Revealing mistake: While Boromir battles with the Uruk-hai at Amon Hen, to protect Merry and Pippin, there is a close-up of Pippin running towards an Uruk. In the first shot we see Pippin's face. In the next wide shot, not only are the two scale doubles noticeable, the back of the Uruk that Pippin is jumping onto, is also very different than in the next shot. The Uruk's back is much dirtier in this shot, and the clothes are different too. (01:22:10)
Continuity mistake: As Boromir blows the Horn again at Amon Hen, in the first wide shot, he's battling an Uruk. In the close-up, he slices the whole arm off that Uruk, just under his shoulder, which starts to spurt, and the dismembered arm isn't seen. In the next wide shot, we see the whole arm of that Uruk still there and he is just dropping his sword out of his hand, then falls to the ground. (01:22:10)
Continuity mistake: As Arwen tries to escape from the Ringwraiths, after she crosses the Ford of Bruinen, Arwen's long hair is behind both of her shoulders in every one of her close-ups. However, Arwen's hair is in front of her shoulders, in the four close-ups of Frodo. (01:22:10)
Continuity mistake: Before Boromir is hit with the first arrow, he smashes an Uruk-hai's shield away and slashes him in the stomach. Lurtz pulls the first arrow back on the bow string, then we see part of that same shot with Boromir but from a different angle. (01:22:30)
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: Boromir gets hit by Lurtz's second arrow, drops down to his knees in front of Merry and Pippin, gathers strength, turns around and stabs an Uruk. In the next wide shot and close-up, he stands and is about to stab an Uruk in the back and the two arrows in his chest are there. Yet, in the next wide shot, as his blade is going down into the Uruk, Boromir has only the lower arrow in him, the one near his shoulder is not there, for 23 frames. In the next close-up, the upper arrow is back. These arrows are not CGI. (01:23:40)
Continuity mistake: After Boromir is hit with the second arrow, he falls to his knees. When he shoves his sword into the Uruk in the close-up, the silver clasp on Boromir's red shirt, at the center of his torso, is not clasped to the red loop on the opposite side (but it was in previous shots). However, in his extreme close-up, when he screams out, it is properly clasped like the rest on the red shirt, but in the very next shot it is not clasped yet again, and of course it is in following shots. (01:23:40)
Continuity mistake: In Boromir's death scene, when Aragorn puts the sword into Boromir's hand, Aragorn's finger with the ring on is covered in blood. When we see his hands on Boromir's chest a second later, the blood has vanished. (01:23:50)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf sits near Frodo in Rivendell, he explains, "I was delayed." As he thinks back, in the first wide shot as Gandalf lies on the floor at the top of Orthanc, the bowl sits at the left side of the spire wall. Saruman forces Gandalf over the opposite edge and then onto his stomach towards the center of the floor. As Gandalf lies on his stomach and says, "And he does not share power!" in the next shot however, Gandalf is actually sitting up against the spire wall and the bowl is to his right. (01:25:00)
Continuity mistake: Aragorn stabs Lurtz in his thigh and in the first shot the long handle is sticking way out in front. Next shot, the knife's long handle is NOT seen anywhere above Lurtz's knee - his hand would not be able to cover the very long handle and in the same shot, Aragorn's already put his hand down. Yet in the next shot, Lurtz punches Aragorn in the face and Aragorn's hand is still at Lurtz's leg. Next, Aragorn rolls over and in the side wide shot of Lurtz going closer to Aragorn, we should be able to see, but DON'T see, the long knife handle in front or blade in back, protruding from anywhere in his right thigh. Only after he lifts Aragorn, headbutts him and punches him down, we see the knife handle and blade protruding from Lurtz's leg. (01:25:10)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo finally sees Bilbo in Rivendell he opens the Red Book and reads the title page, "There and Back Again..." The handwriting on the page in this close-up is different than when it is first seen at the start of the film, when Bilbo first writes it. (01:25:15)
Continuity mistake: Near the end when Frodo has tears running down his face. In the first shot the tear on his right side is short and the left side tear is down to his chin. in the next shot they are reversed. Some people have said it's just that one tear lengthened and a new one started, but look at the right-hand one (the longer one in the first shot). If there was a new tear, we'd still see the damp path of the first one, but it's rolling down a dry cheek. (01:25:45)
Revealing mistake: When Boromir dies, Legolas and Gimli are standing nearby. This shot of Gimli's face and beard are very different here, because they changed Gimli's appearance after this. Most things were shot out of sequence. Compare his face in this shot to when they're fighting the Uruk-hai or when Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas are by the shore and decide to "hunt some Orc." (01:28:10)
Continuity mistake: As Frodo stands by the shore holding the Ring in his hand in the opening wide shot, the oar is seen lying lengthwise in the boat, atop all the gear inside. However, after remembering Gandalf's words Frodo walks towards the boat, but the oar is not lying in the boat as it was in the earlier shot. We see all the gear in the boat, but the large distinctive leaf shape oar is not atop any of the gear as previously seen. We do, however, see the very tip of the handle sticking out the right side of the boat, just as Frodo climbs in. (01:28:35 - 01:29:55)
Continuity mistake: Right at the end, Aragorn is telling Legolas and Gimli, "Let us hunt some Orc." In the two close-ups of Legolas that follow, the colour of the feathers on his arrows are light green, differing from the Mirkwood arrows he always carries. These close-ups were shot as pickups, months after filming ended. Commentary, extended DVD. (01:29:35)
Continuity mistake: At the shore, after remembering Gandalf's words, Frodo pushes the boat into the water, then jumps in, and the gear in the boat is seen. In the boat, as Frodo says, "Go back Sam," once more the gear in the boat is seen. When Frodo rescues Sam and he's climbing into the boat, the gear is seen again. In all three shots of the boat, some of that gear is arranged quite differently. (01:30:00)
Continuity mistake: Frodo is in the boat and Sam yells out, "And I'm coming with you!" in the far wide shot, Frodo is not holding the oar in his hands, as he does in the close-up shot before and after. (01:30:20)
Revealing mistake: When Boromir cuts his finger with Elendil's sword, the cut appears before he actually touches the tip of the sword which causes the cut. (01:30:30)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo is pulling Sam out of the water at the very end of the movie, the underwater shots show Sam's hand grasping Frodo's wrist (Frodo's palm is against the inside of Sam's wrist), but as soon as he gets him above water, Frodo has a grip on Sam that forces Sam to keep his palm facing away from Frodo's arm (Frodo's palm is against the back of Sam's arm). Short of releasing Sam completely, there is no way to change grip like that in between the two shots. (01:31:05)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo rescues Sam he grabs hold of his wrist and pulls him into the boat. In the shot in which Frodo grabs hold of the side of the boat with his left hand while pulling Sam into the boat with his right hand, we see the large brown mat on the floor of the boat. In this shot the mat is under Frodo's legs and Sam's sword is not at all under his cloak. In the following shot behind Frodo as Sam is trying to sit up the mat is not under Frodo's legs but only under Sam, and Sam's sword is now entirely under his cloak. (01:31:10)
Answer: The temptation of the Ring is directly proportional to the power and ambition of the bearer. To someone like Gandalf - a mighty wizard who wants to save the world - the temptation would, over time, prove to be too much, and he's realistic enough to understand that about himself. With an ordinary hobbit who only wants a nice meal and some peace and quiet, the Ring has a lot less to work with.