Continuity mistake: When the Hobbits enter Bree through the gate, there is a distance shot from above, and the principal actors have clearly been replaced by their shorter doubles. Worse than that, however, is that their sizes are completely wrong. The last Hobbit through the gate is stocky - much stockier than any of the Hobbits really are. And he isn't even supposed to be Sam, who is the stockiest of the Hobbits. When the view switches to a close-up of the principal actors from inside the gate, it's actually Merry who's last - and he certainly isn't stocky. (00:55:20)
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)
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)
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: When Frodo rescues a drowning Sam, once Sam is in the boat, when the camera faces Sam, it is clear that the boat remains perpendicular to the shoreline, as they speak and hug. However, in the wide shot of them hugging, the boat is parallel to the shore. Another close-up on Sam and the boat is still perpendicular to the shoreline. In the next wide shot, they row away, and head for the Eastern shore. (01:31:20)
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)
Continuity mistake: When Bilbo is writing at his desk, in the first far shot, the book stand to his right has an assortment of papers on it. In the shot from behind, when he starts to say, "Concerning Hobbits," the papers on that book stand are arranged differently. In the shot after another Hobbit picks his ear, Bilbo stretches at his desk and the papers on the stand are arranged differently again. Later still, when he says, "Sticklebacks, where is that boy?" in this shot, the papers revert to the way they were in the other previous close-up shot from behind. In the next shot from behind too, the papers are arranged the same way as in the first far shot. (00:08:25)
Deliberate mistake: In the Chamber of Mazarbul, when Legolas lets loose the double arrows at the Troll near Balin's Tomb, in that shot he stands in front of the same wall as in the next shot. In this second shot he spins around, slices two Orcs and then looks at the Troll in front of him, only this second shot is flipped. In those two shots he stands in front of a solid rock wall with particular markings between two pillars. In the next shot it shows Legolas' back and the Troll down below as Legolas ducks down avoiding the Troll's chain flying overhead. Then in the next consecutive shot from the front again Legolas rises and is now standing in front of a stone wall that has a large alcove with books also between two pillars. These shots were spliced from a longer sequence because the two walls noted are adjacent to each other - in the film the alcove wall is to the left of the solid wall and they share a pillar between them. (00:30:30)
Continuity mistake: At Balin's Tomb, after Gimli kneels and cries, "Oh no! No!" there is an overhead shot of the room. In this shot we see the papers littering the floor around the tombstone. Next we see an extreme close-up of the tombstone, with the skeletal head to its left and the absence of papers around it. Then, in a close-up of the skeleton holding the book, we see papers again, but they are lying about differently than in the overhead shot. Then in the next shot as Gandalf hands Pippin his hat and staff, the papers are the same again, as in the previous overhead shot. (00:25:20)
Continuity mistake: When Bilbo is leaving, he drops the Ring at the doorway, turns and walks out the door. Gandalf steps outside after him. Gandalf never pulls at the door, nor does he even touch it. He stands outside talking with Bilbo. When the door is shown behind Gandalf it is wide open. Bilbo walks down the path with Gandalf looking at him. The next shot is a close-up and we see the shadow of the door opening to reveal the Ring. Then a shot looking up at Gandalf as he steps through the doorway. (00:23:40 - 00:24:30)
Continuity mistake: Gandalf and Frodo ride towards Bag End and in the close-up as Frodo says, "Never had any adventures or did..." they pass the stone wall to his right. In the next wide shot, Gandalf says, "If you're referring to the incident..." and they ride further away from the stone wall, then pass the huge tree on Frodo's right. However in Frodo's next close-up, they're closer to the stone wall and haven't passed the huge tree yet. (00:13:45)
Continuity mistake: At Bag End, with his left hand Bilbo holds a plate with pieces of a sponge cake. The small part of the sponge cake is to the left of his thumb, and the large part is opposite his thumb. When there is knocking at the door, the smaller piece is to the right of his thumb. When he's at the window, the smaller piece is to the left again. As he runs into the kitchen, the large part of the sponge cake is now by his thumb. The plate never switched hands. (00:17:35)
Continuity mistake: When Boromir blows the Horn of Gondor in the close-up (the second time he is seen doing it), slung around his neck are both sides of the horn's attached rope in front of his torso, as he drops the horn to grasp the sword with both hands to fight the Uruk beside him. In the following shots it varies, the horn is either slung over the same way or it is slung over his shoulder, with one side of the rope at his back! (01:22:05)
Continuity mistake: When Galadriel gives Sam the Elven hithlain rope, in the close-up her hand is above the rope - palm side down, as she lets go and hands it to him, yet in the wideshot her hand is under the rope, palm side up as she lets go. (01:04:05)
Audio problem: When Merry, Pippin and Frodo are separated by the Troll's club smashing the ground beneath them in Balin's tomb (right before Frodo gets smelled round the pillar), Aragorn shouts, 'Frodo!', but his mouth is not in sync (it looks as if he shouts 'Legolas' in that shot, but it was dubbed over.) (00:30:00)
Revealing mistake: When angry Farmer Maggot chases Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pip, whilst they tumble down the hill Sam's knee pads are visible in a couple of shots. (Slow motion is not necessary.) (00:52:30)
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)
Revealing mistake: As the Uruks run through the woods of Amon Hen, in a close up of a log, the second foot to step on the log is actually a black spray-painted Nike. This is quite visible even without slow-mode, as the Nike symbol is raised on the shoe. (VHS version.)
Continuity mistake: At Amon Hen while battling the Uruk-hai, Legolas yells to Aragorn, "Aragorn, go." In the next far wide shot, we see Aragorn run between the statue and Legolas, reaching the pillar. In the very next close-up, Aragorn is just running past the statue on his left, as Legolas kills two Uruks with one arrow. (01:19:25)
Continuity mistake: During the prologue, after Isildur cuts off Sauron's fingers, in the first side shot, Isildur, who is lying on the ground looks to his left at the Ring on the finger near him. His hair is on his face and nose. Then, in the very next front shot, *before* the wind gust from Sauron, he is still lying down and there is no hair on his face. (00:04:00)
Answer: "Fly, you fools"