High Noon (1952)

◄ High Noon (1952)

Anachronisms

In the climactic crane shot when Kane is alone in the town square, modern day buildings are clearly visible in the skyline.
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In the scene just after Kane leaves the barber shop and walks up the street sunlight can briefly be seen reflecting off cars passing by the set in the distant background. It is reportedly more noticeable in the theatrical release than on TV screens.
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Although the 37-star flag suggests the setting date is within the 1867-1876 frame, the date on the large boarding house at the end of the street as Amy and Helen are taking the buckboard out of town is "1888".
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The story takes place in the Old West, in a time period clearly before modern electricity, but if you look closely in the background in a few shots, modern electrical power lines/poles can be seen.
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In the church scene, the front wall behind the pulpit is illuminated with wall-mounted candelabras, each one holding what appear to be lighted candles. The church scene is an extended scene, but throughout the scene, none of the candles' flames flicker, waver or smoke, as would be typical of real candles. These are obviously electric candles with electrically-powered bulbs. But judging by the setting and time period, it's clear that the story takes place before modern electricity.
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The pre-gummed rectangular envelope that Kane puts his folded Last Will and Testament into was not the type used in the 1867-1876 era that the 37-starred US Flag suggests and was not made until about the 1890's. Envelopes in that era were diamond-shaped with the user having to provide the sealant, wax for example.
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Continuity

In the church scene a young girl is still in the church next to her mother after all the children have been "dismissed"; in the very next shot she is not there.
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When Kane is in his office and puts his head down on his desk, he did not have a badge on when his head went down, but he has a badge when his head comes up.
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While walking around in the city looking for help, Will Kane's vest alternately opens and closes between cuts.
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Amy's luggage has been loaded on to the train, which we see pull off without any unloading, but it reappears on the cart in the final scene.
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When Will Kane goes to visit Martin Howe, the house door has a different arrangement of panels on the outside from the inside.
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When Kane enters Ramirez's hotel room, he drops his hat on a chair to his left. Next shot he holds his hat in his left hand.
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When the mayor makes his speech in church there are children sitting in the pews with the adults. Then the children disappear, but they're back in the next shot.
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The position of Kane's hat during the scene where the judge is packing to leave.
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The stains on Kane's collar and shirt after the fight with Pell change when he goes to the barber shop.
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As a result of the barn fight scene between Kane and Pell, Kane is left with a large abrasion on the right side of his face and goes to the barber shop to cleaned up. The abrasion is gone while in the barber shop but can be seen in subsequent scenes.
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When Amy is watching out of the office window at the showdown, the very next shot is from a high angle. This give the impression that she had been looking from or above the second floor.
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After Will shoots Frank, Amy's position on the ground changes. Will should have been walking towards her feet, not her head. Frank's position and the shadows are different also.
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Factual errors

Once the showdown began, the first time Kane is fired upon by an off screen gunman, the bullet strikes the side of a barn about a foot over his left shoulder. At the same time Kane grabs his upper left arm as if he was wounded. His shirt from that point on is torn as if damaged by a bullet. The ballistics involved for that scenario just doesn't work, the bullet would have had to bounce off Kane's arm in an impossible trajectory.
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Revealing mistakes

Due to weather problems, the climactic crane shot at "high noon" was actually taken at 3pm, thus the shadows are all wrong.
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Spoilers

The goofs below may give away important plot points.

Anachronisms

In the climactic gunfight, after Marshal Kane has shot Ben
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Continuity

After Amy shoots one of the bad guys in the back there is a shot of Will Kane looking out a window holding his gun in his left hand. There is an immediate cut to a shot of him holding the gun in his right hand. The left-handed shot appears to have been done to make the composition of the shot more dramatic.
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Revealing mistakes

When Kane throws his badge on the ground at the end of the movie, a star from a previous take can be clearly seen immediately behind his left boot.
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