Goofs

Young Ishmael has amber brown eyes. Adult Ishmael has greenish hazel eyes.

When Ishmael Chambers checks the Coast Guard records, a pen disappears from his mouth between shots.

When the sheriff and Susan Marie talk in the kitchen, the diaper on her shoulder disappears.

Japanese guests wear black ties at the wedding. They should be wearing white ties. In Japan, black ties are for funerals.

Etta Heine says she'd sold the land to Ole Jorgensen. Her son, Carl Jr., says he bought it from Ole. In a deleted scene, Ole says he bought it from Etta, then went on to sell it to Carl, Jr.

The American flag shown has 50 stars. At the time, the flag had 48 stars.

A Coast Guard form, reporting weather and shipping messages, in the lighthouse scene lists the Coast Guard as part of the Department of Transportation, which was created in 1960. The Coast Guard was under the Department of the Treasury until 1967.

The judge's glasses have anti-reflective coating, which wasn't available to consumers during the 1950s.

In one scene, a Coast Guard Petty Officer wearing a peacoat with his insignia of rank (red chevrons and white eagle) on the outside of the left sleeve. The US Navy, and presumably the Coast Guard, did not wear insignia on peacoat sleeves until the mid-1960s.

When Hatsue and Ishmael are walking on the tree trunks (1:42:35), Ishmael's mouth moves without making any sounds.

The story is set in Washington State, on the U.S. Pacific coast. The lighthouse shown in the opening scenes is Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, just outside Portland, on the Atlantic coast. George Washington commissioned its construction, and it's featured on the Maine State U.S. Quarter.

Ishmael pronounces Hatsue's name "Hat-sue." It should be pronounced "Ha-Tsu-E".