"An exciting little adventure movie differentiating itself from the pack by focusing more on its string of clues than it does on setting up the next big piece of stunt work." Joshua Tyler CHARLESTON CITY PAPER "Treasure may fall a notch below Pirates of the Caribbean on the pleasureometer, but it does give American history sex appeal and celebrates a guy who relies on brainware rather than gadgets." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Secret societies revealed, a quest for the truth and treasure, a hateful bad guy, and a good guy and good girl who share some romance along the way..." Staci Layne Wilson FANTASTICA DAILY "Imagine eating your favorite sub sandwich; you know exactly what it will taste like, but it's just what you wanted: simple, tasty and satisfying." Karina Montgomery CINERINA "Despite some preposterous twists, it is a treat to watch a movie with a hero who confronts enemies, threats and clues with wit and insight instead of guns and grenades." Margaret A McGurk CINCINNATI INQUIRER

"The story of "National Treasure" is built on a complex set of facts surrounding the founding fathers, the Knights Templar, the Declaration of Independence and symbols on the US Dollar bill. And it's a seductively fanciful story, embellished by the hint of possibility." Andrew L Urban URBANCINEFILE "Follow this exciting adventure and thrill to the mystery and chase." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "Great escapism." Bruce Kirkland JAM! MOVIES "plenty of fun and excitement to make it worth your while to go see on the big screen" Stefan Halley HERO REALM "The best cinematic comfort food you could ask for." Christopher Kelly FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM

At A Glance

"A rip-roaring, high-spirited American adventure, it's one of the best scavenger hunts to come along in ages!" .... Susan Granger SUSANGRANGER.COM

The man with the 'golden touch' has done it again. Who am I writing of? None other than the man who produced many of the highest grossing films in movie history. Films such as "Remember The Titans" [$115 million at the US box office], "Enemy of the State" [$US225 million worldwide], "Pirates of the Caribbean" [$US630 million worldwide] and "Armageddon" [$US560 million worldwide]. Who is he? None other than Jerry Bruckheimer. And, just in case you doubt me, here's the proof to back his record. Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Television have been honored with thirty-five Academy Award® nominations, five Oscars®, eight Grammy® Award nominations, five Grammys®, twenty-three Golden Globe® nominations, four Golden Globes®, thirty Emmy® Award nominations, seven Emmys®, eight People's Choice nominations, four People's Choice Awards, and numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade. And just in case you have missed the TV credits, he has an enviable Television record that matches his films. "C.S.I.", "C.S.I.: Miami", "Without A Trace", "The Amazing Race" and "Cold Case" all bear his signature. Is it any wonder that Time Magazine" recently wrote; "The most successful producer in film history is on his way to becoming the most successful producer in the history of TV." I impress that upon you because critics love to bag Bruckheimer and many have done it again with his latest film, "National Treasure". Having seen the film three times myself and thoroughly enjoyed myself, I for one have been singing it's praises loud and strong. I mean, let's face it you'd have to be a bit of a dunce wouldn't you to put the knockers on this one. It has everything going for it. Everything that adds up to, "by jimminey, Bruckheimer's on another winner!". How could the schmucks get it so blatantly wrong. The storyline is great. The cast are terrific. The special effect are damn impressive. The action just keeps coming as do the spills, the thrills. "National Treasure" has everything but the kitchen sink and if Jerry Bruckheimer could have slipped it into the film, it too would have been a winner. Believe me folks when I say, "only a dope would miss this one." Oh, I know. You need a little more convincing. Well here's a source I rarely quote. "Step aside Indiana Jones as Nicholas Cage and an all star cast go on the ultimate conspiracy-fuelled treasure hunt." Jaimie Leonarder SBS THE MOVIE SHOW. And what a treasure hunt it turns out to be. Benjamin Franklin Gates is "a new breed of treasure-hunter who discovers that a map to a priceless bounty lies on the back of the Declaration of Independence. To protect the country's most sacred document and uncover the extraordinary treasure to which it leads, Ben must confront a series of provocative puzzles, savvy secret codes and hidden messages from America's past. But where did these tantalizing clues that lie at the heart of the film come from?" Are they fact? Are they fiction? Well here's a few facts to whet your appetite for "National Treasure". THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR TREASURE ........
Fact: The monastic secret-warrior society known as The Knights Templar excavated for ten years at the Temple of Solomon. Within two centuries, they became one of the most powerful and wealthy groups in Europe, leading many to assume they had amassed an enormous treasure. It was said that before the Knights met their end at the hands of The Pope and King Philip of France in 1307, they loaded their immense bounty onto a fleet headed for Scotland. Some believe the shipment was hidden on Nova Scotia's Oak Island and came to a fledgling America in the 1700s. Indeed, Christopher Columbus also had connections to "The Knights of Christ," an offshoot of The Knights Templar, so he too could have played a role in the mystery.
THE FREEMASONS ........
Fact: This secret society evolved from the remnants of the Knights Templar. Started as a loose association of medieval architects, the Freemasons went on to become an influential fraternity of the best and the brightest men in Europe. Known for their secrecy, as well as their wealth and power, Freemasons engaged in mysterious rituals and used ancient symbols as codes. The all-seeing eye and unfinished pyramid on the U.S. dollar bill are Freemason symbols. Many of the nation's Founding Fathers were Masons, including George Washington, John Hancock, Ethan Allen, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin. Some even believe the city of Washington D.C. is laid out according to the grid concepts of Freemasons-in the mystical shape of the Virgo Constellation.
CODES AND CIPHERS ........
Fact: Codes and ciphers have been in existence at least since Biblical times and were used extensively throughout the Revolutionary War and by the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson was fascinated by cryptology and invented a device for encoding messages known as the "Jefferson Cylinder." The Freemasons also had a standard code-the elusive "Pig-Pen Cipher." The use of Invisible Ink is also documented during the Revolutionary War, used to hide secret intelligence letters from enemy eyes. Another decoding method from that era involved documents that could only be read through a special "mask" that would manipulate the content visually. Some codes from the 1700's still cannot be broken today as no one can find their keys.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ........
Fact:One of the most cherished symbols of American freedom, the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and signed on July 4, 1776. Today, the original parchment document is on display in the Rotunda For the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives. Though badly faded, the document is preserved via high-tech fiber optic lights and protected by one of the most sophisticated security systems ever designed. Intriguingly, the Declaration of Independence has been used in the past to create a secret code to hide treasure. In the 1820s, the prospector Thomas J. Beale hid a cache of jewels-and then left three ciphers with a local innkeeper that he said would lead the savvy solver to the treasure. Only one of the three ciphers has been solved to date, and that one was based on the Declaration of Independence.
FINALLY, as I said, "National Treasure" is a fine example of how critics get it wrong 'big time'. It's excellent escapism, glitzy, and requires that the audience does little else other than to sit back and go along for a really fun ride. That's what audiences in the USA and Australia have been doing in droves as "National Treasure" racks up the box-office bucks. Go see it! Soon! You won't be disappointed. You can quote me on that! Most tales of high adventure unfold in exotic lands and long-ago times, but with "National Treasure", a hunt for one of greatest bounties in history comes home to contemporary America. From Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to New York City’s Trinity Church, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Turteltaub took the production to authentic U.S. historical locations: and recreated others, that have rarely been seen in the light of an action-adventure. For Jerry Bruckheimer, there was no other choice but to go directly to the source of the film’s inspiration: the most intriguing locales of America’s past. "In order to create the strongest possible reality for the story, we had to go to the monuments and cities where so much of our American history has unfolded," Bruckheimer says. "So, while the focus is always on the story and action that Ben Gates is wrapped up in, you get a little bit of a sense of history from the backgrounds and production design." Of course, the very idea of filming inside the nation’s most hallowed and protected landmarks, especially in the post-9/11 world, was no simple proposition. The task of negotiating shooting permits for these often off-limits places fell to executive producer and Bruckheimer associate Barry Waldman, who not only negotiated for access, he also found ways to assure that each of the film’s historical locations were showcased in an exciting yet appropriate manner. Explains Waldman: "Every location in Washington and Philadelphia has its own prestige; and they each wanted to make sure they were going to be portrayed authentically and in the best possible way. So, for instance, we went through a lot of script revisions to film inside the Library of Congress because they wanted to make sure that audiences see the characters researching something that’s actually there. So we have Ben and Riley looking at street grids and blueprints of the National Archives, which are housed there. We also added a line about the Library of Congress being the largest library in the world, housing twenty two million books, just to give you a better sense of how amazing it is." Getting permission to film at the Lincoln Memorial, where Ben and Riley plan their heist much to Riley’s dismay, was also an early challenge for "National Treasure". "The Park Service didn’t want us to obstruct the public access to it, of course, so we could only shoot at the Lincoln Memorial up to the second tier of its steps,"says Waldman. Yet the atmosphere of caution only seemed to heighten the filmmaking. "There is a real feeling of hallowed ground at the Lincoln Memorial. This actually gave us even more respect and a real sense of awe for where we were shooting: which translated into the actors’ performances, how we shot it, and how we behaved while there," explains Turteltaub. Due to ongoing renovations, the filmmakers were able to obtain only limited access to the National Archives—where the Declaration of Independence is housed, along with the Bill of Rights and Constitution; although even that was highly unprecedented. "Few people have been in there with a movie camera, let alone a crew and actors, and it turned out phenomenal," says Bruckheimer. "When you go to places like this and you see that this stuff really exists, you suddenly realize all these childhood stories you read about are real," Turteltaub says. "It's very exciting and this sense of awe at our history helped to inspire the visual style of the film" Crew Bytes "National Treasure" was .......
Directed by Jon Turteltaub ["Disney's The Kid", "Phenomenon", "Cool Runnings" and "Instinct"]; screenplay by Jim Kouf ["Class", "Stakeout I & II", "The Hidden" and "Disorganized Crime"] and Cormac & Marianne Wibberley ["The 6th Day", "I-Spy", "Bad Boys II" and "Charlie's Angels Full Throttle"]; costume design by Costume Designers Guild Award winner Judianna Makovsky ["Six Degrees of Separation", "Lolita", "Seabiscuit" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"]; production design by Norris Spencer ["Spy Game", "Hannibal", "Black Rain" and "Thelma & Louise"]; edited by William Goldenberg A.C.E ["Heat", "Ali", "The Insider" and "Seabiscuit"]; director of photograhpy National Society of Film Critics Award winner Caleb Deschanel ["Anna and the King", "The Black Stallion", "The Patriot" and "The Passion of the Christ"]; original music by Trevor Rabin ["The Glimmer Man", "Armageddon", "Remember the Titans" "Bad Boys II" and "Exorcist: The Beginning"]; produced by ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award winner Jerry Bruckheimer ["Farewell, My Lovely", "American Gigolo", "Flashdance", "Bad Boys", "Crimson Tide", "Con Air" and "King Arthur"]. Casting About "National Treasure" stars .......
Academy Award ®, Golden Globe®, New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics and National Board of Review winner Nicolas Cage ["Leaving Las Vegas", "Snake Eyes", "Face/Off", "Guarding Tess", "Windtalkers" and "Adaptation"]; 2003 Chopard Trophy Award winner Diane Kruger ["Wicker Park", "Troy", "Michel Vaillant" and "The Piano Player"]; Justin Bartha ["Gigli"]; Sean Bean ["Patriot Games", "GoldenEye", "Don't Say A word" and "Troy"]; Academy Award ® & GOLDEN Globe winner Jon Voight ["Midnight Cowboy", "Coming Home", "Runaway Train" and "The Manchurian Candidate"]; Harvey Keitel ["Thelma and Louise", "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "Cop Land" and "Red Dragon"]; David Dayan Fisher ["The Last Post", "The Diplomat", "America Brown" and "Stunt C*cks"]; Stewart Finlay-McLennan ["Aspen Extreme", "The Survivor" and "The Alamo"]; Oleg Taktarov ["Air Force One", "Absolute Force", "15 Minutes" and "Bad Boys II"]; Deborah Yates ["Shall We Dance"] and Two time Tony, Two Time Emmy ® Award winner; Britain's Evening Standard Award and Canada's Genie Award winner Christopher Plummer ["Battle of Britain", "Sound Of Music", "12 Monkeys", "Somewhere in Time" and "Nicholas Nickleby"] as John Adam Gates. The Story

"There's something of The Da Vinci Code about National Treasure, with its plot that revolves around secrets of the Masons and Knights Templar, and codes and clues that can only be deciphered by an obsessive scholar." ....... Philippa Hawker THE AGE

Benjamin Franklin Gates has never given up on his dream to find a hidden treasure. It has been part of his families tradition for many years. His Grandfather failed to find it. His father gave up many years ago. But not Benjamin Gates. Hidden by the founding fathers of America, it is rumoured to be the largest treasure ever accumulated in history. The search for this lost treasure has brought great ridicule to those members of the Gates family who have discovered many clues but alas, not one piece of treasure. Now, Benjamin Franklin Gates stands at a crossroad. He's discovered Charlotte's secret. The map that will lead him to making the greatest find of all time is hidden on the back of the most famous, most treasured of documents. The historic Declaration of Independence. Now it's a race against time. Double crossed by his financial backer Ian Howe, Benjamin Gates has only one option. To steal the heavily guarded Declaration of Independence. And to find that treasure. To do so he must convince his father, Patrick Henry Gates to help him. But first he has to steal that document. The Verdict "A rip-roaring adventure in the tradition of Idiana Jones, "National Treasure" is action packed, exciting and filled with spectacular special effects. Requires little else than to sit back, hang on and joining in the race to find a treasure like no other. Guaranteed the best fun you will have had in a long while. Highly Recommended." The Cast

Nicolas Cage Diane Kruger Justin Bartha Sean Bean Jon Voight Harvey Keitel Christopher Plummer David Dayan Fisher Stewart Finlay-McLennan Oleg Taktarov Stephen Pope Annie Parisse Mark Pellegrino Armando Riesco Erik King Don McManus Ron Canada Hunter Gomez Deborah Yates Arabella Field Sharon Wilkins Alexandra Balahoutis Dior Raye Yves Michel-Beneche Jason Earles Terrence Currier

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Ben Gates Abigail Chase Riley Poole Ian Howe Patrick Gates Sadusky John Adams Gates Shaw Powell Shippen Phil Agent Dawes Agent Johnson Agent Hendricks Agent Colfax Dr Stan Herbert Guard Woodruff Young Ben Gates Rebecca Abigail's Secretary Butcher Lady Clothing Store Clerk Gift Store Clerk Museum Kid Thomas Gates Charles Carroll

The Crew Directed by Jon Turteltaub Screenplay by Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer/Jon Turteltaub Original Music by Trevor Rabin Cinematography by Caleb Deschanel Film Editing by William Goldenberg Casting by Avy Kaufman Production Design by Norris Spencer Art Direction by Geoff Hubbard Set Decoration by Anne D McCulley Costume Design by Judianna Makovsky Makeup Department Matt Danon Production Manager Barry Waldman Production Supervisor Trevor Waterson Run Time 131 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Disney Enterprises Inc - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved