Factual error: In World War 2 London, Pink is shown playing with an aeroplane model - an Avro York. The earliest available plastic model kit of this aircraft was produced in 1967. Inaccurate model aside, it begs the question of what a kid of Pink's age would be doing with a plastic model kit during World War 2 anyway.
Factual error: No actor is going to secure a recurring speaking role in a soap opera unless a comprehensive insurance policy has been secured. (This applies to feature films, too.) This will inevitably involve a medical examination. Mr Dorsey's plans are going to become dreadfully unstuck the minute he drops his y-fronts in the doctor's surgery. (No, he can't find a compliant or bribeable doctor - the insurance company will always use their own people.)
Factual error: When Gantz fires Nolte's gun at Nolte, he fires 8 bullets out of a six shooter. (00:18:45)
Factual error: If we are to assume the film is in chronological order over the course of a single school year, then why does the football scene come after Christmas has occurred? High school football season ends well before the holiday season. (00:47:00)
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 Gary unscrews the top to the nozzle of the front tire of Karen's bike it automatically starts to make a loud hissing sound as if it's losing air rapidly. This wouldn't happen as although the tire would lose air over time it wouldn't make that loud hissing sound unless there was a rip or tear in the rubber. (00:21:35)
Factual error: Many palace scenes in the mini-series are set in the Forbidden City. This is incorrect, as the Forbidden City was built under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and not completed until about 1420, almost 100 years after Marco Polo's death.
Factual error: When the substitute teacher is teaching the children about reproduction, the Playboy magazine is from September 1962, but the year is supposed to be 1961.
Factual error: In the early part of the film Al and his daughter are watching the television and waiting for a car race to begin. During the dialogue you can hear in the background the announcer refer to the Long Beach Grand Prix. Then the start of the race is shown with grass covered hills in the background. The Long Beach Grand Prix was and is a city street race with no grass hills in the downtown area. (00:10:45 - 00:11:35)
Factual error: The movie is set in 1974. The Sony walkman was introduced in 1979, yet Sonny is seen listening to one.
Factual error: Unbelievable that for 30 years no one has pointed out that in every shot with the moon, except when the moon is full, the crescent is pointing the wrong direction. In the evening (ordering pizza), in the Northern Hemisphere (California), a crescent moon will always be pointing down to your right (the bright side will be on the lower right). The only time it could point the way it does in these scenes is in the wee hours of the morning, at 4 or 5 a.m. and looking to the East. Spielberg didn't even fix it in the re-release.
Suggested correction: Actually the problem with moon scenes that we see a crescending moonphase (less than a quarter) when Elliott first meet E.T. After that in a couple of days there is a full moon which could be reached in about 16-17 days from that phase which we saw first. It would be also about 11 days if the first shot was mirrored and actually was an increasing moonphase. But the whole story is about 6 days long. So a full moon couldn't be reached from a quarter of moon.
Factual error: At the beginning all the children sleep in the same room on Christmas night. On the wall in the room, next to the door, hangs a string with five different kinds of small cross flags, including the Swedish and Norwegian flags, which are correct for the era, but also a white flag with a blue cross on the string, even though this is almost a decade before Finland would declare independence.