The Deer Hunter goofs

The men's hairstyles in the opening scenes, which are set in 1967, are out of period for their location, line of work and socio-political leanings. While long hair was commonplace among hippies and rock musicians in 1967, it would have been highly unusual for patriotic steelworkers in Pennsylvania to wear their hair that long. Those styles would be appropriate for around 1975, or for 1977–78 when the film was shot, but not for 1967.

On their return to the pub from the hunting trip, they sing "Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life)", a Bobby Bare track that was released in 1976, following the end of the Vietnam War.

The cans of Rolling Rock, Iron City (seen in the 1960s Pennsylvania bar), Pepsi and Mountain Dew (at the wedding reception), and Miller (in the Vietnam scenes) are all from the 1970s. The Rolling Rock bottles, however, more or less reflect the authentic 1960s design.

When Nick walks into a bar in Saigon's red-light district, "Midnight Train To Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips can be heard playing over the loudspeakers. Yet that recording was not issued until August 1973 — at least four years after the scene would have taken place.

When the group brings out the provisions on the hunting trip set around 1968, the packaging is unmistakably from the late 1970s and even carries barcodes.

As Angela looks at herself in the mirror in her wedding dress, a microphone suspended above her head is also visible in the reflection.

"Stosh" is a Polish diminutive of Stanley, not of Russian origin.

The deer Michael kills in the hunt is a different species to the one lashed to the Cadillac’s bonnet when the hunting party return to town.

While Michael's leaning against a post at the wedding reception, the beer level in his glass rises after he takes a sip.

In the opening hunting scene, as they're changing into their clothes, Michael and Stan bicker about Mike's boots. Nicky is shown pulling a jumper on and already has both arms through it when the camera cuts back to Mike, who delivers his "This is this" lines. When the shot returns to Stan and Nicky, Nicky is once more in the act of putting the jumper on, as if it had never been on at all.

In the scene at the VFW hall during a game of bingo, the caller announces B-15 for the winning card, yet when the board is shown displaying the numbers that have been called, B-15 isn't illuminated.

In the bar, prior to Steve and Michael’s departure for Vietnam, Nick opens the same can of beer twice.

In the pub, just before the men join in with the singing of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", Michael is seated on a chair, holding a cue in his right hand and tapping it on the floor. A split second afterwards, as they begin to sing, he slams the cue on the floor with his left hand.

For a fleeting moment, the whole camera crew can be seen in a shop window.

Towards the end of the film, when Michael goes to find Nick and they are aboard the boat, what look like 'explosions' are visible in the distance; in fact they seem to be a flame-producing device spouting fireballs into the sky. If you watch closely you can make out two pipes at its base and, after a set interval, they 'fire' again.

The hunting sequences purportedly set in the Allegheny Mountains were clearly filmed elsewhere. The Alleghenies are a gently rolling range, but the footage displays towering, jagged peaks. Those scenes were shot in the Cascade Range, all the way across the country in Washington State.

The deer shot by Michael is an Asian red deer, a species not native to North America.

When Michael returns from Vietnam he is shown in uniform with a full beard. The US Army would not have permitted him to depart Vietnam in uniform until his haircut and facial hair met the requirements of uniform regulation AR 670-1.

Mike wears the green beret of a US Army Special Forces operator. In Vietnam he is seen wearing Special Forces' tiger‑striped camouflage, yet in his full dress uniform his left shoulder bears the 101st Airborne Division badge.

When Michael returns to Vietnam to look for Nick, the film clearly places his trip in April 1975, as the fall of Saigon is shown. At Nick's funeral, Angela's son appears to be no older than two, yet Angela had not given birth when Mike, Nick and Steven left for Vietnam. That would suggest they departed in 1973; however, all American troops had been withdrawn from Vietnam by March 1973.

Although Steve and Nick are portrayed as serving with the 101st Airborne Division, they are seen wearing a US Marine Corps M1955 flak vest, complete with a rope ridge on the shoulder.

During the racing sequence featuring a lorry, an Ohio state route sign is visible on a pole.

The horizontal bands on the right-hand sleeves of the uniforms are Overseas Service Bars, not Service Stripes. Each bar is authorised for every six months spent in a combat theatre. Service Stripes are worn diagonally on the left sleeve, with one stripe authorised for every three years' service. Both the soldier at the wedding and Michael on his return wear one stripe and six bars, indicating three to five years of service overall, with three years served in combat.

When hunting, Michael carries a left-handed Winchester Model 70 rifle, the bolt handle positioned on the left. However, in one shot during the second hunting scene the bolt handle is suddenly seen on the right-hand side. His wristwatch is also on the opposite wrist. The editors apparently reversed the negative so that he would be facing the correct way to match the other shots in the sequence.

In the opening pub scene of the film, a purportedly live football match on the television is clearly pre-recorded footage, complete with numerous scratches on the picture.

When Linda first visits Mike and Nick's caravan, the caravan's towbar and rear lights are plainly visible. The wiring from the rear lights is seen running into the windows above the towbar, even though the rear lights ought to be at the back while the towbar is mounted at the front.

While Nick and Steve try to prevent Michael from attacking the Green Beret during the wedding ceremony, at one point two empty jugs are knocked over by Steve's shoulder and fall. Nick briefly reaches to right them but thinks better of it, and in the following take they are standing upright again as if nothing had occurred.