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15 Mistakes You Never Noticed in Period Movies

Tim Hayne
April 20, 2017 - 1 min read
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Regardless of whether or not a movie has successfully transported us back in time, like this weekend's "The Promise," there's usually a mistake or two along the way. From "Gladiator" to "Pride & Prejudice," here are a few "oops" moments from your favorite period pieces. As always, photos come courtesy of MovieMistakes.com.

'Lincoln' (2012)

We're 99.9% sure that Abraham Lincoln did not have pierced ear like Daniel Day-Lewis, the actor portraying him in Steven Spielberg's drama.

'Three Musketeers' (1993)

When Rochefort walks out onto the balcony to address the Musketeers, the guard on his left inexplicably changes pikes between shots.

'The Godfather' (1972)

When Sonny gets gunned down, the windshield is blown to smithereens, but when the bodyguards arrive moments later, the windshield is undamaged.

‘Troy’ (2004)

On the ship headed to Troy, when Paris (Orlando Bloom) walks over to Hector (Eric Bana) he places his hands on the rail of the ship. In the first shot the collar of Paris' shirt is hanging off his shoulder, yet in the next close-up it is moved closer to his neck.

‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988)

When Valmont (John Malkovich) is waving the letter behind his back, the wax seal on the back is visible in the first shot, but in the next close-up the address on the front is visible.

'Pride & Prejudice' (2005)

As Lizzy sits in Charlotte's house, a view from the outside shows one of the windows open. However, when Mr. Darcy comes inside to propose to her, every one of the windows is closed.

'Gangs of New York’ (2002)

After Jenny (Cameron Diaz) gets mugged at the dock, a close-up shows her pulling herself up with the help of a crate. In the next wide shot however, Jenny is much farther back from the crate.

​‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995)

Toward the end of the film, Elinor (Emma Thompson) is gardening and has dirt all over her hands. Upon realizing Edward (Hugh Grant) is riding towards the house, she quickly wipes her hands on her apron and smears dirt on it.. When she removes her apron inside the house, both the apron and her hands are hardly dirty.

‘The Illusionist’ (2006)

When Eisenheim (Edward Norton) places the sword upright perpendicular to the floor, its position changes from one shot to the next. This is apparent from the sword’s position on the tiled wood floor.

'The Wolfman' (2010)

When Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) is listening to the townsfolk in the tavern, he finishes off his glass of booze, only for the glass to magically replenish itself moments later.

​‘Ever After’ (1998)

When Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is serving breakfast to her stepmother and stepsisters, she leaves the kitchen with her hair pulled back, but when she enters the dining room her hair is in front of her shoulders.

‘Little Women’ (1994)

When Laurie (Christian Bale) and the girls are playing in the snow, Mrs. March (Susan Sarandon) comes out of the house carrying firewood with Meg (Trini Alvarado). The arrangement of the wood logs in her arms change from one shot to the next in this scene.

​‘Pride & Prejudice’ (1995)

During the wedding, there are flashes of the different people from throughout the story. In the one showing Lady Catherine (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) and her daughter Anne (Nadia Chambers), the first shot shows Anne sitting very close to the arm of the sofa. In the next wide shot she is sitting further away from the arm.

'Gone With the Wind' (1939)

When Scarlett's father announces that the war is over, Melanie can be seen standing empty-handed on the stairs. However, in the next shot of her (still on the stairs), she is holding her baby.

'Gladiator' (2000)

During one of the movie's many coliseum scenes, a crew member is visible in the stands. T-shirts and jeans were not standard Roman dress.

moviesmovie mistakes
Tim Hayne
Article by Tim Hayne
Freelance Writer

Tim Hayne is former Executive Editor of Moviefone.

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