Factual error: There is a scene with his baby, Ray Jr. has a butterfly shaped pacifier in his mouth. They didn't have butterfly pacifiers then - just plain old pacifiers were available.
Factual error: When they show the Nelson Eddy song 'I Love You', the set/movie shown is Rose-Marie. But that number is from Rosalie not Rose-Marie. Two totally different movies - one set in West Point not with the Canadian Mounties. There are no Cole Porter songs in Rose-Marie, likewise there are no Mounties in Rosalie. Rose-Marie's music was by Harbach / Hammerstein II / Friml / Stothart. (01:09:25)
Factual error: At a scene where Ron is in the Veteran's hospital doing physical therapy, it is supposed to be 1968, but the song playing is "American Pie." The song didn't come out until 1971.
Factual error: On a number of occasions uniformed Wermacht officers and men are shown saluting Albert Speer. Speer was a civilian and (obviously) not in uniform. Military men do not salute civilians.
Factual error: The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria are shown starting back for Spain at the end of the first voyage. In fact, the Santa Maria had wrecked by this time; the return voyage would be made only by the Nina and the Pinta.
Factual error: In the movie Dian touches hands with the silverback Digit. In reality Digit was a young male and not a silverback. The gorilla she touched hands with was not Digit but one called Peanuts.
Factual error: Jan Christiaan Smuts is referred to as the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa in this film when Gandhi is there. Smuts didn't gain the office until 1919, after the death of Prime Minister Louis Botha. Gandhi left South Africa in 1914 and never returned.
Factual error: When the audience are watching the pilot, Davy says "It's Russell!" But in the actual pilot, it's Micky who says it.
Factual error: The movie is set in Rwanda in 1994. At the start of the movie you see a billboard advert for MTN, a South African cellular service provider that was not available in Rwanda in 1994.
Factual error: Most of the semi trucks shown in the movie are much newer than 1990, even 1992. One of the trucks that gives Chris a ride has a DOT color-coded inspection sticker in a style that was not around in the early 90's.
Factual error: Chuck and Penny are seen drinking Rolling Rock beer in clear glass bottles. But Rolling Rock beer has always come in green glass bottles.
Factual error: Buster Franklin's bass player is playing a MusicMan StingRay bass, even though they didn't appear on the market until 1976. The guitar isn't from the fifties either, but I can't make out what it is. (02:12:30 - 02:14:50)
Factual error: The supposedly Great War vintage gas mask James Whale finds and later gets Clayton to wear is in fact a British style introduced in the 1930's, and the specific variation shown was not made except during WW2. In addition, during the flashbacks to WW1, various pieces of WW2 equipment crop up (e.g. helmets with spring-loaded canvas covered chin straps instead of leather chin straps, and WW2 British pattern gas mask bags).
Factual error: When they are being kicked out of a Corpus Christi dance club in 1961 for singing do-wop, someone screams "We want to hear Tejano.". Tejano music was born in 1972 in Alice, Texas. In 1961, the correct term was "Tex-Mex" which later became "Chicano" which is now known today as "Tejano". The word "Tejano" was not known in 1961.
Factual error: The Lee Enfield rifle is chambered by singular repetitions with a bolt action. When Collins' wayward friend is shot in the water, the rifle shots are rapid semi-automatic fire.
Factual error: Arthur and Jack walk by a movie theater where "Island of Lost Women" is shown, which was released in 1959. At this point of the movie we are still in 1957 - the cut to 1959 happens later. (01:03:35)
Factual error: Philip uses his left hand to sign the decree declaring Joan officially crazy. No one in the 15th century would have used his left hand to write, as 1) it was considered the wrong hand to write with and 2) writing with the left hand would have smudged the fresh ink and rendered any document unreadable.
Factual error: In the film, John Lennon sings "Long Tall Sally" when it was actually Paul McCartney who sang/recorded the song.
Factual error: The issue of "Guideposts" shown by Crane's interviewers is from the early '90s.
Factual error: When Jean-Dominique is taken on a boat ride, a 'Speedferries' vessel can be seen in the background. This company did not commence business until 2004, years after the time in which the story is set and years after Bauby's death in 1997.
Suggested correction: Speer, in his capacity as Reichsminister of Armaments and Munitions, would have been very recognizable to all Germans at this time and respected. Additionally, no Wehrmacht members actually salute or interact with Speer (by my memory), only Waffen-SS, who would doubtless be more loyal to a senior party member and willing to salute him. More so, if the entry refers to the Hitlergruß, the Hitlergruß was given regardless of rank per National Socialist ideology related to social equality.
One of Speer's many defences at his postwar trial was that he was a civilian, mistrusted by the military and never accorded military courtesies, which included them saluting him.