National Treasure
National Treasure mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When Ben and Ian get the two different fingerprints from two different people, Mr. Ferguson [random security guard] and Abigail Chase, they are the exact same fingerprints. This can be confirmed on the DVD with pause and zoom. Moreover, the two scans show exactly the same emphasis/pressure on different regions within the print, with more light and detail on the left side and little in the center. (00:39:15)

Revealing mistake: When the two vans are driving away from the Archives, Dr. Chase tries to open the door to escape. As the camera pans from her face to the door handle, you can see by the way her hair moves that the quarter-second sequence is run in reverse. (00:48:55)

Revealing mistake: When Ben, Abigail, and Riley are fleeing the National Archives, the window on the driver's side has been shattered by a gunshot. Although they are driving at high speeds, no wind seems to be entering the van to mess up their hair.

Revealing mistake: When Ben is pulling the dumbwaiter to the secret room with the rope, there is a shot showing the bottom of it. In this shot there is a somewhat visible black wire that is pulling the dumbwaiter, rather than the thick orange rope that is pulling it. (01:46:15)

Movie Mistake Man

Revealing mistake: When the stairs built on the walls of the dumbwaiter shaft start to collapse, Riley makes a jump onto a stable one. In the first shot of him jumping you can see a thick stunt wire attached to the back of his shirt. (01:43:35)

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: Asuming Ben's theory is correct and my tracking model's accurate, we should be getting very close. But don't go by me, I broke a shoelace this morning. It's a bad omen.
Ian How: Should we turn around and go home?
Ben Gates: Or we could just pull over and throw him out here.
Riley Poole: Ha, ha, ha, okay.
Ben Gates: Well Riley, you're not missing that small, windowless cubicle we found you in are you?
Riley Poole: No, no. Absolutely not.

More quotes from National Treasure

Trivia: When Ben is talking to Riley in front of the Lincoln Memorial, you see a long pool behind them. This pool is filled with computer generated water, because the pool was drained at the time of shooting.

More trivia for National Treasure

Question: Ben explains the code on the Declaration reading 'Heere to the Wall' refers to the corner of Broadway and Wall St. But inside the church he reads 'Beneath Parkington Lane' and assumes that must mean beneath the church. But why is there no explanation for what Parkington Lane is and why wouldn't Ben think it's just another clue?

Answer: He doesn't simply assume "Beneath Parkington Lane" means beneath the church: Parkington Lane is the name etched on the tomb hiding the entrance to the tunnels. When he saw it, he naturally deduced what he had to do.

Sereenie

More questions & answers from National Treasure

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