Goofs for
The Godfather: Part III (1990)

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• Continuity: A hand can be seen on the shotgun on the table in the opera, followed by a shot of the hand reaching down to pick it up.
  
  
• Continuity: At the beginning of the movie Vincent gets in a scuffle with security at the party being held for Michael. Vincent's coat gets knocked off his arm but in the next shot it's there again. This happens a few times and when Vincent walks away the coat is back on his arm.
  
  
• Continuity: After the shootout at the opera house, Vincent goes up the stairs, then he is back down at the bottom and then at the top again, all within a matter of seconds.
  
  

• Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the opera house, Vincent is heard yelling while his mouth is not moving.
  
  
• Continuity: When Michael lies in the hospital, the oxygen tube on his pillow changes its position.
  
  
• Factual errors: The Opera Cavalleria Rusticana is shown out of chronological order. The prologue is shown first (Anthony singing backstage), followed by a scene near the end. The procession scene shown next, is actually in the middle of the opera. Then the conclusion is shown.
  
  
• Anachronisms: In the first "overview" shot of New York City at the beginning of the film, the World Financial Center is shown. Construction of the complex began in 1981 and was not finished until 1987.
  
  
• Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Although the details of Pope John Paul I and his death in the film are not always consistent with those of the real Pope John Paul I, this is not a factual error, as this film is only presenting a fictional story partially (and loosely) based on true events.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When the Corleone family moves to Sicily, one white car license plate can be seen. White car license plates were not introduced in Italy before 1988. The movie takes place towards the beginning of the 1980s.
  
  
• Continuity: When Michael visits Archbishop Gilday, the Archbishop has a lit cigarette cupped in his hand. While telling of the bank's woes and his need for Michael's help, another priest offers the Archbishop a cigarette and lights it for him. The first cigarette has disappeared, yet there has not been enough time for, nor any action indicating onscreen, the Archbishop has extinguished the first cigarette.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: When the assassins find Frederick Keinszig and begin to subdue him; he reaches for his gun on top of the table of stolen money. As he struggles, one of the top bills gets moved to reveal that the stacks of money are mostly just blank pieces of paper.
  
  
• Continuity: During the conversation between Michael Corleone and Kay in the lunch room at the house of Don Tommasini, the cheese on Kay's plate appears and disappears.
  
  
• Factual errors: Pope John Paul I, particularly towards his demise, is repeatedly addressed as "Your Eminence". By this time he is Pope and the correct form of address is "Your Holiness".
  
  
• Continuity: When Kay is on the steps about to get into the car in Sicily, Michael can be seen removing his cap through the windshield. Then, after she gets into the car, Michael turns around and again removes his cap.
  
  
• Continuity: Near the end, when the hit man is assembling his rifle, he mounts the scope backwards. Later in the film it is on in the correct direction.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The opening of the film indicates that we are in 1979, but Pope Paul VI, whose death happens during the movie, died in 1978.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Although the character played by Franco Citti in this movie and in the first Godfather is credited as "Calo", Michael Corleone always calls him "Carlo".
  
  
• Continuity: At the end of the opera, Anthony Corleone comes out while flowers are being thrown on the stage. When he re-enters with the other opera singers, the flowers are all gone.
  
  
• Factual errors: There are numerous errors in the use of Latin by priests in the film. In the scene in St Patrick's where Michael Corleone is honored by the Church, the presiding clergyman pronounces the Latin word et ("and") as "ay", rhyming with "day", as if it were French. It is in fact pronounced like it's spelled, to rhyme with "wet" and "pet." Later when Cardinal Lamberto (later Pope John Paul) absolves Michael Corleone, he ends with the standard "in the name of the Father," etc., in Latin. But he wraps it up saying "et Spiritus Sanctus." The correct Latin is "et Spiritus Sancti." But Spiritus is not a nominative, it's the genitive (possessive) singular of a fourth declension noun, and the correct form of the adjective is Sancti. Of course these very mistakes won't be noticed by many viewers, but they will be noticed by anybody who took first year Latin and/or had any training in the Church.
  
  
• Continuity: The scenes were Michael advises his daughter Mary against seeing Vincent, and the one where he gives Anthony the car drawing seem to have been shot in sequence. That is noticeable because Anthony is wearing the same clothes and in the first scene (with Mary) Anthony has the car drawing in his hand.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The final scenes of the film were filmed in the Opera House "Teatro Massimo" in Palermo. But this Opera House was closed in 1974 to complete renovations required by updated safety regulations, and it remained closed for twenty-three years, finally re-opening on 12 May 1997, so a playing of the "Cavalleria Rusticana" was not possible at the beginning of the 1980s in that Opera House.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Michael is questioning Vincent about shooting the two assassins that Joey Zaza sent, he states "You had a gun, they only had a knife." In fact, one of the killers did have a gun, shooting at the bed which he thought had Vincent lying upon it.
  
  
• Factual errors: The Conclave to decide the next pope has always been a secret one, involving specially treated papers-the Conclave decides on the choice to vote on, and the papers are collected. The paper is burned and then the color of the smoke indicates if the person being voted for is elected Pope (white smoke) or denied being Pope (black). The decision is not done in a room of Cardinal's debating and then announcing the decision-as shown in the movie
  
  
• Continuity: The camera the photographer uses at the wedding changes make and model between shots. Also, the cord connecting the lens to the flash equipment appears and disappears between shots. Then when he is done with the last shot, he completely disappears along with the tripod and camera from the staircase as the kids run past.
  
  

• Revealing mistakes: SPOILER: When Joey Zazza is killed, he attempts to enter a store only to find a locked door. Before Vincent shoots him, his blood is already on the door window.
  
  
• Continuity: SPOILER: After Mary has been shot, Michael puts his head in his hands. There is no blood on his shirt, even though he stood right by her at the time of the shot, which was heading in his direction, and afterwards he cradled her body in his arms. The camera cuts away to Kay cradling Mary's body, then cuts back to Michael. Blood has now appeared prominently on his shirt.
  
  
• Continuity: SPOILER: Both twin bodyguards are killed during the opera performance. After the final assassination attempt outside the opera house, one of the twins can be seen near Vincenzo frisking the body of the slain assassin.
  
  

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