Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Continuity mistake: When Mr. Ollivander takes the first wand out of the box to give to Harry, the board, shelf, roses, etc., are visible behind him. When Harry takes the second wand to wave, just before the vase explodes, in the close-up the hanging red feathers, black roses and notes to the left of the roses all visibly differ to the previous shot of them. (00:25:50)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: At the hut on the rock, after the camera pans sleeping Vernon and Petunia, there's an overhead shot of Harry and Dudley downstairs. In this shot the hanging light, its switch and cable are visible over the stairs. Note, the cable switch hangs down low, parallel to the droplight. However, when Vernon and Petunia are at the stairs, and she turns on the light, the cable and switch are now perpendicular to the droplight, raised higher up parallel to the wood above. Seen in following shots as well. (00:12:25)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the Quidditch scene, when Madame Hooch steps onto the field she says, "Now I want a nice, clean game," and while she's looking up, her Hogwarts patch is on the left side of her robes. At the end of the Quidditch game when she says, "Gryffindor wins," her patch is on the right side of her robes. Interestingly, the shot of Madame Hooch is a flipped shot, yet it was pasted onto the scenic background, which is not flipped, but properly positioned. (01:23:00)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: As the students board the Hogwarts Express to go home, the cuts on Harry's face, particularly near his eye, differ in severity during this scene depending on the camera angle in a given shot. (02:21:55)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione come with Filch to Hagrid to go into the dark forest, watch the lamp Hagrid sets down. Filch says something like "A sorry lot this, Hagrid". Then the shot cuts to Hagrid (look at the lamp) then to Filch again who says "Oh good god man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?" then to Hagrid again. The lamp changes position between these shots. (01:43:00)

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Harry figures out that Hagrid got his dragon egg from "Snape"(Quirrell), at the begining of the scene, Harry's cloak is buttoned and still is when he, Hermione, and Ron are running to Hagrid's hut. When he reaches Hagrid's hut, it is unbuttoned even though he never unbuttoned it himself. (01:46:50)

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Suggested correction: The cloak is unbuttoned throughout the scene from as soon as we see Harry to when they run off from Hagrid's.

Ssiscool

Continuity mistake: During Madame Hooch's flying lesson, in a close-up Ron says, "Up! Up!" to his broomstick. In the next wide shot of all the students, Ron stands next to Harry, who holds his broomstick, and just before it cuts to the next shot, Ron visibly grips his broomstick as it floats up to his hand, as well Seamus, who grabs hold of his too. Yet, in the next shot Seamus still says, "Up! Up!" and in Ron's next close-up, he still says, "Up!" to his broomstick still lying on the ground, which promptly smacks him in the head. (00:55:30)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Just after Flint leaps over the Weasley twin, in the next shot Flint tosses the ball forward - toward the hoop - with the school to his left (viewer's right) and Ravenclaw, Slytherine, Gryffindor and two staff (black/grey) towers behind him, to his right. However, in the next shot as the ball flies through the hoop (close-up), it is actually the hoop at the other side of the pitch - we see (in order) the Slytherine, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor towers to the left of the screen. (01:19:30)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: The angle/shape of Harry's scar changes dramatically in quite a few shots throughout the film. Two examples being, the morning of Dudley's birthday, when Harry opens his eyes in the close-up, while lying in the cupboard; and later, when his hair is blown back in the close-up, as Voldemort's 'spirit' starts to rush through him, while he holds the Stone. (00:04:05 - 02:13:25)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Harry Ron and Hermione run to see McGonagall, there is an hourglass, a large book and a candle all sitting directly on top of her desk. Their positions change, especially in the shot facing McGonagall, when she says, "I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here...," not only is there is another small book next to the candle, the hourglass now sits on the large book. The long iron inkwell in the middle of the desk has also been turned around. (01:51:45)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Hedwig comes flying in delivering the broom, she drops it at an angle, but when Harry catches it it's completely horizontal. (01:11:50)

Continuity mistake: When Hermione shows Ron and Harry the Gryffindor Quidditch trophy, in the close-up of James Potter's name, Harry's reflection is visible on the badge. In the reflection, the points of his white shirt collar and a good portion of his tie are seen, whereas, in the shots facing Harry the collar points are tucked into his sweater and only the tie's knot is seen. (01:00:35)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Wood takes Harry out to see the Quidditch balls, he sets down the bat right against the box holding the balls. When Wood goes to open the box, you see the grass where the bat should be. And then he picks up the bat, which is not where it was originally placed. (01:01:30)

Continuity mistake: When Dudley pops up after Hagrid gives him a pig's tail, his face and hands are clean, even though he was just eating Harry's birthday cake with his hands. (00:16:40)

Grumpy Scot

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Suggested correction: If you watch closely, just before Hagrid give him the tail you can see his hands are dirty and you don't see them again after that.

Ssiscool

Continuity mistake: When Hagrid knocks down the door of the hut on the rock, in the close-up of the bottom door bolt and the piece of moulding, the bolt is clear of the latch on the moulding as they both fall. Yet, in the wide shot the bottom bolt is still within the latch on the moulding, as they both fall. (00:13:05)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the overhead wide shot, before Madame Hooch says, "Good afternoon, class," as she approaches, each student stands directly behind the bristles of their broomsticks, yet in the next shot as the camera pans their feet, they stand between the bristles of their broom and the neighboring broom. (00:55:00)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Malfoy throws the Remembrall, he throws it back toward the crowd of students from which he came, yet Harry has to fly back across the courtyard toward the students after catching the Remembrall. (00:56:20)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: At Hagrid's hut, when he places the dragon egg on the table, the book lies right next to the cup and saucer. Yet in the shots looking up from the edge of the table, directly in front of Hagrid and the egg/Norbert, the book and cup/saucer are far apart for these particular shots. (01:39:50)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Hagrid is in Gringotts, in the shot facing Hagrid when he says, "Professor Dumbledore gave me this," his index and middle finger are on the side of the writing as he hands the letter to the Goblin Bank Teller, yet in the next two shots, Hagrid's thumb is on the side of the writing in front, as he hands the letter over. (00:22:45)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When trying to catch Neville's Remembrall, Harry flies straight for McGonagall's window. The window visible in the wide shot has a horizontal beam that crosses the center vertical beam, yet the window visible in the close-up just has the vertical beam. The number of stones at the sides differ as well. (00:58:30)

Super Grover

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: During the Quidditch match Harry's broomstick tries to shake him off, due to the spell. After Hermione tells Ron, "Leave it to me," in Harry's last close-up before he flips over, the seat that is attached to the broomstick, to make it more comfortable for Dan Radcliffe to sit on, is entirely visible. Glimpses of other seats can be had during the match as well. (01:20:50)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Draco Malfoy: Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair... And a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley.

More quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Trivia: When Neville receives a Remembrall from his grandmother, it glows red to inform him that he forgot something. Neville says that he can't remember what he forgot. If you look closely, Neville is one of very few students not wearing his robe. He most likely forgot to put his robe on.

More trivia for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Question: I get that the DADA role is cursed because of Voldemort being denied the role when he applied for it at Hogwarts, but why does Dumbledore not let Snape take the role like he's wanted to every year? I thought Snape was a double agent (he spies on the Death Eaters and Voldemort for Dumbledore, and he pretends to be on Voldemort's side too), so unless Voldemort decides that he wants to get rid of him for being in the role, he's okay to take it on provided he's given it, and yet every year, Dumbledore turns down his application. Is it because Snape's too involved in Voldemort's side of things or some other reason? I hope I explained it well.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: There are several reasons. First, the position is cursed, so there is little reason to give Snape the job when he will not last any longer than all the previous instructors. If Snape did become the DADA instructor, something could happen to him that could result in his being harmed, having to leave Hogwarts, or be otherwise incapacitated in some way; that would render him useless to Dumbledore as a double agent. Also, Dumbledore trusts Snape, but putting him in an environment where he is teaching about dark magic on a daily basis would be too tempting and emotionally compromising to someone who had been so easily seduced by the dark side. He could possibly relapse. It would be like having a recovering alcoholic work as a bartender. Of course, he does eventually become the DADA instructor, and lasted no longer than his predecessors.

raywest

In the movies it is never mentioned that DADA role was cursed by Voldemort.

This is true; though it doesn't say it's not either. With trying to fit 7 long books and years worth of pages of HP information in 2 and a half hours; as long as the movie doesn't say it's not cursed, with our knowledge, there is no problem with reporting that it is. Even directors of non-book movies do this all the time; leave background information out that helps explain things they just didn't have time so they explained it behind the scenes.

More questions & answers from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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