National Treasure

Deliberate mistake: In the scene near the beginning of the movie where Ben finds the pipe and finds the message by rolling the pipe on the paper, the message is long and has symbols, but it is impossible for all of that to fit in the pipe. (00:12:00)

Deliberate mistake: In the two scenes when Ben and Riley are in the documents room, it is in full light. The rotunda is actually dimly lit as a way of protecting the documents from light damage.

Mike Lynch

Deliberate mistake: When Riley uses the video camera laser to disable the Declaration of Independence sensor, that could never happen since cameras are not permitted in the documents room.

Mike Lynch

Factual error: As Ben is clinging to the staircase while it is falling apart, there is a close-up of a nail being pulled out of the wood. This nail is round-headed, rather than square as it would have been over 200 years ago. It's also shiny instead of rusty, which indicates that it's galvanized. Galvanization as an industrial, metal-preservation process was not patented until 1837, and was not used in building materials until well into the late-1800s. Since the film states the staircase was made by "the Founding Fathers, " and there was no galvanization of iron nails in any industrialized nation in 1780s-1830's, this is a huge anachronism.

Kristal

More mistakes in National Treasure

Riley Poole: Who wants to go down the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?

More quotes from National Treasure

Trivia: Andrew Jackson's 1832 White House was actually filmed at the Daughters of the American Revolution Building in DC.

shortdanzr

More trivia for National Treasure

Question: When Ben and the others enter the treasure room, who's carrying the Declaration of Independence?

denzo1958

Chosen answer: Abigail.

Bowling255

More questions & answers from National Treasure

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