Not only was file footage of a US F4 Phantom used instead of a USSR MIG-21, the clip used was obviously of an aircraft on short final approach as the landing gear and flaps were in the landing position. Even if the type of air snatch represented could be done with an F4 or a MIG (with its flaps and landing gear down to give it the slowest possible air speed above a stall) the craft lacked the distinctive V-shaped whisker poles protruding off the nose that the Fulton retrieval system had evolved to use by the 1960s.
When the Russian fighters that are dispatched to the ice station are first seen there are five MiG-21s, seen in route (vee) formation. In subsequent effects shots they become four MiG-21s in echelon (diagonal) formation. When footage of the fighters flying overhead is shown they are obviously F-4 Phantoms, an American fighter plane.
After the sub spends several minutes at an impossible angle, the dishes in the wardroom are neatly on the shelves.
Mr. Jones shines a light down into the fuel tank of the ice tractor whilst he is talking with Commander Ferraday, and yet sees nothing. Later, after everyone has searched the building and found nothing, Mr. Jones discovers the cut up weather balloon and decides to check the fuel tank, then easily finding the radio locator where he had previously looked with the flashlight.
The shots of the submarine when it surfaced (during the start) and submerged (later) indicate two different submarines. When the submarine surfaces, holes can be seen at the front hull from which water rushes out. These holes are missing in the closeup shot underwater.
When the torpedo room floods, they pump air into the room to push out the water. After the water is mostly out, they open the bulkhead to get the men out. The air pressure in the torpedo room would have made it impossible to open the bulkhead door.
Mr. Jones describes to Commander Ferraday how the satellite changed to a polar orbit. He indicates that it no longer passed over the Soviet Union. In fact, a polar orbit stays oriented the same in relation to the Sun regardless of what it passes over below. All the Soviets would have had to do is merely wait until the Soviet Union was within the landing footprint of the satellite before bringing it down.
The forward torpedo room is flooded with seawater from below the polar ice cap. Such a flood would have been so cold as to be nearly fatal in a matter of just a few minutes. Even if the men had survived as shown, they would all have needed immediate medical attention, not just some hot coffee and a blanket around the shoulders.
Russian Paratroopers are seen equipped with the Swedish Carl Gustav M45 submachine gun rather than the AKS-47 they should have.
The Russian jets are shown to be flying at a very low altitude when, in fact, this greatly shortens the range of fighter jets which are notorious for having high fuel consumption anyway. Jet engines burn much more fuel at low altitudes than they do at high altitudes.
Just after Cdr. Ferraday orders Agent Jones to surrender the film canister to the Soviets, the young USMC Lt can be heard to cock the hammer on his M-16. Semi-automatic shoulder weapons of the period did not have an exposed, manually-armed hammer.
What probably was heard was the weapon's selector lever being moved from safe to semi or most likely semi to auto because he tells the Russian officer he will pull it and hold it. The M16A1 selected lever has a quite audible click.
Assuming the films takes place in 1968, the year it was produced, only the United States Army used the the M-16. The standard United States Marine Corps rifle was the M-14. The M-16 was not accepted into service with the USMC until 1983.
Correction: One, the M16A1 was officially adopted by the USMC in 1969. Spec ops may have been using it before this date. The USMC also used versions of this weapon throughout the fleet before the official adoption as it had started being adopted in 1964 before the A1 variant. The problems with the weapon were widely corrected by this time. The approximate three pounds difference in weight is noticeable when carrying these weapons around. The M16A2 was adopted in the mid eighties.
When they find a scientist suffering from hypothermia, Vaslov gives him spirits to revive him. Even though alcohol is a depressant and would lower body temperature, it was still commonplace then - and remains so among many - to believe it was stimulating, at least in the very short run. Certainly it is a shock to a system, particularly one under stress, perhaps enough to revive someone long enough to convey critical information, which is all the expedition leaders were seeking.
As Vaslov is supposed to be an expert in Arctic conditions, he would never do this. Alcohol is a depressant that lowers the body's temperature, making a person feel less cold. If a person is suffering from hypothermia, this could kill him.
As Vaslov is supposed to be an expert in Arctic conditions, he would never do this. Alcohol is a depressant that lowers the body's temperature, making a person feel less cold. If a person is suffering from hypothermia, this could kill him.
In the climactic confrontation scene, the wind is heard howling and few times actually a wind machine can be heard on the sound track. Yet the snow, actors' hair, and fur parkas remain most of the time absolutely motionless.
When the torpedo room floods, the sub interior is shown pitched forward. But the actors are seen standing perpendicular to the floor, not standing vertically. To maintain balance people will stand vertically regardless of the angle of the surface they are standing on. It's obvious the scene was shot on a level set and the camera was rolled to give the illusion the sub was pitched forward.
Although the scenes take place in sub-zero temperatures, none of the actors' breath is visible.
Just before the Tigerfish surfaces for the first time, the instruments indicate that they are under thin ice, no more than 2 to 3 feet thick. Yet, when the submarine surfaces, it appears to surface in a pressure ridge with ice appearing at least 10 feet thick.
After the incident when the submarine nearly sinks after nosediving to over 1000 feet and is miraculously saved, a soaking wet and cold Agent Jones rushes into a kitchen area in order to grab a bottle of whiskey. When he arrives in this area, there are two or three cups with saucers sitting on the table. After such a drastic nosedive, all the crockery not locked away would have ended up on the floor.
As the satellite begins re-entry, the time on the Russian console reads 04:29:55 (and clicks over to 04:29:56 as the scene continues), but the Russian controller speaks a different set of numbers: "Null chetyre dva devyat' chetyre dva sem," or "zero four two nine four two seven." He gives three numbers (4-2-7) for the final pair on the screen, neither of which is the Russian for either five (pyat') or six (shest').
When the URSS's jets are flying over North Pole (Using old footage) wrongly they showing some mountains between the ice, the matter is that there aren't any landmass at such place just ice caps, otherwise it will be regarded as continent like Antartida.
In the bar at the beginning, supposedly in Scotland, there is an American payphone.
The officer on duty in the conning tower tells the captain the planes are approaching from the West. Since they are at the North Pole, the only direction the planes could be approaching from is from the South.
The Soviet jet aircraft are still quite distant when the men on the sub inform Ferraday (on the ice) that radar has picked the aircraft up and that they are inbound. However, the aircraft are shown flying very close to the sea and are much too low to be picked up by the sub's radar.
When David Jones and Cdr. Ferraday are in the lab discussing the satellite, as Ferraday moves from right to left, the shadow of the boom mike moves across the wall above him.
Submarines are always referred to as boats. Cdr. Ferraday and others frequently refer to their sub as a ship; a true submariner would never do this.
When Jones was startled awake, the officer says he was in his "bunk". No one in the navy uses that word. "Rack" would be the correct nautical term.
After Vaslow has removed the film from the capsule, he stows it into the container given to him by Jones and puts it on the ground. In the next shot, Cdr. Ferraday tells him: "Put the container down, Mr. Vaslow." Then Vaslow puts the capsule down. Although this looks like a character error, it is more likely that it was an editing decision: the scene originally was shot with Jones or Ferraday picking up the container later, after the empty capsule has been given to the Soviets. This would have been much more logical, as opposed to letting Vaslow put the container in his pocket.
When Capt. Anders first enters the submarine, he is wearing his cover (his cap). U.S. Marines never wear their covers indoors.
Despite being a British agent, Jones should have referred to Zebra on the British pronunciation of the word 'Zeb-ra' not the American pronunciation (which is pronounced 'Zee-bra') like he actually does.