Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind (1939)

64 mistakes - chronological order

(11 votes)

Continuity mistake: After Frank Kennedy's death Scarlett is drinking in her bedroom. She takes his picture, which is standing on the dressing table, and turns it on its face. In one close-up shot this picture is placed on a piece of lace, in all others not. When she finally leaves the room the picture is gone completely, and also all other things on the dresswing table are rearranged. (00:55:20)

NancyFelix

Revealing mistake: After Frank Kennedy's death Scarlett is sitting in her room, "mourning" and drinking. When she hears Rhett's carriage she goes to the window. In this moment you see shadows, either from crew members or equipment, cast through the room, especially visible on the bottle on the table. There is also some funny shift of the backdrop outside the window. (00:55:35)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: The shadow scene in which Scarlett and Melanie care for the wounded in the Atlanta hospital was filmed with two doubles. Since Leigh and de Havilland were standing at the wrong angle to cast the shadows, two stand-ins were positioned in front of the high-intensity light. The shadows of the doubles were reflected on the wall behind the stars, and the result was a stunning visual effect. Yet upon a closer look, the gestures of the stand-ins are not totally synchronised with the movements of the stars. (00:56:30)

Continuity mistake: When Rhett visits Scarlett after Frank Kennedy's death she keeps weeping into her handkerchief. But all of a sudden there is no handkerchief and she is wiping her nose with her hands. (00:57:55)

NancyFelix

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Suggested correction: Scarlett puts her handkerchief down to gargle with cologne. Then she goes downstairs with the hanky near her mouth to hide her boozy smell. She has opportunity to put it down again when she is seated telling Rhett she is afraid she'll go to hell. She is so upset she wipes her nose with her wrist as she does several times in the film, as Rhett observes at the end when she has no "handkerchief."

Continuity mistake: Scarlett, Melanie, and Mrs. Meade leave the hospital when Belle Watling approaches them to donate some money. Throughout the scene the three women are standing close to each other, but when Belle drives off Scarlett is standing by herself even though the camera does a scan around her. (00:59:00)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Scarlett sees Frank Kennedy while she's working in the hospital, there is something on the left side of Frank's face in the close up shot of him. In the next shot that shows Scarlett and Frank, it is no longer there. (01:03:55)

Audio problem: After Scarlett leaves the hospital in disgust she runs into Rhett. When she climbs into his buggy she asks him if he can take her to her Aunt's, but her lips aren't moving. (01:04:15)

NancyFelix

Factual error: Scarlett is seen walking on the main street on the way to the hospital. You can clearly see a light bulb in one of the street lights. (01:05:25)

Continuity mistake: When Rhett pours Mammy a drink on the day of Bonnie's birth he has a cigar in his mouth. When the camera angle changes he is holding the cigar in the hand that holds the glass. (01:06:35)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Aunt Pittipat leaves Atlanta Scarlett and Dr. Meade are standing in the walkway to the house and talking. The moment the aunt drives off Scarlett is standing all by herself (and loudly cursing Melanie and her baby). (01:07:30)

NancyFelix

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Just before Aunt Pittipat rides off, we see Dr. Meade move away from Scarlett. By the time it cuts back to Scarlett, he has had more than enough time to get off-screen.

Gone with the Wind mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Rhett picks up Melanie from her bed to take her out of Atlanta he is not wearing a hat, but in the next shot it is on his head. (01:19:35)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Rhett and Scarlett go up to Melanie's room to get her out of the house and take her to Tara the hallway and staircase are fully lit. When they come down again all lights are off, although there was no one downstairs to put them out. (01:19:40)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When the protagonists drive through the burning, abandoned Atlanta, a few looters are after the horse. Rhett knocks down one of them while the buggy is still moving, and in the next shot they are back at the spot where they were before being attacked. (01:20:00)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: While our protagonists flee from the burning Atlanta the carriage stops. A bearded soldier walks by carrying another man. A few moments later the camera focuses on a young man who collapses and is being picked up by exactly the same guy who was carrying him already. The mistake wouldn't be as pronounced if it weren't been one of the few instances where action by extras is highlighted. (01:23:25)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In the scene when Rhett is saying goodbye to Scarlett before he leaves her on the road to Tara alone, he throws his hat behind him onto the road and takes Scarlett into his arms. However, a few moments later, he picks the hat up from the fence at his side along with his coat. (01:26:55)

Continuity mistake: When Rhett stops the carriage on the bridge at the turn for Tara, he pulls the brake to keep the carriage from moving. When Scarlett drives off in the carriage, she does not release the brake. (01:27:50)

Revealing mistake: When Bonnie has her fatal horse accident and breaks through the hurdle you see that the bars are pre-cut.It's a bit unrealistic anyway that they would break at such a soft impact - they should fall but not break. (01:39:45)

NancyFelix

Plot hole: At the end of the movie, when Rhett famously leaves Scarlett, she thinks about how she can win him back, and with a smile on her face, says, "After all, tomorrow is another day." Her daughter tragically died a few days before. Scarlett isn't the least bit heartbroken about losing her.

Mike Lynch

Character mistake: When Melanie and Scarlett are talking with an (off-screen) wounded Confederate soldier, the soldier says he hasn't heard from his brother since Bull Run. Only Northerners refer to that battle as Bull Run; Southerners have always referred to it as Manassas.

mdwalker

Continuity mistake: When Dr. Meade announces General Lee's victory (and later Rhett Butler as a special guest) at the "Monster Bazaar", he speaks to a backdrop showing the audience with a soldier with a drum standing left to him. Behind him, a couple in black is dancing. When he moves, Rhett and Scarlett are revealed, going to the rear of the dance floor. Clearly they haven't met at that point, as they are introduced by Melanie moments later.

Scarlett: I can shoot straight, if I don't have to shoot too far.

More quotes from Gone with the Wind

Trivia: Hattie McDaniel's portrayal of Mammy earned her an Academy Award, the first to be given to an African American.

More trivia for Gone with the Wind

Question: When Scarlett visits Rhett in jail to get the $300 for taxes, can anyone speculate as to her plan? Why does she pretend to be rich when she's actually dirt poor? Why would that make her request for money more convincing? Did she plan to ask for a loan, and needed to make it appear as if she would be able to repay it in a reasonable amount of time? I read the book, but this wasn't made clear there either. Can anyone help me?

Answer: If she looked rich she could trick him into thinking she wasn't marrying him for his money.

Answer: Scarlett tries fooling Rhett that she is in love him, thinking that will persuade him to give her the money. She believes if Rhett is in love with her, she can manipulate him, which is what she did with her other husbands and various suitors. If she appears desperate and powerless, then Rhett will have the upper hand. He sees through her scheme, however.

raywest

Answer: In the book Scarlett's motivation for dressing up to see Rhett is so that she can go to him 'looking like a queen granting favors." She believes that her way of getting the money is by acting carefree and not desperate as if she looks desperate Rhett will guess it's money she's after (only) and any warmness towards him will look like a ruse to get his money. She is playing on his attraction towards her. Remember the last time she saw him she slapped him and said she hoped a canon ball would land "slap on him." So now she has to appear to be over her venom and her pride will not let her look desperate, also. She's not after marriage to him. If she looks sweet and helpless and gorgeous she figures she'll get the money out of him! (He does say he's tired of looking at women in mourning so she is partly right with her instincts).

More questions & answers from Gone with the Wind

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