Mistakes in top cinema/rental movies

Oppenheimer picture Oppenheimer mistake picture

Factual error: After the successful Trinity test in 1945, people in a crowd are holding small US flags with 50 stars on them (offset rows). At the time there were only 48 states and the flag had 48 stars in even rows. The 50 star flag didn't exist until 1960, after Alaska and Hawaii were made states in 1959.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: While this is correct, an argument can be made that since the colour scenes are meant to be subjective and the black and white scenes are meant to be objective, Oppenheimer could have been unintentionally mapping the modern US flag onto this scene.

THGhost

That's a ridiculous stretch with zero evidence, not least as 48 star flags are seen in colour in other scenes. Sometimes a mistake is simply a mistake.

There is evidence, though. Nolan said so himself. Look it up. As for the mistake itself, I'm merely repeating what I've read on Twitter, and this correction was merely a suggestion. Seeing the 48 star flags in other colour scenes still doesn't disprove this theory. It is just a theory though, so no need to shoot it down so hard.

THGhost

He's said subjective in terms of the colour scenes being "first person", and maybe not strictly factual in terms of creating moments between characters and conveying emotion, but nowhere does that stretch to "one random scene happens to feature 50 star flags because Oppenheimer is mapping the modern flag onto it, when nothing like that happens anywhere else in the film."

Meh, take it up with Twitter. I just thought it was interesting, and certainly don't see it as a stretch, so I posted it here for a different point of view/perspective for others to read. It is most likely bull**** though.

THGhost

The fact that a director realized they had made a mistake and retroactively made up a deus ex machina explanation for it in no way invalidates the mistake. Nice try, Mr. Nolan but this posting is absolutely valid.

While Christopher Nolan's talked about the subjective/objective colour/black and white thing, which is entirely fair and no doubt exactly his intention, I don't think he's actually tried to "excuse" this by using that explanation, that's just other people trying to connect the two things. I'm not sure Nolan has commented on the flag issue in interviews at all.

Precisely, and I was in no way trying to invalidate the original mistake. I just found the whole theory interesting and posted it here. It is rather hilarious that a director with such attention to detail like Nolan would have missed something like this. We shall see if he gets it fixed for the streaming/physical release.

THGhost

It's not fixed in the home video version. However, the behind-the-scenes materials provide a reason for the mistake, in that putting a crowd in the scene was apparently a spur-of-the-moment decision. It's like that in their haste to bring in the crowd, the set decorators bought some modern miniature flags and put them into the scene without anyone realizing the 48/50 discrepancy.

Vader47000

Biggest mistakes of all time

Shrek picture

Continuity mistake: Sometimes Shrek's front door opens outwards, at other times inwards, yet it can't be "two-way" because whenever it closes, it slams against the frame. (00:10:55 - 00:13:45)

Best pictures

Visible crew/equipment: At Hoover Dam, after the salute, when Defense Secretary Keller speaks with Lennox and Epps, the reflection of the white reflector screen is visible on Keller's glasses. What's more, the boom mic's reflection is actually visible within the reflector screen's reflection. Two for the price of one. (01:35:30)

Super Grover

Best recent entries

Snow White picture

Trivia: This film underperformed so poorly at the box office that it led to Disney indefinitely halting production on their planned live-action remake of "Tangled."

TedStixon

Best trivia

An American Werewolf in London picture

Trivia: When the movie was first shown in theaters, the marquee read, "From the director of Animal House...A Different Kind of Animal." This lead many movie patrons to believe that it was another comedy film. People ran out of theaters in terror when they realised it was a horror movie.

Best questions

Ferdinand picture

Question: Ferdinand had his name since birth when he is being raised at the bull camp. But he is later adopted by Nina and Juan who also name him Ferdinand. How do they know that his name is Ferdinand? He was not wearing any identification tags and he couldn't speak to the humans to tell them this.

Cody Fairless-Lee

Answer: It's a very common Hispanic name, so probably just a coincidence that Nina and Juan happened to name him that.

raywest

Biggest Disney mistakes

Biggest Star Wars mistakes

Star Wars picture Star Wars mistake picture Video

Other mistake: When the stormtroopers break into the control room, the stormtrooper on the right of the screen hits his head on the door frame. On the DVD release they've added a thump when he hits it. (01:18:55)

Biggest Marvel mistakes

Black Widow picture

Factual error: The sisters run out of fuel for the helicopter, which is then shown slamming down on the ground and essentially destroying itself. All helicopters are capable of autorotating safely to the ground in the event the engine(s) quit. Of course, that would not have been as dramatic. (01:05:15)

toroscan

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: You may have noticed the helicopter was severely damaged, it may not have any rotating capabilities left after the fuel was gone.

lionhead

I did notice it, but it did not look that any damage would prevent it from autorotation.

toroscan

Perhaps the sisters (not being experienced helicopter pilots) couldn't use the autorotation properly.

OK, while that may be a possibility, if they have a helicopter pilot's license they would have had to demonstrate autorotation as part of both the curriculum and the practical exam. But listen, it's just a movie. The way they did it makes it more dramatic.

toroscan

Best quotes

Shrek picture

Gingy: OK, OK...I'll tell you. Do you know the Muffin Man?
Lord Farquaad: The Muffin Man?
Gingy: The Muffin Man.
Lord Farquaad: Yes, I know the Muffin Man. Who lives on Drury Lane?
Gingy: Well...she's married to...the Muffin Man.
Lord Farquaad: The Muffin Man?
Gingy: The Muffin Man!
Lord Farquaad: She's married to the Muffin Man?

Movie quote quiz

What movie is this quote from? Might be obvious, might be obscure... Take your pick and see how others did!

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
Please create a free account and log in to track your score better, be credited for things you add, and more. Premium membership is also available for just $12 a year, which removes all adverts, prioritises your submissions, and more.

Biggest Pixar mistakes

Toy Story 2 picture Toy Story 2 mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Near the end of the movie when the 'false' Buzz Light Year is running along the air conditioning ducts his 'New Utility Belt' disappears then reappears again. (01:01:55)

Member Entries & comments
Sammo 297
Casual Person 90
TedStixon 77
zenee 70
Sacha 38
Phaneron 18
manthabeat 9
Movielover1996 5
raywest 5
FleetCommand 4
Mistakes/trivia books

Directors on moviemistakes.com