Factual error: The geography around the VLA in New Mexico is actually relatively flat - in fact one of the reasons why the array complex is there is because the land is flat. The canyon in the film was actually Canyon de Chelly, in Arizona, more than 170 miles (270 km) away. But in the film, when Ellie goes to the canyon, the radio antennas seem to be right there, insinuating that the canyon is part of the VLA's magical desert scenery.
Contact (1997)
Plot summary
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, John Hurt, Jodie Foster, Tom Skerritt, David Morse, Jena Malone, Geoffrey Blake
Correction!! I made a small boo-boo.A small team of S.E.T.I. research scientists, led by Dr. Ellie Arroway and amid financial hardship, detect a legitimate alien signal. The discovery triggers a worldwide military, political, and religious upheaval. During which, a transportation device is built based on a schematic embedded in the alien signal. Influencing Ellie in this are three men: One is Dr. David Drumlin, Ellie’s superior who pulled the plug on her research project. He later undermines her role as the discoverer of the alien message and positions himself as the top candidate to make the trip through the transport machine. Another is S. R. Hadden, a billionaire industrialist who financially supported Ellie’s research after her NSF funding was cut. Hadden further assists Ellie during the raging political maelstrom and shares a key element he’s discovered to decipher the alien message. Third is Palmer Joss, a theology vs. technology expert and a religious adviser to the White House. Despite deep religious and philosophical differences, Palmer falls in love with Ellie.
More mistakes in Contact
Panel member: If you were to meet these Vegans, and were permitted only one question to ask of them, what would it be?
Ellie Arroway: Well, I suppose it would be, how did you do it? How did you evolve, how did you survive this technological adolescence without destroying yourself?
Trivia: John Hurt (S.R. Hadden) and Tom Skerrit (Dr. Drumlin) were both in 1979's Alien. They both died in each movie as well.
Question: How did they film the scenes where real historical figures (President Clinton, for instance) made speeches and comments they didn't make in real life?
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Answer: They used real footage and used careful editing to make it appear as if they were talking about the events of the film.
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