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)
Revealing mistake: In the first wide shot of Aragorn taking the Hobbits "into the wild" they are cresting a hill and the village of Bree is visible behind them. This is obviously a backdrop because the smoke coming out of the chimneys doesn't move at all. (01:05:25)
Continuity mistake: Saruman's Orcs are busy tearing down trees for firewood. In the second shot of this scene you will notice that one of the Orcs in the central foreground falls on his backside as the tree hits the ground. A few shots later, the same group of Orc's are pulling down the same tree, just filmed from a different angle. You can see the Orc falling down once again, this time on the left hand side, behind a burning brazier. (01:07:26)
Continuity mistake: The hand of Saruman that is painted on the face of Lurtz is shaped differently in some scenes. The handprint changes throughout these shots. (01:08:00 - 01:25:50)
Continuity mistake: When the Fellowship is sailing down the river (through the two statues) the foot of the left statue looks as if it's at the same level as the water. Then in the next scene (camera angle from above) the foot is not at water level; it appears to be on a rock. (01:08:35)
Continuity mistake: On their way to the Falls of Rauros, the Fellowship rest at night on the shore. The three boats are side by side at the shoreline, in the first shot. Then we see the boats near the rockface beside the sleeping Hobbits, and next to Frodo and Sam when they're speaking. (01:08:45)
Continuity mistake: In the shot just after Saruman is communicating with the palantir, Saruman is sitting at his desk. On his desk in the foreground is one candelabra, with a black short vase next to it. In the next shot from behind Saruman we see the candelabra and black vase, but we also see the thin candles of a second four stem candelabra on the desk. Do not confuse those four thin even height candles with the broad pillar candles under the window in the next front shot of Saruman. (01:09:05)
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)
Continuity mistake: Having just arrived on shore at Amon Hen, in the first shot Legolas says, "It is not the eastern shore that worries me." Then as he says, "Something draws near", his hair lies differently at his shoulders. In the next shot, as he says, "I can feel it", his hair now lies the same as in the first shot. (01:13:10)
Continuity mistake: In the scene in Isengard, when the Orcs are digging the Uruk-Hai out of the mud, it shows a Uruk-Hai grabbing the throat of an Orc. When he first grabs him, and it shows the Uruk-Hai, its got relatively clean shoulders. When it shows him again, there are piles of mud on his shoulders and chest. Than when it shows him standing up, there is no mud on his shoulders or chest, but he is covered in slime. (01:14:05)
Continuity mistake: Up on Weathertop, Aragorn throws a flaming torch at the Nazgul, and it hits him in the face, and there are flames inside the hood. In the next shot, the flames are on the outside of the hood, shoulder and sleeve, but there are no flames inside the hood, where they were in the previous shot. In this shot too, the stick from the torch shown is shorter than before. In the next shot, the flames are inside the hood again and the stick is much longer. (01:14:25)
Continuity mistake: There's a close-up of Frodo's face after the camera shows the stone Trolls, and Frodo's face is shining with sweat. Then Sam says, "Look Frodo, it's Mr. Bilbo's Trolls," and there's a shot farther away from Frodo's face. In this shot, Frodo's face has no signs of sweat on it. Extended DvD. (01:14:40)
Continuity mistake: When Boromir attacks him, Frodo frantically slips the Ring onto his middle finger (with the chain). Yet, as Frodo runs up the steps of the ruins, Boromir yells, "Frodo, I'm sorry!" and Frodo wears the Ring on his index finger. He is terrified, so as to remain invisible he does not change fingers. (01:15:30 - 01:16:35)
Continuity mistake: At the battle on Amon Hen, Strider falls back and lets an Uruk Hai fall into his sword. In the next shot you´ll see Strider drawing his sword from the Uruk between his arm and his chest (seen on the left side of the scene). (01:16:13)
Continuity mistake: After Frodo runs from Boromir, invisible and wearing the Ring on his right hand, he sees the Eye. As he starts to fall, with his left hand he pulls the Ring off the finger of his right hand. Yet, in the next shot still falling, now visible, we see his right hand closed in a fist and when he lands on the ground, he's clutching the Ring in his right hand. (01:16:50)
Revealing mistake: After fleeing from Boromir, Frodo is approached by Aragorn and Frodo passes a statue on a stone base and a stone pillar near stone steps. As Aragorn follows Frodo, in these shots, Aragorn's height and waist reach the same markings as Frodo when he went past these same objects. (01:17:15)
Continuity mistake: At Amon Hen, when Frodo asks of Aragorn, "Can you protect me from yourself?" there is a close-up of the Ring in the palm of Frodo's hand, which is clearly Elijah Wood's hand - his fingernails are so bitten up that there are barely any left. A moment later, in the two following close-ups, first when Aragorn's hand nearly touches the Ring and then when Aragorn's hand closes Frodo's fingers over the Ring, Frodo's hand is certainly not Elijah Wood's - the fingernails are regular length. (01:17:25)
Continuity mistake: During Arwen's race to the Ford of Bruinen, she rides at least two different horses. The first horse seen is a lovely grey (white and black hairs) and is likely to be of Andalusian descent. The second horse is a fleabitten grey (white with red hairs) with completely different hind-end conformation and muscling, and looks as if it is an Arabian. The switch occurs several times. If you aren't a horse person, you can see this change by watching the horses' necks. The first horse has a very thick neck, and the second horse's neck is much thinner. (01:17:30)
Continuity mistake: When Aragorn speaks with Frodo near the stairs at Amon Hen, the greenery sticking out of the indivial steps in these shots differ and actually change their position on the stairs significantly, after Aragorn yells, "Run!" and then walks toward the many Uruk-hai. (01:17:50 - 01:18:30)
Continuity mistake: When Arwen is carrying Frodo to the Ford, during the close-up of his face, it is covered in a green slime/pus-type substance (coming out of his eyes and mouth). At the Ford when Arwen confronts the Black Riders, his face is clean. [Peter Jackson has stated that the pus was used in one scene and afterwards they decided it was too gross and didn't use it again. That's why it appears and disappears. Still a mistake though.] (01:18:15)
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.