Goofs

In the large hangar with the dirigible, as the dirigible starts to go up the soldier locks the mechanism with a lever, the rope snaps, the dirigible continues to go up but the machine also continues to rotate although it's supposed to be blocked.

In the film there is an important storyline about an albatross. However, throughout the film in all footage depicting the albatross a gannet is shown. Though a gannet is also a large seabird, it looks nothing like an albatross.

The "Gare d'Orsay" station in Paris (today the "Musée d'Orsay") is shown in the movie. We see and hear a steam train in this station. In fact, there never were steam trains in this station, as the trains were hauled by electric locomotives in the tunnel from Gare d'Orsay to Gare d'Austerlitz. Jean-Pierre Jeunet learned this after the movie was released.

An explosion with the force that occurred in the hangar would have blown out all the windows and probably the roof sheeting as well, if not doors and walls. It is also doubtful that a unmoored dirigible could snap a rope that size.

In a dream sequence, the main character is seen dangling from the top deck of the lighthouse which in encircled by a steel railing. In a scene moments later, the two main characters are seen running around the top deck of the lighthouse which now has a solid white wall around the deck. However, Mathilde must have never been at the lighthouse before, that's why in her dream it looks differently from the actual one. Moreover, even familiar things and places often look strange and different in our dreams.

Mathilde was born on January 1, 1900. At least twice in the course of the film we are told that Manech is only 1 year older than her. However, the voiceover at the beginning as Manech is being led through the trench with the other prisoners in January 1917 informs us that Manech is "five months shy of 20," putting his birth date in June of 1897 and making him two and a half years older than Mathilde. On the other hand, he could have lied on his real age in order to be conscripted - the voice-over citing actual records, Manech could have insisted to be sent, and had his age modified on records.

In the opening scene a soldier lights a cigarette with a lamp, but it doesn't burn. He smokes it as if it burns.

One of the five sings a portion of La Chanson de Craonne, a famous French army song of protest against the horrors of the war, when he is out in no man's land. Trouble is the attack on Craonne in the Nivelle Offensive, which led to the song, occurred in April 1917, after the events in the movie. Words and tune logically came after that too.

As the farmer in "The end of the World" is telling his story, bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne can be seen in the basement he is hiding in. Moët & Chandon did not produce Dom Perignon until 1929.

In the story of Manech's self inflicted wound, a tank can be seen taking part in the French attack. This type of tank, the Renault FT, did not see combat until March 1918.

The rural Breton cottage of 1916 has a telephone (which is probably unusual for the time), while outside views of the cottage reveal no telephone poles or wires.

As the five prisoners are being led through the trench in January 1917, they pass the wreckage of a German Fokker DR-1 Triplane. These aircraft did not enter service until September 1917, nine months after the events of this movie.