Dunkirk

Continuity mistake: When the Stukas are shown bombing the beach, they drop a single bomb, but from beach level, you see sticks of bombs landing.

freedom2006

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Suggested correction: The Stukas are dropping SD-2 canister bombs, a particularly nasty anti-personnel weapon. Upon release from the aircraft the bomb divided into the bomblets you see here.

First known use was bombing of England, no evidence they were used at Dunkirk. Also, the SD-2 was smaller and produced numerous small explosions. The ones we see in Dunkirk are larger and much bigger than anything the little SD-2 could ever produce - so the original criticism sticks.

Continuity mistake: The sea often changes state from shot to shot. One minute we've got a reasonable Force 4 blowing and some surf, the next it's 'sea like a mirror' and then there's everything between.

Continuity mistake: There's a repeated issue with weather continuity throughout the movie. Many scenes cut between daylight, sunset and cloudy weather literally seconds apart. This has nothing to do with the particular time structure of the movie, since it happens between shots and reverse shots of the same scenes. These inconsistencies are particularly obvious at the opening scene, at the Stuka bombing and at the rescue of the shivering soldier. In these scenes, weather turns from heavily cloudy to fully sunny just from one shot to the next. (00:26:20)

Fronk

Dunkirk mistake picture

Continuity mistake: As the lone Spitfire trails and attacks the German bomber, he hits the right engine, which starts smoking but the trail quickly fades. He then hits the left, which smokes a lot. We then see the same attack from below, and from this angle the both engines are smoking equally badly.

Continuity mistake: When the two British soldiers are exchanging a bottle of wine, it's full in one shot but when given to the other soldier it's suddenly less so.

Continuity mistake: During the spitfire scenes over the channel, it's day light, however, when one of the ships was bombed and the soldiers jump over board, it's pitch black. Several cuts between these scenes each time show daylight in one and night in the other.

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Mistakes

Factual error: When the returning soldiers are on the train at the end of the film, it's an open plan post-war British Rail Mark I type, which where built from around 1950. Also the blue upholstery on the seats looks to be the corporate blue introduced by British Rail in the 1960s, used by the preserved railway owning the stock, and not what would have featured in Southern Railway carriages of the time. The carriages also have horizontally-sliding windows, which are far more contemporary than wartime trains, which had windows with a much larger vertical opening, held in place by a leather strap.

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Quotes

Blind Man: Well done lads. Well done.
Alex: All we did is survive.
Blind Man: That's enough.

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Trivia

Trivia: In reality, Adolf Hitler ordered his commanders and troops to stand down and allow Allied forces to escape at Dunkirk. The German General von Blumentritt is quoted as saying "He (Hitler) then astonished us by speaking with admiration of the British Empire, of the necessity for its existence, and of the civilisation that Britain had brought into the world...He said that all he wanted from Britain was that she should acknowledge Germany's position on the Continent." But the exact reason for the order remains unknown.

Charles Austin Miller

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Suggested correction: Hitler's controversial 'halt' order at Dunkirk had nothing to do with chivalry. The most widely accepted reason for the order is that the Wehrmacht Panzer units had been fighting continuously for two weeks, and badly needed some rest in preparation for Fall rot, phase two of the invasion of France. Infantry and air power continued to attack the Dunkirk pocket throughout the evacuation while the armoured units rested.

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Questions

Question: Why did Peter Dawson lie to the shell-shocked soldier about George and not retaliate or have him charged for George's death?

Answer: When George got injured, before he died, Peter did not understand what the soldier had been through. In fact he was honest with him when he asked if George was OK the first time. After he got to Dunkirk he saw what happens in war. What people went through. He understood why someone would be shell-shocked and empathized with the soldier more. After that he wanted to spare the soldiers feelings and not make him feel worse.

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