Continuity mistake: When Duncan lies to Munro about the raid of the Camerons' lodge Cora's hair is totally dishevelled. Immediately after that when Duncan tries to explain it's nicely done. (00:47:40)
Factual error: In real life, Colonel Monro and the Marquis de la Montcalm never met face to face to discuss surrendering Fort William Henry. Monro was also not scalped but died of illness months after he surrendered.
Revealing mistake: When Chingachgook throws his axe in the back of the Huron we see the Huron lying on his stomach with the axe stuck to his back. When the camera moves up leaving the Huron out of sight, we see Chingachgook picking the axe up from a total different angle than the axe stuck to the Huron. (00:19:45)
Deliberate mistake: Rhododendrons, visible in the opening scene and mentioned specifically in the shooting script, do not grow in the Adirondacks.
Continuity mistake: During the ambush, while Hawkeye is fighting with the axe, his musket is on the left shoulder crossing the chest, but in the following shot when he prepares to shoot Magua, he has it on the right shoulder. (00:19:55)
Factual error: When Hawkeye shoots the elk in the opening his rifle emits a muzzleblast, but the priming powder in the pan does not leave its characteristic smoke. When a flintlock is fired two distinct clouds of powder smoke should be seen.
Audio problem: During the ambush of the British troop, as some of the soldiers take their first aim, it cuts to some Hurons running downhill. If you look in the lower left corner of the screen you can see a Huron firing without us hearing it. (00:17:35)
Audio problem: Shortly before jumping through the waterfall, Hawkeye says to Cora, "If we go there's a chance there won't be a fight." However, if you watch Hawkeye's mouth, the audio doesn't match his lip movements.
Continuity mistake: During the scene at General Webb's office things on the desk appear and disappear and change places, like a glass, a water bottle, a candle, etc. (00:09:30)
Continuity mistake: When the Huron chief is talking and Duncan is translating, he is translating faster than the chief can talk. (01:27:00)
Audio problem: When Magua complains to the Marquis about not getting his revenge after Colonel Munro's surrender, the Marquis' lips don't match the audio whenever he says Magua's name.
Other mistake: In the final scene, just after the death of Magua, you can hear a small dog (perhaps one owned by a cast, or crew member, but unlikely to be a breed out in the wilderness away from human shelter) barking. (01:46:20)
Suggested correction: Laughable. There is no audible barking of a dog.
Continuity mistake: When Magua lowers his knife, you can see that it's not the same knife he had when he killed Uncas, nor is it the one he draws from his belt when Chingachgook fights him, it's a simple kitchen-like knife. (01:45:45)
Continuity mistake: When the people are marching out of the fort the same shot of Madeleine Stowe looking back over her shoulder, with a characteristically tattooed man in the background, is repeated 10 seconds later. (01:05:40)
Continuity mistake: When the canoes go down the cataracts the waterfall where they are actually shown going down in close-up is a much smaller one than the one shown in the panorama shot before. (01:15:40)
Continuity mistake: When Chicanghook is swinging his club at Magua, he's aiming for the left arm, but in the next shot he hits the right arm.
Revealing mistake: When Uncas is being murdered and thrown down, Daniel Day Lewis comes running from between the rocks. He then hits the rocks on the viewer's left side. You can see them moving since they are made of linen.
Other mistake: When Hawkeye, Uncas, and Chingachgook jumped through the waterfall, their gunpowder was, according to Hawkeye, soaking wet. When escaping from the Huron camp, Hawkeye suddenly has dry powder to put the burning British officer out of his misery. Nowhere do we see our three heroes get dry powder. And no, sodden gunpowder can't be dried out and reused.
Visible crew/equipment: Right before Munro is attacked by Magua and killed, there is a shot of a soldier falling right toward the camera. The shadow of the camera becomes very obvious on him.
Continuity mistake: When Uncas single-handedly attacks Magua's party on the mountain, he shoots an opponent who is filmed falling off the side of the mountain. When the camera cuts back to the fight, you can see him fall down again on the far left (while Uncas is attacking the next one in line).
