Question: Holmes says he realised that Inspector McDonald was an impostor because he supposedly knows the 'real' Inspector McDonald of the Edinburgh police. As shown in the other movies and Conan Doyle's original stories, there are several Inspectors working for Scotland Yard in London (another British city), which begs the question: does this resolution Holmes mentioned about two British Inspectors having the same surname make sense and, if so, why?
Big Game
29th Jan 2025
Terror by Night (1946)
17th Jan 2025
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Continuity mistake: Just before the Battle of Naboo begins, Jar Jar and Tarpals are at the front of the Great Gungan Army. In one shot, Jar Jar turns and says, "Steady, steady," to the Gungans. During this shot, Captain Tarpals disappears.
Suggested correction: He doesn't disappear; he is just offscreen. The close-up shot of Jar-Jar is taken at a more head-on angle.
Judging by the almost zero distance between the two characters, I'd say it's practically impossible that no part of Tarpals' body could have been seen. Jar Jar's hand would have even touched Tarpals if he were still there.
Nonsense. We can't see the feet of their mounts, and apparent distance depends on the focal length of the lens, so there is no way of telling how far apart they are. Definitely more than "zero distance." In the second shot, there doesn't appear to be much more than 4 feet visible to his immediate left (our right). Certainly, a reasonable distance based on the first shot.
14th Dec 2015
Home Alone (1990)
Corrected entry: When Kevin is hiding in the nativity set, you can see him on the right, just covered in the green robe. When it changes to the close up shot, he's now holding a shepherd's staff, which would have been visible in the previous shot.
Corrected entry: During the AT-AT attack scene, Luke says "Rogue 3, Wedge, I've lost my gunner". Then seconds later when he flies through the walker's legs, he calls him Rogue 2.
16th Sep 2021
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Other mistake: After getting on aboard the dirigible, Henry is holding a German newspaper when addressing Indy. But he'd have a hard time reading it as it's upside down. Even if he's just trying to hide, holding an upside-down newspaper would draw the attention of suspicious guards.
Suggested correction: Henry Jones Sr. doesn't have his glasses in this scene. He can't really see anything on the newspaper, that's why he is holding it upside down.
I'd say that, more than anything, a hasty attempt to blend in would be more likely the culprit. Even without the spectacles, Henry, being the fastidious person he is, would have righted the paper, with or without eyewear.
But since he couldn't see the letters, how would he have righted the newspaper (or even noticed it was upside down)?
Ipon! (Japanese for "point.") I can see your point; however, I would ask that the following be considered: that there is usually more than just letters and words in newsprint. Even if not viewed, pictures are good indicators of the newspaper's orientation.
31st Mar 2008
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Corrected entry: When Indiana breaks in through the window, he lets go of his whip, yet he has it through the rest of the film despite us never seeing him retrieve it.
Correction: Just because we don't see it onscreen doesn't mean it didn''t happen. He could have retrieved it anytime after killing the guards.
Well... don't they immediately leave the room, before their escape is foiled?
The moment when Indy picks up his whip, it's actually shown. While Henry Jones is studying the broken jar, Indy is coiling the whip in the background.
18th Jul 2024
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Continuity mistake: In the library before he goes through the hole in the floor, Indiana takes the map out of the diary and gives the diary to Marcus. When Indiana gets caught trying to rescue his dad, they take the diary from him and say Marcus has the map.
Suggested correction: You've forgotten the scene at Donovan's apartment. There, Indy could have cut the page and give it to Brody off-screen.
Visible crew/equipment: Indy is at the nuclear test site and exits the house and comes out front. He knocks over the boy on the bike and air raid siren goes off. Just as he stands upright, in the window with curtains, you can see a reflection of a crew member walking by.
23rd Jun 2024
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Factual error: Although Dieter Hellstrom is a Gestapo Major, he has the SS runes on his uniform instead of a blank square.
Suggested correction: Nowhere in the movie is he said to be a Gestapo Major. He is SS. Even if he was part of the Gestapo, he could still be an SS officer, as the Gestapo fell under the SS and RSHA.
9th Jun 2024
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Other mistake: The Angel of Death attacks the altar and Toht and Dietrich scream because of its revelation, but Belloq, for some reason, doesn't seem to see it. Just before the fire column rises, he's still calm. (01:47:10)
Suggested correction: If you don't know the reason, perhaps you should ask a question instead of assuming it is a mistake. Belloq studied the ark and probably better predicted what might come out of the ark. He is also looking directly into the ark and is mesmerized by what he is seeing, until eventually he does scream before his head explodes. The other two are terrified at seeing the apparitions.
Actually, it's pretty impossible that Belloq studied the Ark. If he knew what would come out of it, he literally committed suicide by opening and watching the Ark open, which doesn't make sense. He believed during the whole movie that the Ark contained the Ten Commandments tablets, not some kind of ghastly things.
He didn't know what would come out, but it doesn't mean that he, like Indy, expected just 2 stone tablets. He expected power, for him mostly.
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Answer: If you're comparing the film to Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, then any discrepancies do not really apply. The Basil Rathbone films were mostly loose adaptations of Doyle's work, often incorporating plot elements from multiple stories or original screenplays with new characters. "Terror by Night" was an entirely original story. The films also set Holmes in the late 1930s through the 1940s during World War II, and he was often fighting enemy spies and Nazis. The original Sherlock Holmes was set in the late 19th century.
raywest ★
Actually, my question is related to the movies themselves and it's not a comparison. There are still several inspectors working for Scotland Yard in the Basil Rathbone saga too (I've made an entry edition to include this).
Big Game
Thanks for clarifying. Much of my previous answer still applies. The Rathbone movies were not meant to be a definitive interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. The 12 films by Universal Studios were low-budget and cranked out in quick succession for a quick profit and "to simply be entertaining B pictures." Little regard was given to historical accuracy or plot continuity from film to film and they probably were developed simultaneously by different people. The 12 films had multiple directors and screenwriters focused on their individual projects.
raywest ★
Actually, almost all the movies were directed by Roy William Neill (11 of 14).
Big Game