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The Game of Their Lives (2005)

Goofs

The Game of Their Lives

Edit

Continuity

When Frank and Walter go to Joe's place of work, Frank lifts his arm to rest on top of a refrigerator then, in the next shot, he goes to lift it again.

Factual errors

When the team arrives in Brazil, the game against England is constantly referred to as the team's opening game. However, in the 1950 World Cup the United States' first game was against Spain on June 25th. The game against England was played on June 29th and was the second game for the Americans.
The reason Stanley Matthews was omitted from the England squad was because Arthur Drewry, head of the English Football League, decided to keep the same team that had won against Chile, not because "he was taking a holiday in Rio". Matthews was in fact present in the stadium in Belo Horizonte during the game.
During the match, the flags of Brazil and the competing nations are shown flying above the stadium. However, instead of the English flag (the George Cross), the flag of the United Kingdom is shown.
The US captain for this game was Scotsman Ed McIlvenny not American Walter Bahr.
The film strongly implies that the St.Louis players and East Coast players first came together during a trial game portrayed in film. However several of the players had previously represented the United States at the 1949 NAFC Championship, a tournament which had acted as a 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifier. This tournament is never mentioned in film.

Anachronisms

When Frank, Gino, and Pee-Wee walk in the street after leaving the bar, they are shown walking past an aluminum vertical sliding garage door. These were not in existence during this time period, rather they were wooden horizontal doors that opened outward.
(at around 3 mins) In the scene on the hotel roof, a modern electronic siren is heard in the background. Sirens in the 1950s were mechanical, and had a very different sound.

Character error

Although Bill Smitrovich's character is clearly an Air Force general, he is identified in the credits as "Admiral Higgins".
Joe Gaetjens was of mixed German-Haitian descent and had a lighter skin complexion than the actor portraying him. He also didn't practice voodoo, but, like most Haitians he was Catholic.
Stan Mortensen, during his speech following the practice match, is portrayed as having a 'Public School' English accent. Stan Mortensen was a working class man from South Shields in the North East of England and therefore had a North Eastern accent.

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The Game of Their Lives (2005)
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By what name was The Game of Their Lives (2005) officially released in Canada in English?
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