National Treasure

Campus Times

Nov. 12 2004

By Kyra Kirkwood

What if you knew that America's founding fathers hid a series of clues leading treasure hunters to the world's largest, most secretive bounty ever known? Sure would make history homework less boring, wouldn't it?

Mystery and intrigue mix with the lure of buried treasure in Nicolas Cage's latest film, "National Treasure," opening Friday nationwide. The movie is a blend of comedy, action and history all wrapped up in a script so factually accurate, it could inspire a whole new generation of researchers, history buffs and treasure hunters.

Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) tackles a 2,000-year-old mystery set against the backdrop of America's famous landmarks in search of the legendary Knights Templar Treasure. Ben follows clues left by the founding fathers on such national monuments as the Declaration of Independence, which he must steal in order to save it from the proverbial bad guys. In the face of adversity and doubt, Ben must be the first to decode the cryptic puzzle and find the treasureãif it exists at allãin order to save history.

"It's 'Indiana Jones,' set here, right here in America," said screenwriter Marianne Wibberly.

"It has a certain sprit which is reminiscent of 'Indiana Jones,' but it parts company with [it] in that there's nothing supernatural about 'National Treasure'," said Cage at a recent Los Angeles press event. "The very thing that made me [uncertain about the movie] is the same thing that intrigued me: a man going in and stealing the Declaration of Independence. And I got to do it in a tuxedo."

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer demanded factual accuracy throughout the film, making sure that even the theft of the Declaration of Independence was well thought out and grounded in reality.

"That's what we strive for: to make you believe in something that's unbelievable," he said. "At least make it as plausible as we can make it as filmmakers."

Clues to the treasure are hidden in various places and commonplace items, like the back of our paper currency. The film's creators hope that viewers will not only walk away with an entertaining experience, but a newfound passion for history as well.

"Hopefully, everybody will look at a dollar bill differently now," said Jim Kouf, screenwriter and story creator.

"It's nice to remember what the founding fathers did," said Cage. "They were geniuses. It's amazing they were alive at the same time, and knew one another and debated and shook hands and created philosophies and rules by which we still live today. I think that there's something to learn from them still."

Through research, the screenwriters learned about the legendary Knights Templar, the 11^th century crusaders who are said to have amassed the most enormous collection of treasures and religious artifacts from ancient Egypt through early Christianity. The mystery of where this treasure was "buried" circulated from generation to generation, and many treasure hunters throughout the worldãespecially in the United Statesãdedicated their lives to finding it.

Hence, the character of Benjamin Franklin Gates. But this isn't just your average money-hungry pirate. No, Ben is a treasure hunter with morals and purpose. And who better to play such a role than Nicolas Cage?

"Nic is one of a kind," said director Jon Turteltaub of this modern-day Jimmy Stewart. "Nic is going to bring you a sense of humor, but he's not going to bring you anything fake. He cringes at anything that feels like a sitcom-y joke. He's kind of cool. But he's also very befuddled and bewildered a lot of the time."

The cast had quite a time filming "National Treasure," becoming fast friends on screen and off. The three leadsãDiane Kruger, Justin Bartha and Cageãcould often be found sightseeing or belting out some mean Sex Pistols after a long day at work.

"Justin and Diane both have wild senses of humor; they're both very mischievous and kind of off the wall in their sense of humor, as am I," said Cage. "We'd go and karaoke from time to time and sort of blow it out and be completely ridiculous, which helped the playfulness and the chemistry among the three of us."

"We got scolded a lot on set," laughed Kruger, who most recently portrayed Helen in last summer's "Troy."

Added newcomer Bartha: "Nic and I would do some mean 'My Way' duets."