National Treasure (2004)
The Declaration of Independence
From the film · 00:54:30
“I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.”
The National Archives Preservation Gala, Washington D.C. — Ben Gates, dressed for an evening he should not be attending
What we know
A single sheet of parchment, twenty-four by thirty inches, hand-engrossed in iron-gall ink
If the bad guys are going to steal it, the good guys steal it first. That is, in fact, the moral logic of the entire heist: the only way to keep the Declaration safe is to take it home and give it back later. Riley figures the gala. The vault. The argon-gas casing. The night-of access. I buy a $35 reproduction in the gift shop on the way in. We swap them. The original goes home in an architectural tube. Dr. Abigail Chase will, in time, forgive me. She will also, in time, marry me, and divorce me, and — provisional — reconcile with me. None of this is on the timeline yet. Right now, all I have is a parchment and a hotel bathroom and one small lemon.
The Puzzle
On the engraving of Independence Hall on the back of a hundred-dollar bill, the steeple clock reads 2:22. Set the hands. Stand where the shadow falls.
Drag the hands. Short hand to II. Long hand past IV, two ticks short of V.
- Hour: off the mark
- Minute: off the mark