Pearl Harbor

Revealing mistake: When Evelyn is on the porch of the dispensary, as Danny drives up with the telegram about Rafe, there is a modern three-prong grounded electrical outlet visible on the wall behind her. (00:47:30)

Revealing mistake: When Betty's body is being placed amongst those killed outside the hospital, the dead guy lying on the left side breathes at the wrong time (you can see his neck and head move slightly). (02:01:55)

Revealing mistake: When the Japanese planes fly over the hill towards the harbor to bomb it, you can see a cross on the hill. That cross was not there back in 1941 during the raid. It was put there afterwards as a memorial to the point where the enemy planes first came over the hill.

iceverything776

Revealing mistake: During the scene in which the Japanese are planning the attack, one shot has several of the Japanese Officers looking at aerial photographs of the harbor. These pictures appear to be attached to some sort of poster board and on the back of one of them is the "Recycled Paper" emblem (the three arrows bent back on each other). Visible on the DVD.

Revealing mistake: Other users have commented on the placement of the island on the Japanese carriers. If you watch the launch scene very carefully (as one squadron of planes flies over another of the carriers), the carrier is a modern, angled deck carrier, but the planes are all lined up backwards. As the shot moves over the ship, you can plainly see the bow of the carrier (with the protrusions for the catapult water brakes, and Japanese planes lined up on the bow, facing the stern). As the shot progresses down the ship, you will see the angled deck amidships, with the island where it belongs, and the planes taking off over the stern.

Revealing mistake: When the dead nurse's body (Betty I think her name is) is being placed on the pile of dead people, she blinks and twitches her face as the person carrying her puts her down.

Revealing mistake: When the kids are playing around with the plane and make it move along the grass field, tracks from previous takes are visible in front of the plane. When the angle changes the tracks are gone.

Sacha

Revealing mistake: After Danny's plane crash lands in China, and Rafe runs towards the crash site, he shoots a Japanese soldier. After his next to last shot, the slide locks back on his pistol, indicating it is empty. You can see the slide locked back moments before he takes his last shot, with an empty gun.

Factual error: For some reason, Danny believes Rafe's story that he's been officially assigned to an RAF Eagle Squadron for "combat training." While almost 7,000 Americans did volunteer to fly for England before Pearl Harbor, these were either as civilians or Americans who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. It was against the law for any citizen to fight for a belligerent power while America was neutral, so Rafe's superiors couldn't have ordered him to fight for Britain, and Danny would have known that.

More mistakes in Pearl Harbor

Rafe: Ma'am, I'm never gonna be an English teacher, but I know why I'm here, to be a pilot, and you don't dogfight with manuals, you don't fly with gauges, I mean it's all about feeling and speed and lettin' that plane become like it's a part of your body, and that manual says that a guy who's a slow reader can't be a good pilot... That file says I'm the *best* pilot in this room... Ma'am, please... Don't take my wings.

More quotes from Pearl Harbor

Trivia: During the attack, when the guys are in the control tower waiting for Danny and Rafe to lead the Japanese planes past them, one man says, "I'm cocked and locked." The phrase is also used during the Doolittle raid. The expression is unique to the Colt government-model .45 cal. semi-auto pistol and its clones. It means the hammer is cocked, but the safety is ON; it is how you carry a loaded .45 so it won't go off accidentally. A "cocked and locked" weapon CANNOT be fired.

More trivia for Pearl Harbor

Question: The IMDb lists a cameo by Matt Damon during the attack sequence. Can someone point out exactly where he appears?

Answer: He is in the scene where the smaller air-base is being attacked by the Japanese. You have to look really closely but he is the driver of one of the jeeps right before the Japanese bomb drops (the one that seems to be a dud and then explodes). Also, Matt seems to be one of the gunners on one of the first ships at Pearl Harbor to return fire (this is not verified but in slo-mo, one of the gunners seems to be him).

More questions & answers from Pearl Harbor

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