Continuity mistake: As Sefton talks to Price, he toys with the black chess pieces. If you look closely at the table, there's no square carved in the top, yet at the climax there is.
Movie Nut
16th Jul 2015
Stalag 17 (1953)
22nd Jan 2015
Stalag 17 (1953)
Other mistake: When Hoffy goes to blow out the single candle used to light the room, there's an extra second of light before it gets dark. Also, there's too much light to be explained by one candle, and no electric lights (The Germans would have cut the lights off from outside).
22nd Jan 2015
Stalag 17 (1953)
Revealing mistake: When the smudge pot is set off, it's on the ground, smoke coming of the ends. A moment later, along with a huge cloud, if you look at the bottom of the scene, there's an area about five feet wide billowing smoke.
10th Jan 2015
Stalag 17 (1953)
Sefton: Sprechen sie Deutsch [Do you speak German]?
Price: No, I don't sprechen sie Deutsch.
Sefton: Maybe just one word? "Kaput"? Because you're kaput, Price.
30th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Other mistake: When Shapiro goes to get the teabag out for Dunbar's tea, you can see that there is a wet spot where it was in his pocket, suggesting multiple takes.
Suggested correction: Or he'd simply used the teabag before using it in Dunbar's tea.
30th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Trivia: When Stalag 17 was pitched to William Holden, he very nearly passed on the lead role of Sefton. After more talks, he took the part, and won his only Oscar.
29th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Trivia: There are two instances where a character breaks the "Fourth Wall." This is when a character looks directly at the camera, as if addressing the audience. The first is when Harry is threatened by Animal after the horse races. The second is when Trzcinski is reading his letter and the bearded man listening to him say "I believe it...I believe it!" looks up as the scene ends.
20th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Continuity mistake: When Steve is getting on his crutches with smudge pot tied to his leg, watch his left hand. The string goes around the back of the crutch to his handle. A moment later, the string goes directly to his hand through the crutch.
15th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Other mistake: When the Geneva man is inspecting the barracks, he is told that "each barrack holds seventy-five men." At best count, there's only thirty to thirty-five at any time, and the correct number of bunks.
15th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Continuity mistake: When Price gets his "love note" out of the black queen and reads it, he quickly puts it and the queen in his left pants pocket. However, later Sefton reaches into Price's jacket and gets it out.
Suggested correction: It's the next day. It's perfectly reasonable that Price could have moved it. It's also reasonable that Sefton, who was watching him closely, would have seen where he put it.
15th Sep 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Continuity mistake: When Harry and Animal are painting on the wall to see the Russian women, the amount of paint on the corner post changes between shots.
20th Jun 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Continuity mistake: When Steve sits so Blondie can get the radio, he lifts the pants leg, and you see the bottom of the radio. After a cut scene, there is a close up, the radio is hidden by the pants leg, and Blondie re-exposes the radio.
20th Jun 2014
Stalag 17 (1953)
Revealing mistake: When Manfriedi and Johnson are in the tunnel at the beginning, the second one has a lighter going to light the way. Trouble is, there is no way that the little flame could light the area as it did. Also, the lighter couldn't have provided light to cast its own shadow inside an area that perfectly round, thereby revealing that it was lit with a light close to the camera.
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