14 Movie Bloopers That Filmmakers Chose To Leave In

Many of them became iconic.

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• February 25, 2023

We all make mistakes, and that includes movie production. It's easy to overlook a mistake during production, but that doesn't mean it won't appear in the final cut.

Some of these mistakes can be edited out, but some of them can be embraced and even used to the movie's advantage. For example, an actor might flub a line, or a background actor might accidentally be caught on camera.

In some cases, these mistakes can add a certain charm or humor to the final product, and filmmakers will often leave them in the final cut. Despite the immense effort that goes into creating a movie, filmmakers often find themselves in situations where certain mistakes can't be avoided.

But that doesn't mean that those errors necessarily need to be edited out of the final cut — in some cases, filmmakers embrace the bloopers and actually include them in the films. From forgotten lines to unexpected extras, there are many examples of unplanned and surprising moments that have been left in films because they add a unique quality to the scene.

One of the most famous examples of this is in The Empire Strikes Back, when Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker says, "May the force be with you" at the wrong time. The mistake wasn't changed in the final cut, and the line has now become an iconic part of the Star Wars franchise.

1. In ‘1917’ (2019), Schofield was unexpectedly pushed up from a trench when another soldier ran in while he was running along it.

2. In the 1974 movie ‘Chinatown,’ John Huston's character Noah Cross mispronounces Jack Gittes' name as 'Gits' instead of 'Git-Iss' multiple times.

3. Uncle Billy screams “I’m fine, I’m fine,” in ‘It’s been a wonderful life’ (1946) improvised.

4. While filming a fight scene for 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017), Harrison Ford accidentally punched Ryan Gosling in the face.

5. In the first installment of the Star Wars franchise, the iconic sound of a lightsaber was actually a happy accident.

“While carrying a tape recorder with a broken mic cable, the shielding had come off and the sound was recorded as he walked by a television. The sound is the electrical feedback from the television’s tube.”

6. In the 1978 movie ‘Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke,’ the scene in which Chong’s burrito gets eaten by a dog while they are in Tijuana was not planned and was not in the original script

7. While filming ‘The Punisher’ (2005), wrestler Kevin Nash was accidentally stabbed by Thomas Jane when he mistakenly used a real knife instead of a prop.

Nash was unaware of the blood streaming from him as he completed filming the scene, which ended up being included in the final cut of the movie.

8. At the conclusion of the pool scene in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' (1953), Jane Russell is denied the opportunity to enter the swimming competition.

9. Daryl Hannah injured herself when she elbowed her way through the car window in the 1982 film Blade Runner.

10. At the finale of 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988), a fog had been added that wasn't in the original plan.

11. When Leonardo DiCaprio was filming the 2012 movie "Django Unchained," he actually injured his hand when he broke the glass.

12. In the 1988 film ‘Die Hard’, the scene in which John McClane falls down an elevator was achieved by using footage of a stuntman tripping.

13. Joaquin Phoenix did not mean to destroy the toilet in the prison scene of the movie ‘The Master’ (2012).

14. On the set of 'The Hateful Eight' (2015), Kurt Russell destroyed a 145-year-old guitar.

Unfortunately, Russell was unable to distinguish the real guitar on loan from the Martin Guitar Museum from the copy, and ended up smashing it

At the end of the day, mistakes are part of the creative process. It's important to recognize when a mistake can be embraced and used to the movie's advantage. That's why filmmakers should strive to be flexible and open-minded when it comes to making creative decisions.

Don't you just love movies?

Damjan