the one in a blue suit, for instance). (01:09:55)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When O'Malley's lawyer arrives in front of the precinct, no protester is left in the street, at least the part behind him - in the following close-up though, in the background a few extras populate the frame. (01:06:05)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When the transvestite robs the puny bald street vendor of his coats and furs, absolutely nothing is left on the rack. But in the next shot the poor schmuck has at least a clothing hanger in front of him. (00:13:20)

Sammo

Cotton Comes to Harlem mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Coffin and Gravedigger go to Lo Boy's hideout and hold him on his feet, multiple continuity errors happen as their hands' position on his arms greatly varies depending on the different angles. (00:33:00 - 00:34:00)

Sammo

Coffin Ed: What the hell do the attorney general, the state department, or even the President of the United States know about one god-damn thing that's going on up here in Harlem?

More quotes from Cotton Comes to Harlem

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