Back to the Future
Back to the Future mistake picture

Other mistake: The car that almost runs Marty over has the vehicle registration plate of 6S 48405. Later on, when Marty is hit by Sam, Sam's car has the same plate. (00:35:49 - 00:42:02)

apikachu68

Other mistake: When the Libyans shoot at Doc Brown and the bullets hit his van they leave no bullet holes, just impact sparks. (00:29:10)

AdmRose

Other mistake: When young George and Marty are in the backyard talking about what will happen at the dance, young George hangs up clothes to let them dry, but if you look closely the clothes are actually already dry.

Other mistake: Just before Marty starts playing Johnny B Goode on stage, he tells the band members to watch for changes and other guidance advice to start the song. When the song starts, ALL the band members (who have never heard this song before) suddenly play all the chord changes perfectly and even the drums are perfect like the real song. In reality, never hearing that song before, the band would not have had this song perfected like that - every note and instrument sound.

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Suggested correction: This is, of course, done intentionally to make the song sound like it actually is. It's highly unlikely but not impossible that these musicians put it all together just as the actual song sounds. You also have to keep in mind that the idea is given that Chuck Berry came up with the song hearing it through the telephone, so that's why the actual song sounds the same, as he is just mimicking what he heard.

lionhead

Besides which, if this posting were valid, every movie musical in history would be riddled with similar errors.

Back to the Future mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Biff and his goon friends are in Biff's car, as they chase Marty on his borrowed 'skateboard', the car's rearview mirror repeatedly disappears and reappears, and the side mirror changes from round to square repeatedly. (01:06:50)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Back to the Future

Marty McFly: Calvin? Why do you keep calling me Calvin?
Lorraine Baines: Well, that is your name, isn't it? Calvin Klein? It's written all over your underwear.

More quotes from Back to the Future

Trivia: The farm where Marty arrives in 1955 belongs to a man called Peabody, and he calls his son Sherman; the names are a tribute to "Sherman and Mr. Peabody," two cartoon time travellers from a 1960s American TV show.

More trivia for Back to the Future

Question: How is Marty able to play a 1980s videotape on a 1950s television set? Is this just another example of Doc's ahead-of-his-time inventiveness?

Answer: The video camera was in the DeLorean. With the right kind of adapter, which was common enough in the 80s that Doc might've had it on the camera or been able to jury-rig something in the 50s, it would have been possible to connect it into the antenna screws in the back of the TV like an old Atari and play it directly from the camera.

Captain Defenestrator

TVs in the 50s had a two prong antennae connection (two screws in the back that you put a prong antennae into) TVs in the mid 80s also had this. The coax connection (the one wire that screws in) was starting to become common, but, the two prong connection would have been more likely on any given TV at the time, so, whatever wire they used to preview recordings probably had that. very convenient that Marty brought those cords with him.

An old Atari 2600 RF Adapter would be how one would link a video camera to an old-fashioned television. A simple-enough part that Doc could probably make one with 1950s technology.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: Video tape system back then could output an NTSC video signal, just like broadcast at the time, and up to HD in the 2000s. Usually there was a switch on the video device to change the output frequency between channels 3 or 4. Depending on what was an open channel in your area.

Answer: Doc is smart and eccentric enough to probably have such a thing randomly rattling around in the Delorian as old burger wrappers would rattle around inside a normal car. And Marty could also conceivably have such a thing at his or Doc's domicile for his own video gaming convenience.

dizzyd

More questions & answers from Back to the Future

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