Poor continuity but highly entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (20 June 2011)

I loved this movie when I first saw it, but there was always something off. A friend who works as a script supervisor mentioned that it is used in many film classes as an example of bad continuity. The scene where Sophie Marceau's character is representing the king is highly flawed. Each time the camera cuts back to her the awkward headgear is arranged and dressed differently. In some shots it is an entirely different headpiece entirely.
Once you get started you'll start to notice that there are many other scenes with equally distracting inconsistencies.
Is this just bad editorial decisions or a total disregard for the audience? Now I see these breaks in continuity in every Mel Gibson movie I watch. It is hard to imagine that the Academy was so positive on this movie.