Citizen Kane (1941) - 12 mistakes
Directed by Orson Welles, starring Orson Welles
Mistake Continuity: In the scene with the lovely dancing ladies, Cotten blows cigar smoke just before a cut to him from the opposite angle. From this angle there is no smoke. This takes place just before Wells throws his jacket to Cotten.
Mistake Factual error: When we see the Japanese newspaper reporting the death of Kane, note that the article's in Chinese.
Mistake Continuity: When Kane and Susan are speaking in their mansion, Susan is busying herself with jigsaw puzzles. The wide shot shows the jigsaw puzzle almost completed, but Susan's close-up shows the jigsaw puzzle in pieces. Submitted by Steph_Jared
Mistake Visible crew/equipment: When Kane is talking to Leland, after the campaign is over, there is a low angle shot looking up at Leland from Kane's feet. The shadow of the camera can be seen on Kane's right leg until he moves. Submitted by manthabeat
Mistake Factual error: When they are driving to the Everglades for a picnic, the sea is at their left. As Xanadu and the Everglades are on the Gulf coast, the sea should be at their right. Submitted by Dr Wilson
Mistake Audio problem: When Gettys is leaving Susan's apartment, there's one shot where Kane is shouting at him, but his lips aren't moving. Submitted by Dr Wilson
Mistake Revealing: To save money during the beach picnic scene, Welles used is stock footage from "King Kong" for the jungle background. You can quite clearly see pterodactyls flying in the background (confirmed on DVD commentary).
Mistake Revealing: As the camera moves back (or is it forward?) through the Kane household at the beginning of the movie, you can hear the sound of the camera on the track.
Mistake Continuity: The scene in which Kane's wife is leaving him, shows one of the suitcases open in a medium shot while all others are closed. She heads for the bedroom door and the shot cuts back wide to Kane standing by the bed. The previously open suitcase is now closed.
Mistake Revealing: When they are inspecting the statues at the end of the movie, somebody touches one of them. It wobbles as if it was made of something else than stone. Submitted by Dr Wilson
Mistake Revealing: When the Parrot (or whatever bird it is) cries in a close-up, one can see straight through his eyes onto the sea in the background. Probably a mistake in an optical printer.
Mistake Continuity: In the scene where the dancing girls start singing to Charles Kane, there is a frontal shot of Kane sitting next to a man wearing a hat. When the shot changes from being in front of them to being behind them, the man is suddenly no longer wearing the hat. When the shot changes back, he is once again wearing the hat.