The transcription of the ice warning keeps changing: when it is being written the last two letters of the word ICEBERGS project outside the border of the printed box on the wireless form. A few seconds later, as the purser lays down a new bundle of messages to be transmitted, the letters ERGS are outside the border. When the wireless operator spikes the used forms, the word is contained entirely within the box. A few minutes later, there is another view of the spiked forms and it is back to the last two letters of the word being outside the box (i.e. the one we actually saw being written).
While Titanic sank on a very cold night, there is no consistency regarding condensation of actors' breath in frosty air - in some shots, breath can be seen, in others not a trace.
In the first establishing shot of the Californian, where the bows are pointing camera left, the ship's name is seen backwards. Later, the same shot is seen, but this time with the bows pointing camera right and the name seen correctly. Evidently the first shot was flopped to match the next shot on the bridge, where the crew is looking camera left.
Junior wireless operator Harold Bride is seen attending the service on the Carpathia at the end of the film. He was at this time unconscious in the ship's hospital.
In the movie, the Titanic is launched by an eminent lady
smashing a bottle against the side of the ship in front of a public crowd and announcing "I hereby name this ship the Titanic." In reality, this never happened as the owners, the White Star Line never christened their ships. The ship set out on its maiden voyage without any such ceremony taking place, although many people were there simply cheering it on.
In the shots of the Titanic underway at sea, smoke is coming from all four smoke stacks. Only the first three were operational on the Titanic; the fourth was not a smokestack but was used as a vent for the kitchen and engine rooms.
Captain Smith and a member of crew are seen using binoculars, but in reality the ship's binoculars were locked accidentally in a cabinet, with the key taken ashore by a departing crew member.
Captain Lord of the Californian makes reference to the Californian's passengers being "in no hurry - they wouldn't be with us if they were." Although the Californian was capable of carrying both passengers and cargo, they did not have any passengers on board at the time.
As with most pictures about the Titanic, filmed before the discovery of the wreck in 1985, this film portrays the Titanic sinking in one piece. The discovery of the wreck revealed that the ship had broken in two, and most films about the ship, Titanic (1996) and Titanic (1997), have reflected this point. Although scholars debate to this day whether the break up happened while the ship was above the water line or while it was under the water, and out of the view of survivors, plunging towards the ocean floor. Eyewitness testimony to the sinking diverges in opinion about this fact, meaning that the movie's portrayal of the ship sinking intact, while above the water line, may not be incorrect.
In some shots of struggling swimmers after the sinking, several extras are wearing rubber bathing caps (they look wrinkled and reflect the lights).
In the final scene when Lightoller and Captain Rostron are on the deck of the Carpathia, the horizon in the background is moving up and down to indicate the rocking motion of the ship. However the angle of the shadow cast on their faces by the rope in front of them does not move.
(at around 1h 31 mins) A wire can be seen manipulating the silver cart to roll down the dining room into the column and then into the second serving cart. Also, a wire can be seen underneath the second cart manipulating it along with the first to crash into the wall. This is very noticeable on the Bluray edition.
Toward the end when Mr. Lightoller climbs on the overturned lifeboat and helps others on the boat, it doesn't move. Any floating boat would have, but this was obviously fixed on a pedestal for filming purposes.
In the first scene in the dining room of the Titanic, one of the guests uses a very large silver salt shaker to sprinkle salt on her melon. As she tilts it, a torrent of salt pours out. Her reaction reveals that she was surprised by what occurred, but the director just kept rolling.
In many of the scenes where the lifeboats are being boarded, the davit pulleys show significant corrosion. Since Titanic was new, this would have been unlikely.
When survivors are seen attending a service on Carpathia at the end, most are wearing clothes that look fresh from the cleaners. No wear or tear.
When passengers are reporting to the lifeboat deck, the Lucas's son is seen wearing a HMS Nelson cap. The battleship HMS Nelson was not launched until 1925, serving throughout WW2. While there was a cruiser named Nelson, launched in 1876, it was hulked more than a decade before Titanic was launched. It is highly doubtful a child would have worn a cap from that ship.
At different times while the wireless operator is sending the distress message, the wireless radio is made to have two distinctly different sounds. The radio transmitters aboard ships in that era were spark-gap transmitters. Most times, the sound that is used could pass for the sound that those transmitters would make. At other times, clicks that early telegraphs sent over wires would make are heard. That sound is more appropriate in old western movies.
The film is set in 1912, yet a passenger on deck in a life jacket clearly has a 1950s (Tommy Steele) style haircut.
A lot of male passengers, especially in first and third class, wear suits that were first invented in the 1930s two decades after this film. Plus some of the engineers wear ovals that again would not had existed in this time period.
The stock footage of the ship launch at the beginning of the film features people wearing late 1940s fashions, most notably the women's hats.
At one point, Molly Brown helps a crewman convince a woman to wear her life belt. She then makes a reference about going "boating" but clearly mouths the word "yachting" the more common British term.
During the final moments, a steward is seen comforting a child as the crowd moves aft. He is heard to say "Keep off this child! Keep off this child!" However, he is actually seen speaking to the child before, during, and after this dialogue and his mouth is not saying the words that are heard.
(at around 1h 16 mins) When Chief Engineer Bell orders the men working the pumps to leave work and save themselves, the roof of the studio (not a ship's deck) can be seen over his shoulder.
(at around 14 mins) What looks like a full-size sun reflector on a big stand, is seen sitting unused, dead-center, in the background for 3-5 seconds as the steerage passengers say good-bye to friends and a priest near their homes.
As in all Titanic theme films, "Molly" Brown is shown as a coarse, nouveau riche social outsider. The Browns were actually highly respected as one of the first families in Denver society. Margaret (she was never known as Molly) was an accidental passenger. She cut short her stay in Paris to rush home to be with her seriously ill infant grandson. On board she was reunited with her friends John Jacob and Madeleine Astor, with whom she had spent some time touring Egypt.
The priest in the opening scenes has his Biretta - his hat - on wrong. It is turned 180 degrees. There are three tabs and the middle one should be on the right of the head and the blank space for the missing tab should be on the left side of the head.