Appointment With Death

Continuity mistake: As Poirot is attempting to leave Lord Peel's office, Miss Quinton says that she's going to visit Petra with Mr. Cope. There's a cut mid-sentence (those are never good to see), and while her position is almost flawless continuity-wise, in the background the curtains on the left window are parted and away from the wall in the second shot, were straight in the first take. (00:57:30)

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Continuity mistake: Lady Westholme is cross with Poirot and making her exit from the office she leaves her leather folder behind. Look at its position on the table; Miss Quinton fetches the bag on her way out, and it is placed differently, as made evident by the way it sticks out of the table. (00:58:35)

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Continuity mistake: Poirot wants to interview Lennox Boynton at the hotel, where he is having a toast with his wife. The wife leaves the table picking up her hat. Under the hat there's a plate with a napkin on it, untouched, but when Poirot sits at the table, the napkin has been used, or at least it's not resting neatly on the plate anymore. (00:59:20)

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Continuity mistake: Interviews at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. At quarter to 4 Lennox fixes his mother's wristwatch; the sunlight is much dimmed down in the shot when she waves him off. (01:00:25)

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Continuity mistake: When Poirot takes notes during Carrie Fisher's interview, his panama hat is at a different angle in the close-up of his writing hand than it is in the wider angle. (01:02:05)

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Continuity mistake: Poirot is at the hotel's reception, phone in hand, and spots Cope trying to leave. The whole counter in front of Poirot shows direct sunlight on it, but in the conversation the light of the set is entirely different and most of the counter except a couple of narrow spots is in the shade. (01:03:55)

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Continuity mistake: Poirot and colonel Carbury are going up a flight of stairs when the Belgian poses to his positively baffled friend a few questions. Before the camera cuts the first time, Carbury takes in his right hand the baton he was carrying under the left armpit, but in the next shot it's back exactly where it was. (01:06:10)

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Continuity mistake: When Poirot leaves Carbury to go question the two remaining Boyntons, the military vehicle he gets on has a different serial number than the one he steps out from. (01:07:15)

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Continuity mistake: Poirot confronts Carol inside the cave. When she says that "In the morning the whole thing seemed ridiculous" there's a quick reaction shot on Ustinov, and the bottom strap connected to the glasses tucked inside his breast pocket runs a few inches above his waistcoat, across the shirt; in the rest of the conversation it practically touches the waistcoat. (01:09:05)

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Continuity mistake: In the cave, Raymond turns his back to Poirot casually saying that his mother was "pretty upset." Notice the sweater he threw on over the shoulder. Cut to a couple seconds-long flashback with his mom hilariously overreacting, and when we see him again the sweater is on his shoulder in a completely different way, as you can see from the decorations. (01:09:55)

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Continuity mistake: After the spider scene, colonel Carbury and a certain Captain Rogers (not that one) approach Poirot; suddenly at the entrance behind them there are people who weren't there a moment before. (01:12:35)

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Continuity mistake: Carbury brings Poirot the report with the results of the questioning of the various "Arab boys." Poirot sets it on the counter of the hotel's bar. The colonel does not touch it until later, when he does it's turned differently. (01:13:00 - 01:13:25)

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Continuity mistake: Colonel Carbury is getting a tongue-lashing from Lady Westholme. He picks the cup of tea from his attendant, with the right hand, and the receiver is on his left hand. Camera cuts away for one second on Lauren Bacall, and then in close-up the colonel is holding the phone with his right hand, immediately switching to the left. (01:14:25)

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Continuity mistake: On the final day of the mystery, Doctor King apologizes to Poirot at the concierge. Poirot's reading glasses are located in his pocket, towards the left or center, as we can tell by the straps. When the two are coming out of the hotel, the glasses shifted to the right corner of the pocket. (01:14:40)

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Appointment With Death mistake picture

Continuity mistake: With Dr. King at his side, Poirot waves hi to Hassan, the 'Arab boy'. The position of Poirot's hat and cane is different in the two shots; in front of him, or down his left hip. (01:14:55)

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Continuity mistake: When Dr. King drops the gun, in close-up it bounces on the back of the thigh of the victim, but in the previous shot she tossed it nowhere near that spot. (01:16:55)

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Continuity mistake: One of the menacing individuals behind Dr. King is wearing a keffiyeh that obscures his face entirely. The loose part down his chest is in a different position in the widest shot when they back her against the wall. (01:17:05)

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Continuity mistake: When Carbury asks Poirot "Do you reaaaally believe all that?" as he reads Dr. King's testimony about the shooting, Peter Ustinov's hand is up to his breast pocket in a shot, down the side in the next. (01:17:50)

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Continuity mistake: At the denouement during afternoon tea, Poirot opens his statement greeting "Ladies and gentlemen." Look at Lady Westholme's table; she and Miss Quinton in the wide shot turn towards Poirot to listen, but in the next shot they are in an entirely different position (Lauren Bacall has her hand under her chin, then on the table, Hayley Mills puts her hand in her lap, then she has her forearm on the back of the chair). (01:19:10)

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Factual error: Poirot meets the rest of the cast at the port of Trieste before they sail off for Jaffa. In actuality though, they already were in Jaffa, which served double duty acting as a very poor stand-in for Trieste; the architecture of the port and promenade is nothing like Trieste's, and you can see in the establishing shot Jaffa's St. Peter's church. (00:08:30)

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More mistakes in Appointment With Death

Hercule Poirot: People like to talk, and in doing so they tell the truth. It puts less of a strain on the memory.

More quotes from Appointment With Death

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