Continuity mistake: In the red drawing room, Freddie Nesbitt can be seen behind his wife, Mabel, putting his coffee cup on a bureau. They cut away to a wider shot, and he is holding the cup again.
Continuity mistake: When Henry Denton storms out of the room after the coffee is spilled in his lap, Lady Trentham's newspaper is open. As she starts to laugh, the camera angle changes and her paper is now closed and she reopens it. (01:49:55)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the movie when Lady Trentham is talking to Sylvia McCordle, she throws her scarf to Mary Maceachran to pack. The camera cuts to Sylvia, then back to Lady Trentham, and the scarf is back around her neck and she takes it off. (02:05:20)
Continuity mistake: When Mary, the Countess's maid, first gets out of the car at Gosford Park the back of her coat is visibly rain soaked in spots; a few moments later Mary runs after the car and her coat looks completely dry.
Continuity mistake: While Mrs Wilson questions Inspector Thompson about when the staff may leave and he lends his matches to Arthur, the door behind the Inspector is open. However, in the next shot Mrs Croft opens the door to enter the room. (01:46:39)
Continuity mistake: When Lady Trentham knocks on the window in the car, Mary looks at her over her right shoulder but when the camera angle changes she is looking over her left shoulder.
Continuity mistake: While investigating the murder of Sir William, the constable examines the coffee cup that Sir William shattered when the housekeeper attempted to give it to him. The floor beneath the shards of the cup is clean, there is no residue from the spilled coffee.
Continuity mistake: When Emily Watson is pinning the hem of Maggie Smith's dress just before she goes down for dinner, the neclace that Maggie Smith is wearing is quite long, the pendant almost can't be seen by the dress and then the next shot the pendant is half way up her neck, and has become a lot shorter.
Answer: Jennings' drinking problem stems from his having been a World War I conscientious objector, for which he was imprisoned. He has kept this secret and is worried the police investigation will uncover his past and jeopardize his job. The maid, Dorothy, is secretly in love with Jennings and wants to protect him.
raywest ★