Best movie mistakes of 1940

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Fantasia picture

Other mistake: In the intro to the Pastoral Symphony, the narrator identifies the deity who cloaks the world with Night to be Morpheus, who is the Greek god of sleep and dreams. However, the character in the animation is fairly obviously female, with long hair, eye shadow, and lipstick. My theory is that the character was intended by the art team to be Nyx, the Greek goddess of Night. Night would be a more likely candidate to be making it nighttime across the world, while Morpheus would be more likely to put people to sleep or send them dreams.

Roger Cline

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Suggested correction: Without further evidence/proof, this theory remains just that. A theory.

THGhost

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The Great Dictator picture

Continuity mistake: During the middle of the film, a butler comes in and out of the Dictator's office several times repeatedly. The door is open and shows the corridor outside the office, casting the shadow of a window off-screen. The shadow changes from small to big bewteen shots.

Sacha

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Pinocchio picture Pinocchio mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Pinocchio is locked up in the cage of Stromboli, Jiminy goes inside the cage lock, and he hangs his coat and hat on the outside of the lock. In the next shot, they have disappeared.

Hamster

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The Mummy's Hand picture

Factual error: When Kharis is being examined by Petrie, he says that the lines on his face were caused by him being buried alive. In the next sentence he goes on to say that Kharis shows the best example of the embalmer's art that he has ever seen. Strange - if you're planning on burying someone alive you wouldn't embalm them first - that process would kill them!

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Rebecca picture

Revealing mistake: The first morning the new Mrs De Winter is at Manderley, she goes to have breakfast, but when she attempts to pour milk into her coffee, there's no milk in the jug; she's just pretending to pour it.

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Swiss Family Robinson picture

Revealing mistake: During Fritz's fight with the giant anaconda in the swamp, James MacArthur's stunt double becomes apparent by virtue of a bald spot showing on the back of his head. (01:10:30)

Jean G

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Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe picture

Continuity mistake: Chapter 2: Freezing Torture. When Dale falls from the mountain, her pick stays on the top but she still has it in her hands in the next shot.

Dr Wilson

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The Sea Hawk picture

Continuity mistake: As the crew of an English ship are crouched down on deck prior to a battle with a Spanish galleon, one of them stands up and moves to the other side. As he does so part of the background projection (ocean and sky) is shown on his back.

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His Girl Friday picture

Continuity mistake: There is a scene when they are all in the press room when he's inside the desk. As Hildy goes to get water you can see she's wearing the black heels she's been wearing throughout the movie. In the next shot as she walks behind the table, if you look through the table legs you can see she's wearing a pair of flat white slippers/loafers.

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The Philadelphia Story picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where a drunk Connor visits CK Dexter Haven at his home after Uncle Willie's party, Dexter's pyjamas and dressing gown change from shot to shot. First his pyjama top is done up, then it is open, then done up, then open again.

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Road to Singapore picture

Continuity mistake: In the first fight scene aboard the boat, Ace's hat falls off his head. He then breaks through a door and falls down. As he stands up, the hat reappears on his head.

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Busman's Honeymoon picture

Continuity mistake: Near the beginning Harriet Vane produces tokens for herself & Lord Peter Wimsey of miniature handcuffs with one cuff "open to symbolise we're giving up on crime". She puts hers on as a bracelet. Immediately after & several times throughout the film it's clear hers is a set of closed handcuffs.

Christopher Walters

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The Shop Around the Corner picture

Continuity mistake: As he is talking, Jimmy Stewart is writing on small boxes and placing them in a pile. He sets one down, and when the camera changes, he's suddenly got one in his hand again. (00:27:35)

Jack's Revenge

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The Grapes of Wrath picture

Other mistake: Noah, the brother, just disappears from the movie with no explanation at all.

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A Kick in Time picture A Kick in Time mistake picture

Continuity mistake: The Italian peddler puts some weighted horse shoes on Spunky to inhibit his movement. As the Peddler is leaving and says he will be right back, Spunky is facing him into the building. But then it cuts back from the Peddler to Spunky and suddenly he is facing out the building the opposite direction. It's only after this when he tries to move that he discovers his feet too heavy to lift, yet somehow he got turned around in an instant. (00:03:50)

Quantom X

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Go West picture

Continuity mistake: Baxter and Beecher are riding in a horse-drawn wagon. As they go across a bridge, the train carrying the Marx Brothers approaches. Baxter and Beecher leap off the bridge, one jumping to the right and one jumping to the left, but they are side by side when they land in the river below.

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Donald's Vacation picture

Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the cartoon, you can see the front of Donald Duck's kayak has nothing on it. But after he is soaked by a waterfall, a lever appears out of nowhere. The lever disappears in the next shot, but when he arrives at the campsite, it is back again.

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A Wild Hare picture

Continuity mistake: When Elmer first sees rabbit tracks, there are two big tree trunks in the background, but when we cut to Elmer in the next shot, the trunks have disappeared.

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Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip picture

Continuity mistake: After Mickey hides Pluto in his suitcase in Burbank, Mickey picks up his cane and runs to the train, then when Mickey actually jumps onto the train caboose he's only carrying his suitcase, he does not have his cane, nor does he have Pluto's suitcase (which had been filled with bones) with him. The cane reappears on the train later, and at the end Pluto's suitcase mysteriously reappears when Pete throws it at the duo in Pomona.

Super Grover

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