Visible crew/equipment: After starting their four day journey through the long dark of Moria, a few shots later Gandalf pulls on his hat brim, and just as he walks (with Legolas close behind) to his left (towards the viewer's right), up some stairs, the black electrical cable leading from the staff to under the robe's left sleeve is visible. (00:19:30)
Other mistake: When Sam and Frodo are in the field with the scarecrow, you can plainly see a car cruising past in the distance, from right to left. Further comment - there are two different shots which show the car moving from right to left. One starts at the top right distance, and in a shot a few seconds later the car has traveled down the road a bit and is more easily visible. Complicating matters is that the dust thrown up by the car looks similar to smoke from a chimney in the right distance, making some people think it is just the chimney. But chimneys don't move, and the smoke from the chimney is separate from the moving vehicle. [It is deleted on the DVD, but you can still see an obvious bit of image fakery on the hill just left of the smoking chimney. One can see the hill, tree, and surrounding area move up and down and shimmer slightly where someone has done a cut and paste to cover up the auto. The "car inclusive" scene appears on the National Geographic documentary, "Beyond the Movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Also, watch the music documentary on the Extended DVD - when it shows this scene the car is still in it. Bizarrely, in his commentary Peter Jackson said he never saw a car and doesn't know what people are talking about, but the production/post-production team say in their commentary that despite not thinking anyone would be able to see it, they took it out anyway.] (00:42:55)
Other mistake: When the hobbits are hiding under the tree trunk from the Ringwraith in the beginning, you can see space to the left and right of the tree above them. Logically when the Ringwraith walks past the tree you would see it on the right side of the tree first, then on the left, but you don't - it looks like it walks out of the tree instead of behind it. [Confirmed on the commentaries - Elijah Wood asks his fellow actors if anyone spotted the mistake: 'It kind of magically comes out of the tree'. Sean Astin: 'You mean it doesn't pass from the other side?' Wood: 'No, it comes out from the centre.'] (00:51:40)
Continuity mistake: As Boromir and Aragorn talk right before Boromir dies, you can see Boromir's right hand gripping Aragorn's left shoulder in the shot from behind Aragorn's right shoulder, but when the camera view changes to Boromir's perspective, looking up at Aragorn, his hand is not there. The scene goes back and forth between these two views several times. (01:22:40)
Continuity mistake: In all five shots, the wax seal on the envelope with the ring is shaped differently. 1st- when Gandalf first seals the envelope with the melted wax. 2nd- when he hands the envelope to Frodo. 3rd- after Gandalf leaves, Frodo looks at the envelope. 4th- when Gandalf returns, Frodo finds the envelope in the trunk and hands it to him. 5th- when Gandalf tosses the envelope into the fire. (00:31:20 - 00:36:40)
Continuity mistake: When the Fellowship meets in Rivendell, and Gimli tries to break the Ring with his axe, the axe breaks into many pieces on the platform upon which the Ring is laid. At first, the pieces are there in the close-up view. When the camera pans back for a long range view of the Fellowship, the pieces of the axe on the platform are gone. In the following close-up, the pieces magically reappear. (01:37:15)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo is stabbed by the cave Troll, he falls with his face to the left. It remains in this direction as Aragorn crawls towards him, but when he reaches him and turns him over he is facing to the right. (00:32:22)
Continuity mistake: During the battle at Amon Hen, Legolas says, "The Horn of Gondor!" Aragorn then rushes past him so close that he has to lean backwards to let him pass. In the next wide shot, Aragorn runs past Legolas again but this time further apart. (01:18:20)
Continuity mistake: In the Amon Hen battle scene, at the start of the fight with Lurtz, Aragorn is slammed backwards against a tree knocking his sword out of his hand. There is then a shot of Lurtz throwing his shield at Aragorn, and in the following shot, where the shield pins Aragorn against the tree, his sword is still in his hand, only to fly out again on the shield's impact. (01:21:45)
Deliberate mistake: At the beginning of the Fellowship's journey, they are resting on a hilltop (Hollin) with rocky formations. Bill the pony is tethered in the background in one shot. Then come the spying crows from Saruman and they all quickly hide. When the crows swoop in closer we see no-one, but who hid the pony and where? (01:37:45)
Continuity mistake: At Bilbo's party, when Merry and Pippin set off the dragon firework, they are shown inside a small tent. The tent has dishes and other things in it, and is quite full. When the firework launches, taking the tent with it, you can see that all of the things inside the tent (with the exception of Merry and Pippin) have disappeared. (00:22:00)
Continuity mistake: When Gimli falls onto his knees in front of Balin's Tomb in Moria, in one shot he's a few feet in front of it, in the next he is so close to it, that he could lay his head onto the tomb. In the following shot Gimli is further away again, so he should not have been able to reach it with his head. (00:24:20)
Revealing mistake: When Pippin falls in the Midgewater Marshes, you can see that part of his Hobbit foot is ripped off. Extended DVD. (01:04:50 - 01:07:30)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo tells Sam about the Wood Elves, they both run up the hill and crouch behind a fallen log. In the shot of their backs and the elves in the background, Frodo is on the right side and Sam on the left. In the previous shot of their faces, Frodo was also on the right and Sam on the left. Extended DVD. (00:43:35)
Continuity mistake: The logs that Boromir carries in his arms when he talks to Frodo at Amon Hen are different in pattern and number during the conversation and right before he throws them to the ground. (01:11:05)
Revealing mistake: When Arwen enters the water after being chased by the Ringwraiths, as she turns the horse, you can clearly see the fake hobbit (representing an injured Frodo), bounce up and down like a rubber band. (01:18:50)
Continuity mistake: When the Nazgul confront Arwen across the river, they draw their swords in their left hands. In the next shot this changes to their right. (01:19:10)
Revealing mistake: When Frodo stops rolling down the snow covered hill, just before the shot of Boromir picking up the Ring, you can see the edge of the stockings that the actors wore to protect their feet since they were walking in real snow for that scene. (00:07:14)
Continuity mistake: At the gap in the stairs in Moria, Boromir ducks as he is nearly hit by an arrow, and sheathes his sword. In the following close up he sheathes it again as he stands behind Gandalf. (00:36:12)
Continuity mistake: After Lurtz releases his first arrow at Boromir, one of the Hobbit stand-ins is seen to Boromir's left, throwing stones. The next shot is of Merry and Pippin standing close together, looking at Boromir to their left - they have moved position to the other side of him. (01:19:35)
Answer: "Fly, you fools"