National Treasure
Directed by	Jon Turteltaub
Produced by	Jerry Bruckheimer John Turteltaub
Written by	Story by Jim Kouf Oren Aviv Charles Segars Ted Elliott Terry Rossio Screenplay by Marianne & Cormac Wibberley
Starring	Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Plummer, Yves Michel-Beneche, Jason Earles
Music by	Trevor Rabin
Cinematography	Caleb Deschanel
Editing by	William Goldenberg
Distributed by	Buena Vista International
Release date(s)	November 19, 2004
Running time	131 min approx.
Language	English
Budget	US$100,000,000[1]
Gross revenue	US$347,451,894 (worldwide)
Followed by	National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

National Treasure is a 2004 adventure film from Walt Disney Pictures written by Jim Kouf, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub. It stars Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel and Christopher Plummer. It is an adventure movie set in the USA about a search for lost treasure, involving stealing the Declaration of Independence, which leads to a trail of clues and a back-story intertwined with the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. Movie poster, National Treasure This work is copyrighted. ... Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (b. ... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... Born in 1951, Jim Kouf is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. ... Charles Segars is a movie producer and a TV and film executive. ... Ted Elliott is an American screenwriter and labor leader. ... Terry Rossio, born July 2, 1960 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is an American screenwriter screenwriting guru and film producer. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and an exemplar of method acting. ... Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976), is a German actress and former fashion model. ... Justin Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for co-starring in the film National Treasure. ... Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. ... John Vincent Voight (born December 29, 1938) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Yves Michel-Benche (commonly known as Yves Beneche), is an American child actor. ... Jason Daniel Earles (born in San Diego, California) is an American actor. ... Trevor Rabin onstage with Yes, 1995 Trevor Rabin (born Trevor Charles Rabin on January 13, 1954) is a South African guitarist and film composer, best known for being the guitarist and songwriter for the progressive rock band Yes from 1983 - 1995, and since then, as a film composer. ... Caleb Deschanel (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer. ... William Goldenberg is a twice Academy Award-nominated film editor. ... Buena Vista International is a division of The Walt Disney Company which handles non-U.S. distribution of Disney films. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... USD redirects here. ... USD redirects here. ... The quintessential adventure film. ... Old logo from 1985-2006 Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since the death of Walt Disney were released under the name of the... Born in 1951, Jim Kouf is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. ... Ted Elliott is an American screenwriter and labor leader. ... Terry Rossio, born July 2, 1960 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is an American screenwriter screenwriting guru and film producer. ... Marianne Wibberly & Cormac Wibberley are an American screenwriting team, as well as husband and wife. ... Marianne Wibberly & Cormac Wibberley are an American screenwriting team, as well as husband and wife. ... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (b. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and an exemplar of method acting. ... Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976), is a German actress and former fashion model. ... Justin Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for co-starring in the film National Treasure. ... Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. ... John Vincent Voight (born December 29, 1938) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Action movies usually involve a fairly straightforward story of good guys versus bad guys, where most disputes are resolved by using physical force. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to... For other uses, see Knights Templar (disambiguation). ... Freemasons redirects here. ...

Plot

The story centers around Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), whose family believes in the legend of a fantastic treasure trove of artifacts and gold, hidden by the Founding Fathers of the United States, and forgotten to all but a few. The first clue was given to Ben's great-great grandfather Thomas Gates by Charles Carroll, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, saying simply, "The secret lies with Charlotte". Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and an exemplar of method acting. ... Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy. ... Charles Carroll (1737-1832) Charles Carroll of Carrollton (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832) was a lawyer and politician from Maryland who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and later a United States Senator. ...

Using sophisticated computer arctic weather models, Ben, with his friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and financier Ian Howe (Sean Bean), finds the wreckage of a Colonial ship, the Charlotte, containing a Meerschaum pipe engraved with a riddle. After examining the riddle, Ben deduces that the next clue is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. While Ben sees gaining access to such a highly guarded artifact as an obstacle, Ian finds no problem in stealing it. In the standoff, Ian escapes and the Charlotte explodes with Ben and Riley inside, nearly killing them. Justin Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for co-starring in the film National Treasure. ... Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. ... Meerschaum is a soft white mineral sometimes found floating on the Black Sea, and rather suggestive of sea-foam (German: Meerschaum), whence also the French name for the same substance, écume de mer. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to...

They attempt to warn the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) at the National Archives, but no one takes them seriously, believing it to be too heavily guarded to be under any threat. Ben thinks otherwise, however, and decides to steal it to keep it from Ian. Ben and Riley manage to steal the Declaration during a 70th anniversary-gala, just before Ian arrives. Dr. Chase, who is holding a replica, is kidnapped by Ian who thinks she has the real one, and Ben has to engage in a car chase to rescue her. As she will not leave without the Declaration, and Ben will not let her leave with it, she is forced to go along with them. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States that is concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976), is a German actress and former fashion model. ... The National Archives building in Washington, DC The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. ...

Ben and Riley agree that the only place to hide from the police would be Ben's father's (Jon Voight) house. Despite his father's disbelief in the treasure, Ben manages to reveal an Ottendorf cipher on the back of the Declaration, referring to characters in the Silence Dogood letters. The coded message in the letters leads them to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where they find special bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin. Ben examines the back of the Declaration with the glasses, to find another clue. After a short chase, Ian gets the Declaration from Riley and Abigail, and the FBI arrests Ben, who has the glasses. John Vincent Voight (born December 29, 1938) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... A book cipher is a cipher in which the key is the identity of a book or other piece of text. ... Silence Dogood is a fictional character created by Benjamin Franklin. ... Independence Hall is a U.S. national landmark located inside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. ... Bifocals are eyeglasses that have corrective lenses containing two different lens powers. ... This article is about the American political figure. ...

When the FBI attempts to use Ben as bait to get the Declaration back, Ian arranges to have him escape by jumping from the deck of the USS Intrepid, into the Hudson River. Using Ben's father, Riley, and Abigail as leverage, Ian forces Ben to interpret the clue on the back of the declaration, a reference to a secret chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. When they arrive at a seemingly dead end, Ben's father makes up another clue to keep Ian going, telling him a lantern is the clue to the Old North Church in Boston, referencing Paul Revere's ride. Ian goes to Boston with his men, leaving everyone else to die in the caverns. The deck of USS Intrepid The USS Intrepid The Entrance to the Sea-Air-Space Museum The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum is a museum in New York City located at Pier 86 on the West Side of Manhattan. ... , The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois,[1][2][3] or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, Θkahnéhtati[4] in Tuscarora), is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and... Trinity Church Close-up of Trinity Church Trinity Church, at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street in New York City, viewed from the World Trade Center A glimpse of New York from Trinity Church steeple. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Image of the North End, Boston neighborhood. ... Boston redirects here. ... This Paul Revere Statue in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, was made by Cyrus Dallin and unveiled on September 22, 1940. ...

When he has left, Ben explains that there is another exit, through the treasure room. They find a secret passage into another chamber. To their disappointment, they find it empty, and assume that the treasure was moved yet again. However, they know that another exit had to have been made in case of cave-ins. By further examining the walls, Ben finds a hole the shape of the pipe from the Charlotte. This lock opens a door into the true treasure room, containing artifacts from all periods of history.

When they leave through the second exit and the FBI arrives, Ben discovers that the chief investigator, Special agent Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel), is a Freemason. Ben proposes to give the treasure to various museums around the world, with credit being given to the entire Gates family and Riley, with Dr. Chase not being penalized for the theft of the Declaration. However, Sadusky says that someone has to go to prison for the theft of the Declaration, so they fly to Boston, where Ian and his men are breaking the lock to gain entry to the Old North Church. FBI agents emerge from hiding and arrest them under charges of "kidnapping, attempted murder, and trespassing on government property." The U.S. government offers Ben and his friends 10% of the treasure, but Ben only takes 1% and splits it with Riley. With his share, Ben and Abigail buy a mansion once owned by Charles Carroll, and Riley buys a red Ferrari 360 Spider. // Any federal criminal or non-criminal investigator or detective in the 1811, 1801, 2501 or similar job series as so titled according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) handbook. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... ... Ferrari 360 is the name given to three models of Ferrari cars: the Ferrari 360 Modena, an enclosed two-door coupe; the Ferrari 360 Spider, a two-door convertible; and the Ferrari Challenge Stradale, the bare-bones version of the 360 Modena. ...

A film set for one of the final scenes

List of all clues and their meanings

• "The Secret Lies With Charlotte" — refers to a ship that ended up frozen and preserved in the ice cap north of the Arctic Circle. The pipe, found in a cask containing gun powder guarded by a skeletal captain, acts as a key and fits into an imprint in the ante-room of the treasure room, allowing access to the real treasure room.
• "The legend writ, the stain affected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen, Mr. Matlack can't offend" — Written on the stem of a meerschaum pipe. The stem needed to be dipped in ink or a similar substance (in the film, blood is used) and then rolled across paper to read the clue, in the manner of a cylinder seal. The clue refers to the Declaration of Independence as well as the Silence Dogood Letters.
• Ottendorf cipher on back of Declaration of Independence — Cipher where the key is the Silence Dogood letters. This piece of information is withheld from Ian at the beginning of the movie.
  • Ottendorf cipher solution — "The vision to see the treasured past, comes as the timely shadow crosses in front of the house of Pass and Stow" — refers to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
• $100 bill — The image of Independence Hall on the back supplies the specific time (2:22 p.m.) to be at Independence Hall to find the next clue.
  

  

  Notice the time is 2:22
• Ocular Device — Found in a hollow brick carved with the Masonic Square and compasses when the shadow from Independence Hall points to a specific brick in a nearby wall, the Ocular Device is needed to see the map in its entirety.
• "Heere At The Wall" and the Trinity Church symbol — Found on the map when viewed through the Ocular Device, refers to Trinity Church in New York City on the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway which was originally called "D'Heere Street.
• "Beneath Parkington Lane" — Found on the map when viewed through the Ocular Device when the lenses are adjusted. This refers to a Master Mason entombed in the Trinity Church Mausoleum, his tomb concealing the entrance to the underground location where the treasure was hidden: a secret temple of the Masons.
• The Pipe — The final clue, the pipe was not only a clue to the Declaration of Independence, but it is also the key to unlock the treasure room. The bowl of the pipe needed to be placed inside an imprint in the wall, which then allowed the stem of the pipe to turn the lock. The pipe bowl was then pushed to unlock the room.

The Charlotte was a First Fleet transport ship, built on the River Thames in 1784, and weighing 345 tons. ... Timothy Matlack (1736–April 14, 1829) was an American brewer, merchant and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1780. ... Meerschaum is a soft white mineral sometimes found floating on the Black Sea, and rather suggestive of sea-foam (German: Meerschaum), whence also the French name for the same substance, écume de mer. ... Youth with pipe by Hendrick Jansz Terbrugghen A pipe is a tool used for smoking. ... Gilgamesh and Enkidu, cylinder seal impression from Ur III, with oldest type of pictographic cuneiform The Cylinder seals in ancient times, were used to put an impression in clay. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to... A book cipher is a cipher in which the key is the identity of a book or other piece of text. ... This article is about the American political figure. ... This article is about the bell in the United States. ... Independence Hall is a U.S. national landmark located inside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. ... This article is about the bell in the United States. ... Obverse of the Series 2003A $100 bill Reverse of the Series 2003A $100 bill The United States one hundred-dollar bill ($100) is a denomination of United States currency. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (629x698, 73 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): National Treasure (film) ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (629x698, 73 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): National Treasure (film) ... A common Masonic representation of the Square and Compasses. ... Trinity Church, at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street in New York City, viewed from the World Trade Center See also Trinity Church, Boston Trinity Church is a historic Anglican (now Episcopal) parish in New York City, with a church at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway. ... Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ... A view of Broadway in 1909 Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City. ...

Cast

• Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates
• Justin Bartha as Riley Poole
• Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase
• Sean Bean as Ian Howe
• Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates
• Harvey Keitel as FBI Special Agent Peter Sadusky
• Christopher Plummer as John Adams Gates
• Yves Michel-Beneche as Museum Kid
• Jason Earles as Thomas Gates, ancestor of Ben Gates

Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and an exemplar of method acting. ... Justin Bartha (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor, known for co-starring in the film National Treasure. ... Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976), is a German actress and former fashion model. ... Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. ... John Vincent Voight (born December 29, 1938) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... // Any federal criminal or non-criminal investigator or detective in the 1811, 1801, 2501 or similar job series as so titled according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) handbook. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Yves Michel-Benche (commonly known as Yves Beneche), is an American child actor. ... Jason Daniel Earles (born in San Diego, California) is an American actor. ... Thomas Sovereign Gates, Jr. ...

Home video releases

Collector's Edition DVD

A special collector's edition, two-disc DVD set of the movie was released on December 18, 2007.[1]. is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Blu-ray Disc

Disney has released Blu-ray Disc versions of National Treasure, as well as the sequel, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets on May 20, 2008.^[2] Blu-ray Disc (also known as Blu-ray or BD) is an optical disc storage media format. ...

Soundtrack

Main article: National Treasure (soundtrack)

Sequel

Main article: National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Although the DVD commentary stated that there were no plans for a sequel, the film's box office gross of an unexpected $347.5 million worldwide warranted a second film, which was given the greenlight in 2005. National Treasure: Book of Secrets was released into theaters on December 21, 2007. is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

See also

Crew members altering the natural light for filming an indoor scene

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

National Treasure

• United States Declaration of Independence
• National Archives and Records Administration
• Beale ciphers
• Arnold Cipher
• Baron Ottendorf

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to... The National Archives building in Washington, DC The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. ... The Beale ciphers are a set of three ciphertexts, one of which allegedly states the location of a buried treasure of gold and silver estimated to be worth over 30 million US dollars in todays money. ... The Arnold Cipher was a book cipher developed by Benedict Arnold, the famous turncoat of the American Revolution. ... Nicholas Dietrich, Baron of Ottendorf, was a German mercenary who was paid on commission by the newly formed Congress to gather and raise an independent corps in the continental army on December 5th, 1776. ...

References

is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• National Treasure at the Internet Movie Database
• Download the trailer at Jurassic Punk
• National Treasure at Rotten Tomatoes
• National Treasure at Box Office Mojo
• The National Archives "Our National Treasure" website
• National Treasure mistakes at Nitpickers.com
• Nicolas Cage interview for National Treasure at Movie Hole
• Secret Methods and Techniques - Intelligence letters - From the collections at Clements Library
• On Baron Ottendorf