The Brothers Grimm goofs

The band in the pub features a tuba, an instrument that first emerged in the 1830s.

In several scenes Jakob is shown writing in his book, yet there is seldom an inkpot or bottle to hand. In the Napoleonic era only quills or steel pens were used, which required an "external" ink supply.

Several characters can be heard humming the famous lullaby by Johannes Brahms, which was published in 1868 — long after 1811, the year in which the action is meant to take place.

The French anthem 'La Marseillaise' is heard in the film, but as the story is set in 1811 the song had been banned by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1805 and was not reinstated as the national anthem until 1879. During that period 'Veillons au salut de l'Empire' was used, and French soldiers would likely have taken offence at it being played or sung.

When Cavaldi tells the two women who have brought food that the brothers will thank them for their kindness, both are depicted as laughing, despite the fact that the woman on the left-hand side is neither laughing nor even smiling.

When the Grimm brothers arrive in Karlstadt, they tell the guard they came from "Kassel, near Frankfurt." Kassel is roughly 200 kilometres from Frankfurt, whereas Karlstadt lies about 100 kilometres from Frankfurt.

The spellbook on the table inside the castle shifts to a different position.

When a glob of mud pursues Sasha, the extras in the background vanish and reappear several times.

When Cavaldi approaches the bed where Will and the twins are asleep, the twin in Will's right arm is lying on her left side, almost entirely on her stomach. In the following shot, whilst she reacts to his presence by looking up at Cavaldi, she is lying flat on her back.

In the woods around Marbaden, when Delatombe's valet serves the wine, the liquid in the carafe is red, whereas the wine in Delatombe's glass is white.

At the start of the film, Will is mounted on a grey Andalusian. Later, when he and Jacob ride into the wood with the trapper, Will is on a plump grey mule while Jacob is on the same horse, with no explanation given for the change.

When they return from the castle at the end, only ten girls are seen with them, including Angelika, rather than the twelve who are supposed to be there.

When Wilhelm falls from the tower, a patch of ground springs up as he lands, revealing the crash mat concealed beneath the leaves.

Angelika hisses about "a Christian king" as though this were unusual. The film is set in the early 1800s. German monarchs had been Christian for roughly a thousand years, going back to Charlemagne.

The French cavalry cuirassiers were large men mounted on big horses, wearing a breastplate and sometimes a backplate, and armed with a straight sword, pistols and occasionally carbines. Only light cavalry — such as uhlans (lancers) — carried lances during the Napoleonic era.

The word "Bingo" did not come into common use until after 1929.

Cavaldi states that the brothers sell "the oil of the snake", a phrase which only became a common metaphor in the United States a few decades later. It is reasonable to suppose this is a modernised "translation" of what he actually said.

Gioachino Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra/The Thieving Magpie" and Johannes Brahms' Cradle Lullaby are heard in the film, which is set in 1811. "La Gazza Ladra" was composed in 1817, and Brahms was not born until 1833. These pieces are intended for the audience's benefit and are not heard by the characters.

As Jake propels himself towards the tower, the way his trousers and shirt stretch during the fall exposes the points where the wires are attached.

When Jacob flies through the tower window and smashes into the floor, the handle of the "metal" axe in his hand bends.