Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Though very photogenic, the C96, or "Broom handle," Mauser pistol, used extensively in this film, was first produced in 1896, thus would not have been available in 1891.

Also, most models of C96s had a non-removable internal magazine, which would have been loaded from above with a stripper clip.

It wasn't until the early 1930s that the C96 design would be modified to accept a removable magazine (conveniently loaded from the bottom, as pointed out in the film).

While fighting the Cossack, Holmes gets a cut on his left cheek.

This cut disappears and reappears for the rest of the movie.

In the stag night scene, the music of "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" is heard.

The action takes place in 1891.

The song was not written until 1892.

A German sign on the door of a chemical lab in Heilbronn warns of "Lebensgefahr" (mortal danger), but then has the English word POISON in large red letters in the middle.

It makes no sense for the most important word in a sign to be in a foreign language, and is clearly for the benefit of the audience.

(The skull & crossbones symbol might have been used, as it was internationally recognized by the 1880s.

) Holmes follows Moriarty's lecturing tour across Europe and mentions Oslo, Norway.

However, as of 1891, Oslo had been called Christiania since the mid-1600s.

It was not called Oslo again until the 1920s.

Watson relates the story by typing on a typewriter, which is shown at the beginning and end of the movie.

He is clearly using an Underwood No.

5, a classic typewriter.

However, this typewriter did not exist in 1891, and even the Underwood model No.

1 had not yet come out.

Watson kicks in the door to enter the telegraph office at the factory.

When he leaves, the door frame is in perfect shape, and the door locks with a loud click.

Upon arriving for Watson's stag party, the band is entertaining the party-goers with "The Band Played On", which was written in 1895 by 'Charles B.

Ward' (qv), lyrics by 'John F.

Palmer' (qv) and, therefore, could not have been heard in 1891.

Professor Moriarty is shown playing a 12" gramophone record in his office and the armaments factory.

The 12" gramophone record was not introduced until 1903.

When Moriarty stands up from the rubble of the factory, within his ear a piece of cotton wool is visible, presumably to block any rubble falling into his ear.

When Holmes entered Mr.

Moriarty's office to get an inscription, there is a chessboard on the desk, with all pieces at their starting squares.

White's King and Queen starting position is wrong.

White Queen should be on white square, opposing the black Queen on the other rank.

When Dr.

Watson first visits Holmes at his home, he is struck by a dart in the back.

Later, a rectangular pad can be seen protruding from underneath Watson's jacket where the dart is stuck, before Holmes pulls it out.

When the tower of the ammunition factory collapses there is no mortar on any of the bricks in the rubble.

A person falling onto water from a great height would be killed by the impact, so an oxygen supply would be of no benefit.

It would be equivalent to falling on concrete.

However water at the base of a waterfall is highly aerated and therefore softer.

(Divers practicing from high platforms often use aerated water in case of errors).

It is possible to survive a fall into the base of a waterfall.

The German flag shown on the boxes is the current German flag and probably used for the benefit of the audience.

It was first used 1848-1866 in the Deutscher Bund, but by 1891 a different flag was in use, with black at the top, white in the middle and red at the bottom.

It was the flag of the North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund) 1867-1871 and the German Empire (1871-1918).

After that, in the Weimarer Republic (1919-1933), black-red-gold was the official flag again.

Before crossing borders from France into Germany, Mary's scarf is given away.

At the end of the movie, Watson is wearing it again.

The scarf had been given to one of the gypsies who accompanied them on horseback; this gypsy is the only one who survives the escape and makes it to the train with them.

The scarf is then used as a bandage on Holmes' arm in the train.

We can safely assume it was then given back to Watson by Holmes.

When Holmes and Moriarty are playing chess, Moriarty "castles" after Holmes puts him in check.

You can not castle while in check.

Like in the previous _Sherlock Holmes (2009)_ (qv) film, the word "haymaker" is used, this time by Moriarty when anticipating a fight against Holmes.

But it wasn't used as a fighting term until 1906.

When Holmes and company escapes from the war factory they are shelled by mortars.

But mortars of the type shown in the movie were invented after the Russian-Japanese war of 1904/5.

When the gang is running from the Germans through the forest, one of Moriarity's German lackeys yells that it is time to introduce them to "Little Hansel" (in subtitles).

Strangely, what he really yelled was, "zu viele Füchse für die kleinen Hühner," or "too many foxes for the little chickens".

Holmes uses a tube of lipstick to sabotage the villains' guns on the train.

Lipstick in a tube was not invented until 1915.

At the munitions factory, when Col.

Moran offers Holmes a pistol, it's a Mauser C96.

Which was first put into production in 1896.

When running in the woods, Watson gets wounded on the right side by a bullet, shown in slow motion.

When they are in train, later on, the wound is on the left side.

When Holmes and Moriarty are playing chess, Moriarty says "Your clock is ticking, may I remind you this is blitz chess.

" The earliest known usage of the term 'blitz chess' according to the OED is in 1942, 51 years after the film is said to be set.

At the telegraph office, the word "Telegraphen" is spelled with "ph" on the wall in the background, but with an "f" ("Telegrafenamt") on the door itself.

Although both spellings are correct in modern German, the "f" variant was not used in the 19th century but came up much later.

During the Tea Room scene one can see macaroons of different colours on the plates.

Those macaroons weren't invented until the early 20th Century by Ladurée.

In the Arms Factory Scene, Col.

Moran introduced the c96 Mauser pistol as a 'machine pistol, self-repeating'.

Machine pistols are automatic firearms which fires burst of bullets when the trigger is held.

Even if the c96 was available (which actually wasn't until 1896), it was a semi-automatic pistol at that time, firing one round when triggered.

The c96 was first converted into a automatic variant in 1932, designated M712 Schnellfeuer.

During the final dance scene, 'Dmitri Shostakovich' (qv)'s "Suite for Jazz Orchestra No.

2" plays.

Shostakovich did not write the piece until 1938, when it was written for the State Jazz Orchestra, in Moscow.

During the dance scene in the castle the couples dance a Vienesse Walz but are clearly not dancing to the music that can be heard in the background.

War factory is fully electrified despite fact that Schneider's company started selling electricity in Germany only in year 1892.

At the end of the movie, Moran shoots a dart from his cane to kill Rene'.

He preloaded the dart into a modified rifle cartridge which has a headstamp marked 223 REM.

223 Remington cartridge is the civilian version of the 5.

56 cartridge used for the M-16 who's earliest date is from the 1960's.

Although the loading process seems complex for a simple dart, there's no evidence of a primer or powder that would have fired the dart.

During the establishing scene of Baker Street near the start of the film construction workers are seen in the street.

A sign says, "'UNDERGROUND' Railway Construction Keep Out".

In 1891 the railways being constructed under London were yet to be collectively called 'UNDERGROUND' and the logotype used on the sign, with the larger initial U and final D, was not seen until 1908.

Watson mentioned that Colonel Moran had been dishonorably discharged.

Dishonorable discharges are reserved for enlisted men, the equivalent for officers is dismissal.

When driving in the motorcar, Holmes is wearing painted modern swimming goggles, not driving goggles.

There was and is no castle at the actual Reichenbach falls in the Bernese Highlands, Switzerland.

Professor Moriarty is described at one point as "a Professor at Oxford University.

" But when Holmes accepts an invitation to visit Moriarty following Dr.

Watson's wedding, the lead in shot shows King's College at Cambridge University.

When Watson first goes to Holmes' flat, Mrs Hudson hints that she is concerned at Holmes' mental state but suggests a stay in a "sanatorium".

This would instead imply he needed rest and treatment for tuberculosis, which is what was provided at a sanatorium.

The word was only later, and especially in the USA rather than England, also used to describe a hospital for those with a mental illness.

In 2009 Sherlock Holmes was re-imagined by Guy Ritchie as an ass- kicking and mentally unstable private investigator with a weakness for a variety of mind-altering substances. Played by Robert Downey Jr.

After a good, solid first outing by Guy Ritchie featuring excellent cut-and-thrust chemistry between Downey Jr. and Law, and a suitably mysterious and involving plot, I was unsure what to expect from the sequel, but there is no dip in form here, 'A Game of Shadows' is excellent, its canvas is the whole of Europe, Moriarty is on the move and the game is afoot!

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and trusted friend Dr Watson (Jude Law) take on their arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) with the help of Holmes' older brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) and a gypsy named Simza (Noomi Rapace).

Enjoyable second part as good and amusing as the first . Lavish production packed with action , intrigue , suspense and amusement .

One of the best detective and fantastic movie.As someone whom is way more than a Sherlock Holmes aficionado (I have read all 4 novels and all 56 short stories by Doyle), all I can say is Downey was exceptional Ritchie's directing was spot on and Jude Law makes a superb Watson.

My Respects sent out to Guy Ritchie and British Television. This outstanding movie not only intrigued me to think while watching, it gave incredible visuals, crazy plot twists and flattering character development, did i forget Robert downey's insanely clever performance?

You know... sometimes when you watch a film...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011): Dir: Guy Ritchie / Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams: Entertaining sequel to the 2009 hit.

In short, everything was good ... except the story, which is a bit annoying for a character that lives for that.