Goofs for
Metropolis (1927) More at IMDbPro »

• Continuity: When Fredersen and Rotwang leave Rotwang's laboratory to observe Maria's secret meeting, they descend a spiral staircase that spirals clockwise. When they reach the bottom of the stairs, they are seen descending a spiral staircase that spirals counterclockwise. This is repeated when Freder uses the same staircase later in the film.
  
  
• Continuity: When Freder, and Rotwang are fighting on top of the Cathedral, it is daytime. But in the shot of the workers, Grot, and Joh on the ground, it is night.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When Rotwang is pursuing Maria, and she takes a candle from the wall, a hose can be seen trailing behind her, and in some shots going down her sleeve. Presumably this is carrying gas for the prop candle.
  
  

• Continuity: After watching Maria's sermon, Fredersen withdraws his left hand twice from the hole in the wall next to Rotwang.
  
  
• Continuity: The lever on the heart-machine pulled by the false Maria to destroy it is pointing upwards and downwards between shots.
  
  
• Continuity: The interior sets of the Rotwang house are much larger than the exterior views (this discrepancy was first noted in a review by H. G. Wells).
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Maria is preparing to leave the catacombs and Rotwang has sneaked in to kidnap her. He diverts her attention by throwing a loose brick to the ground a short distance from himself. The candle Maria is holding is probably a prop that is actually a gas burner. A hose or cord (possibly a gas supply hose) is visible on the ground behind her on her left. She turns to her right and walks. The hose is pulled by her right heel.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: Fritz Lang shot more than one version of this movie. There are differences between the version on the Madacy DVD and the Kino DVD. In the Kino DVD, Freder exits the Moloch machine hall in chapter 7 (at 15:55). The shot of Freder descending the stairs is missing two motorized utility carts. These appear in the Madacy Video DVD in Chapter 3 (at 14:24).
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: On the Kino DVD, a shot in chapter 7 that lasts nine seconds is backwards. The shot starts at 16 minutes, 33 seconds. It is the third of four cityscape shots in a row. The vehicular traffic in this third shot moves on the left side. The traffic moves on the right side in the second and fourth shots. There is a backward script letter "B" on the left side of the third shot. These indicate the third shot is backwards. If the third shot is reversed, it becomes apparent that it is a close-up of the bottom of the fourth shot.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: In the Kino Video DVD, the cityscape shot that ends in Chapter 7 (at 17:00) is cut short. It ends before a dirigible crosses the top of the shot flying from right to left. The dirigible appears in the Madacy Video DVD in Chapter 3 (at 15:21).
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: On the Kino DVD, this is a dark scene in chapter 15. The brightness setting has to be turned up to catch this mistake. Rotwang is escorting Joh Fredersen to the catacombs. He has just closed a trap door and is passing Fredesen down the stairway. A cord or cable (possibly an extension cord) is visible fluttering besides Rotwang's right foot.
  
  

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