The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep (1946)

207 mistakes - chronological order

(3 votes)

Continuity mistake: Lash Canino turns out the light after he kills Harry Jones. In the next shot when Marlowe walks into the room the lights are back on. (01:29:40)

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Continuity mistake: As Marlowe walks into room 428 in the Fulwider Building the light switch on the right of the door is lit up. In the next shot from the other side of the door it's not. (01:30:00)

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Continuity mistake: Lash Canino leaves after he kills Harry Jones and Marlowe runs to the door after him. At first he has both hands on the door but in the next shot his left hand is on the sofa. (01:32:10)

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Continuity mistake: When we first see Harry Jones' body lying on the floor his shoulder is even with the split in the two cushions on the left of the couch. In the next shot we see him again lying there and his dead body has moved six inches to the right in relation to the cushions on the couch. (01:32:25)

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Continuity mistake: For some information she has, Marlowe meets Agnes Lowzier in her car at the corner of Rampart and Oakwood and hands her two hundred dollars in a nice neat pile. In the next shot of her counting it, the pile is spread out. (01:32:25)

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Continuity mistake: In her car Agnes Lowzier looks down as she tells Marlowe, "That's where Eddie Mars' wife is hold up". In the next shot she's facing her right and looking at Marlowe. (01:33:00)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe follows Agnes Lowzier's tip and drives out to Art Huck's garage and he pulls over to the side of the road in front of a sign that says, "Realito 7 miles". At first the sign is in the dark but in the next shot his headlights light it up. (01:33:15)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe pulls up in front of Art Huck's garage and gets out of his car to scope out the joint. When he first drives up there are no trees behind him but in the next close-up shot as he opens his car the door, there are several trees behind him. (01:33:40)

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Continuity mistake: As he walks up to Art Huck's garage Marlowe's car is in a totally different position (with the right front tire now on a rock) from when he just skidded off the road. (01:33:55 - 01:34:30)

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Audio problem: Marlowe fakes a flat and let's the air of his front drivers side tire. They over-dub the of the sound of the air rushing out for several seconds and then all of a sudden the car drops. (01:34:10)

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Visible crew/equipment: As Marlowe kicks on the door of Art Huck's garage you can see the shadow of a crew member moving against the door to the right of the screen. (01:35:00)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe walks into Art Huck's garage and Lash Canino says, "You got time to fix his tire?". Canino doesn't move an inch in the 12 seconds between the two shots were we see him but all the stuff behind him is rearranged. Most notable is the lamp used to dry the automotive paint, which if you look at its label, has been rotated 180 degrees without any one going near it. (01:35:45)

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Continuity mistake: Marlowe skids off the side of the road in front of Art Huck's garage and takes a gun out from under his dashboard. There's no vent window on the driver's side door of his car but then when he gets out of the car a vent window appears (1945 Version on DVD). (01:36:40)

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Continuity mistake: After Canino knocks him out, Mona Mars is there with a glass of water when Marlowe wakes up. If you look behind them on the table to the right of the lamp, there's a small cardholder. No one goes near it but several shots later when Lauren Bacal walks over to sit with them, the card holder moves about a foot to the right. (01:36:55)

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Continuity mistake: As Mona Mars and Marlowe talk about Eddie Mars on the left behind him, Marlowe's coat is draped over the couch. If you look closely only his coat is on the couch, but later when Mona storms out, a hat appears on top of the coat. At the end of this scene, the coat is knocked off the back of the couch and appears in a pile with the hat above. (01:37:25 - 01:40:25)

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Continuity mistake: Mona Mars tells Marlowe, "Eddie's not that kind," as she holds a glass of water in the palm of her left hand. In the next shot, both her hands are around the top of the glass. (01:38:15)

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Continuity mistake: As Mona Mars throws the water in Marlowe's face some of it splashes on the back of the couch, leaving a stain. In the next shot the pillow to the right of Marlowe's head moves and the couch is dry. (01:39:00)

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Continuity mistake: Mona Mars throws water in Marlowe's face and as she leaves, we see three pillows propped up against the far wall in the back of the room. Later Marlowe gets up as Canino's car pulls in, and even though no one has gone near them the pillows have been rearranged. (01:39:05 - 01:40:55)

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Continuity mistake: Lauren Bacall takes Marlowe's handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and she begins to wipe off the water that Mona Mars threw in his face. He stops her and says, "Never mind, Angel, the water feels good". She puts the handkerchief back in his pocket, but two shots later it's not there. Then at the end of the scene, it reappears again. (01:39:15)

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Continuity mistake: As they talk after Mona Mars leaves the room, Marlowe says to Lauren Bacal, "Too many people would've seen you without Regan". The cigarette appears then disappears in Marlowe's mouth several times between shots. (01:39:45)

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Vivian: You go too far, Marlowe.
Marlowe: Those are harsh words to throw at a man, especially when he's walking out of your bedroom.

More quotes from The Big Sleep

Trivia: At the end of the movie Lauren Bacall says to Marlowe "Phil, there's two men out back behind some trees". This is the only time in the movie that she refers to him by his first name. (01:49:45)

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More trivia for The Big Sleep

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