Continuity mistake: In the meeting of the heads of all families, when Tattaglia asks the Godfather for assurance that there will be no vengeance, we see him leaning back in his chair, waiting for an answer. In the next shot the camera is on the Godfather, and we see Tattaglia leaning back again. (02:05:15)
Revealing mistake: When Michael and Fredo arrive at the Las Vegas hotel, the actor playing Fredo is replaced by a double who doesn't resemble him even remotely. (02:13:15)
Factual error: At the end of the movie, when Michael's car pulls up in front of the Las Vegas hotel, if you look through the glass windows, two men wearing 1970's shirts and gold neck chains, with "hippie-style" haircuts walking through the lobby, though this is supposed to be in the late 40's or early 50's. (02:13:50)
Suggested correction: Similar to another entry about the supposed anachronistic style of the Vegas scenes, the style was not unheard-of at the time, especially in Las Vegas, where people tended to dress a little more outlandishly.
Continuity mistake: In the meeting at the Las Vegas Hotel, while Michael is talking to Johnny before Moe Green enters, Fredo takes his sunglasses off and puts them away. A moment later he sits down with his sunglasses back on and takes them off again. (02:16:05)
Continuity mistake: When Michael is talking to Moe Green in Las Vegas, he takes his cigarettes out of his pocket twice in two seconds. (02:17:15)
Continuity mistake: When Michael Corleone goes to Las Vegas to meet with Moe Greene, watch carefully when Moe sits at the table while continuing his argument with Michael. There's a glass of water that changes places from shot to shot. At one moment, the glass is behind Moe's arm, then in the next shot it's in front. Moe moves the glass at one point, but nevertheless, the glass continues to move from shot to shot. (02:17:30)
Other mistake: When Michael arrives in Las Vegas at the Hotel Continental and exits the car two men are visible through the window inside the hotel who are dressed in 1972 contemporary attire, despite this scene being set in the 50s. The man on the left in a blue jacket looks as though he could be David Geffen. (02:19:38)
Continuity mistake: When the Godfather sits in the garden, talking to Michael who has just returned from Las Vegas, he is holding his wine glass in his hand. When he puts it down the amount of wine in the glass doubles. (02:20:55)
Revealing mistake: At the Godfather's funeral, as Al Pacino stands up, you can see a reflection of his mother over on the right of the screen. It's clear in the widescreen video. The same happens when he sits down again. (02:28:25)
Revealing mistake: When Moe Greene is shot through his right eye, the eyeglass is cracked, but has no hole where the bullet penetrated the glass. (02:33:50)
Continuity mistake: When Barzini's driver is shot, the killer first shoots him in the chest but the driver grabs his stomach, before he is shot there a second time. (02:34:20)
Continuity mistake: When Barzini gets shot in the back we see a lot of blood and other matter pouring out. When he rolls down the steps his coat is intact again. (02:34:25)
Audio problem: When Carlo gets strangled in the car and kicks the windshield the sound of breaking glass can be heard before it actually happens. (02:41:05)
New this monthPlot hole: When Michael is punched, the Don has just been shot and is near death. A gang war ensues and progresses. The Don recovers enough to be brought home. Michael moves to Italy, meets, courts, and marries his girl. Sonny is killed. Michael's wife learns to drive and is assassinated - and still, Michael has very visible remains of his black eye. Way too much time must have passed for this to be possible.
Factual error: In the scene when Michael visits his father in the hospital in 1945 there's a NYC Fire Dept. sign on the wall with the name of the Commissioner, Robert O. Lowery, who was commissioner from 1966 to 1973.
Continuity mistake: When Luca Brasi is practicing his speech he is wearing a square faced watch. When he gives his speech to the godfather he's wearing a round faced watch.
Factual error: The Cadillac Miller and Cadillac Meteor flower cars at Vito Corleone's funeral are an anachronistic impossibility, given that he died some time in the summer of 1955. With two exceptions (one from 1951 and one from 1955), the Cadillacs serving as flower cars are 1956 models. Although a 1956 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine also makes an appearance, it's plausible that the funeral could be taking place at a time when the first 1956 Fleetwood 75's were released. Miller and Meteor, however, did not begin converting 1956 Cadillacs into flower cars until 1956 proper.
Revealing mistake: After Michael shoots Sollozzo and McCluskey, as he quickly leaves the restaurant and he pushes his way out of the front door, you can see that the shot is jarred because the camera must have been bumped.
Factual error: Tom Hagen flies to Hollywood on a Lockheed Super Constellation. This scene is set in the 1940's and the Super Constellation did not fly until 1951.
Continuity mistake: Outside the hospital McCluskey punches Michael. A few days after the episode outside the hospital, Michael shoots McCluskey and Sollozzo at the restaurant, but there is no mark on his face where he was hit. Then in Sicily when Michael meets Apollonia for the first time, there is still no mark on his face, but suddenly at Apollonia and Michael's wedding, he has a large mark on his face.
