Continuity mistake: The Troll throws Boromir across the room at Balin's Tomb, and when Boromir hits the wall he then crashes to the floor. In the first shot Boromir shakes his head and spit flies out of his mouth, landing on his coat at his right and left shoulders, making them wet. An Orc then lifts his knife to stab him. In the next shot only the left side of Boromir's coat is wet. Aragorn then throws his sword at the Orc. Then in the next shot as Boromir sits up and shakes his head again, now both sides of his coat are dry. (00:30:05)
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: As the cave Troll throws Pippin from its back, he is holding his sword in his right hand. When he hits the ground it is in his left. (00:32:05)
Continuity mistake: Just before Frodo is stabbed by the Troll, 2 buttons are closed on his vest. When he's stabbed, 1 button is closed. When Aragorn rolls him over, after being stabbed, he has an open vest. It remains open until being surrounded by the Orcs in the great hall. Gandalf says, "This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" and Frodo's scale double has his vest fully buttoned. Just after Gandalf yells to Aragorn, "Swords are of no more use here," Frodo has only 2 buttons closed. Then as the stairs are collapsing under Frodo and Aragorn's feet, his vest is mostly buttoned again. (00:32:10 - 00:38:25)
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: When Legolas lets loose the final arrow into the Troll's mouth, at Balin's Tomb, and the Troll drops down. The things lying on the ground near the Troll's right arm, are in different positions in the close-up and wide shot. (00:33:25)
Continuity mistake: Before the Black Rider rides up to the man chopping wood, in the close-up the tree stump he's chopping on does not have wood in front of it on the ground. In the wide shot, there is wood lying on the ground in front of the stump and the man places the axe down against the stump. After he answers the Black Rider and says, "That way," the axe is not leaning on the stump anymore, but there is a piece of wood on it now. (00:34:15)
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: Frodo enters a dark Bag End and Gandalf grabs Frodo's shoulder. In the next shot Frodo spins around and Gandalf removes his hand. However in the last shot facing Gandalf, Gandalf still has his hand on Frodo's shoulder. (00:36:30)
Continuity mistake: While Gandalf is nervously waiting, Frodo is looking for the envelope with the Ring in the wood chest. In the first shot looking up from the POV of the chest, Frodo holds the envelope with the flap up near his fingers and the seal below it. However in the next shot the envelope is reversed, with the flap opposite his fingers. (00:36:40)
Continuity mistake: At Bag End, Gandalf tosses the envelope with the Ring into the fire. He grips tongs tightly between his thumb and other fingers and reaches into the fire with his thumb facing his left side. In the close-up, the Ring is grasped on the same side as his thumb, with the excess Ring on the other side with his other fingers. Yet in the next shot, Gandalf lifts the Ring out of the fire and the Ring is grasped on the same side as his other fingers, with the excess Ring at the same side as his thumb. This has nothing to do with camera angles. (00:36:55)
Continuity mistake: When the members of the Fellowship are running away from the Balrog, they get caught on the steep narrow stairs and have to jump across the gap. When only Frodo and Aragorn are left on the upper side, there is a long shot from the top, showing large rocks crashing down in the foreground and the two of them further away. Both of them jolt forward, as if with the impact, before the rock has hit the top of the staircase. (00:37:12)
Continuity mistake: Frodo pours tea and begins talking with Gandalf in the kitchen. In Frodo's shots, the drape of the white cloth on the right side of the fireplace changes. In the shots where the white cloth is different there is also a sack on Frodo's left that is not there in other shots. Behind Gandalf, the white cloth that hangs from the hook on the hutch also changes its shape and length between the side, front and close-up shots. (00:38:00)
Continuity mistake: Gandalf says, "This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron," and next is a side shot of Frodo pouring tea as Gandalf sits at the table. The Ring is beside the small light colored creamer at the edge of the table, with the spout's interior perfectly visible. In the next close-up of the Ring from Frodo's POV, as Gandalf says, "For 60 years..." the very dark colored glaze on the rim and spout of the creamer are visible. Obviously not the same creamer in the shots from this POV. Then in the close-ups of the Ring from Gandalf's POV, like when he says, "...and the Ring survived," not only do the crumbs differ, the actual table differs - the wood's grain is completely different. (00:38:00)
Continuity mistake: When Frodo and Gandalf are in the kitchen, and Gandalf is revealing the truth about the One Ring, there's a shot where Frodo is standing, pouring some tea. It then cuts to Gandalf for literally two seconds, and when it cuts back to Frodo, not only has he finished pouring, but he's settled in his chair with his hands wrapped around his teacup. Pretty fast moving there. (00:38:05)
Continuity mistake: Gandalf grabs Sam through the window, and just as he's throwing Sam down we see on the table's edge many books, papers, a candlestick and a plate. Yet in the earlier shot of the table, when Frodo comes from the kitchen holding the Ring and stands in the archway saying, "We never speak of it again," the corner of the table has a cutting board with bread, some papers and a candlestick showing. It is the same table and no one has touched the table. (00:39:40 - 00:42:15)
Continuity mistake: When the Balrog's whip wraps around Gandalf's ankle and pulls him off the bridge in Moria, you can see that the surface of the bridge where he was standing is perfectly flat and smooth. We cut to Frodo screaming, then back to Gandalf, who is now hanging onto an easy-to-grip groove in the rock. (00:39:45)
Continuity mistake: When Gandalf pulls Sam in through the window at Bag End and throws him on the desk to ask him questions, several items fall off of the desk. The scene switches back and forth between Sam and Gandalf's perspectives several times. When Sam is shown, the arrangement and appearance of items on the floor below vary. In some shots there is a wooden box and book on the floor to the left side of Sam's head and/or a book and paper to the right. (00:40:50)
Continuity mistake: Frodo is in the kitchen packing apples and other food for his journey to Bree. Frodo asks Gandalf, "And the Ring will be safe there?" Behind Frodo, to his right, the window and table in the next room are seen. The chair near the table, is not the same chair that is next to that table in all the rest of the shots of the area. The window is shut, but when Gandalf and Frodo are soon in there it is open when Sam isn't "dropping no eaves." It cannot be assumed that Sam would have opened the window. The existence and arrangement of books and papers on the window bench also differs. (00:41:30 - 00:42:15)
Continuity mistake: Frodo is getting ready to leave Bag End - Gandalf says "Travel by day, and stay off the road" and hands Frodo his walking stick. The black grip on the walking stick that Gandalf hands to Frodo is close to the top of the stick. In the next shot, the walking stick that Frodo takes hold of has a black grip that is way lower from the top of the stick. Each actor filmed individually. (00:41:50)
Answer: "Fly, you fools"