Changeling

Christine Collins' house, and the house next door, have modern composition-style shingles and roof vents.

In 1928, they would have flat shingle or shake roofs.

When Sanford Clark is first looking at the photographs of the missing boys, the picture on the bottom of the stack is of a 9-year-old boy.

When he eventually gets to the final picture, the age written on the photo is 10.

When Rev.

Gustav is speaking from the pulpit of his church, the design of the pipe organ is from at least 1950.

In the 1920's, the pipes were hidden behind a facade.

Detective Ybarra uses the term "serial killer.

" The phrase was coined by FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler in the 1970s, and entered popular use a few years later.

A scene set in 1928 features electro-convulsive therapy (also known as electroshock therapy).

Electro-convulsive therapy was first used on humans in 1937, by Italian doctor Ugo Cerletti.

When Northcott visits his sister, her hair is very stringy, and some hangs in her face.

In the next scene, her hair is neatly combed.

The night before he disappears, Walter expresses his disappointment about missing a broadcast of "Amos 'n' Andy.

" The first "Amos 'n' Andy" broadcast was on March 19, 1928, ten days after Walter disappeared.

When the 15-year-old accomplice stops digging and rolls on the floor, his overalls are hanging.

When the officer tries to pull him up, his overalls are normal.

When Collins and the Doctor first meet at the asylum, he reads from two folders.

One contains a paper; the other contains a newspaper.

When he shows the newspaper of Collins with "Walter", the shot changes from over shoulder to the front a number of times.

With each shot, the folder changes hands, opens, or closes.

When Capt.

Jones tells Christine Collins that her son is safe, and that he was seen with a drifter, Jones says that he has put out an "APB" on the drifter.

He means "all points bulletin," but the earliest recorded use of the abbreviation was in the 1960s.

On March 9, 1928, Christine says they might see _The Mysterious Airman (1928)_ (qv) the next day.

The movie was released June 1, 1928.

The last scene shows an L.

street.

An old-style traffic post with a GO signal is on the right.

Cars come and go as the credits roll, but the signal never changes to STOP.

Rev.

Gustav and Mrs.

Collins meet at his home.

The walls in the background are full of religious images, including St.

Anthony of Padua holding the child Jesus.

No Protestant minister, especially in the 1930s, would have an image of a Catholic saint in their home; it would be considered 'Popish idolatry'.

A telephone operator uses the phrase "don't go there" to indicate a subject she doesn't want to talk about.

That slang didn't enter common usage until the late 1980s.

When Christine gets out of bed in the morning, the light hits her left arm, and 'Angelina Jolie' (qv)'s tattoos can be seen beneath makeup on her arm.

Twice during the movie, Christine mentions that the boy pretending to be Walter is three inches shorter than her real sonwhile comparing his height to Walter's height drawn on the door frame, and when the doctor explains that the spine may shrink during times of extreme stress.

When Christine testifies at the hearing, she says the boy pretending to be Walter was four inches shorter.

At the end of the hanging scene, you can see a distinct pattern on the bottom of Northcott's shoes.

At the time, the soles of men's shoes were made of solid, flat leather.

Rev.

Gustav is a Presbyterian minister, but the arrangement of the deep chancel area in his church is not a Presbyterian layout.

It was likely filmed at an Episcopal church.

In a scene set in 1935, Christine and her friends talk about listening to the Academy Awards on the radio and make a bet on the Best Picture winner.

In 1935 the Academy Awards were not broadcast live and were not the broad-based cultural phenomenon they became later.

This movie set in 1928, the phrase "Excuse my French" as used by Carol Dexter wasn't in common use until 10 years later as explained here.

When "Walter" and his mother pose for the news picture outside the train, the policewoman who escorted "Walter" is standing directly behind them and would have appeared in the background of the picture.

At the trial, the picture shows mother and "son" but the policewoman is nowhere in the shot.

First when Christine is thrown in her cell, the hatch behind the barred window is shut with force.

Later, when we see Christine watching Carol being brought back to her cell, we can see that the cell doors don't have hatches at all.

When Christine is committed and hosed down, you can see the tattoo on 'Angelina Jolie' (qv)'s back.

Christine mentions her husband ran away because he couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a father.

In real life, he was serving a sentence for armed robbery.

However, she may have told Walter this to protect him from the truth about his father.

Jeffrey Donovan's left ear is pierced, which was not acceptable for a police officer anywhere in 1928.

Reverend Gustav Briegleb pronounces "Los Angeles" with a soft "g".

In the 1920s, Californians used a hard "g" (like in the word "angle").

It can be heard in movies as late as the 1950s.

Non-natives often said "anjeleez.

" When Easterners started pouring into the city later, the compromise "anjeliss" came into being.

As Christine steps on the train to go see Gordon Northcott in prison, two blasts from a diesel locomotive "horn" can be heard.

Trains at the time were equipped with steam locomotives which have a very distinctly different "whistle" sound from that of a diesel locomotive "horn".

Several times when referencing the Wineville crime scene, officers refer to the location as ".

Up in Wineville".

leading one to believe it was north of the city.

Wineville (Mira Loma) is some 35 miles ESE of Los Angeles and should be referred to as being ".

Out in Wineville".

When Detective Lester Ybarra, and Sandford Clark arrive back at the ranch to dig for the remains, the Stedicam Operator as well as other crew members are visible in the reflection of the rear left window of the car as Ybarra opens the door for Clark to exit.

A camera shadow is present three times in the bottom left hand corner of the screen in the wide shots of three detectives as they watch Sandford Clark dig.

The first time it can be seen is in the shot where Detective Lester Ybarra says "Dig.

" to Sanford.

During Walter's David's and Jeffery's escape, just after Sandford Clark says "They're not in there.

" and just before Northcott says, "Get into the car!" the camera operator's shadow is visible for a few frames in the left hand corner of the frame just before he pans it to follow Clark as he runs to the car.

The very last shot of Changeling with Angelina Jolie walking down the street is mainly CGI.

There are a lot of pedestrians who cross the street and just disappear behind lamp posts or walk through cars here.

Mrs.

Collins tells Walter she's left him a "sandwich in the fridge.

" In 1928 the word "fridge" was very new and restricted to the east coast.

A Californian would have said "icebox.

" A simple lunch for two in a cheap diner comes to two dollars, about $28 in today's money.

In 1928, the sandwiches and drinks shown would not have reached 50 cents.

The sandwich in the fridge is in a clear plastic bag and the bread is obviously commercial pre-sliced.

Neither was available in March 1928.