NATIONAL TREASURE: HOLLYWOOD FILM SPARKS REAL-LIFE ADVENTURE
Philadelphia and Washington, DC Sites Star in Movie and Tour

PHILADELPHIA, October 18, 2004 – Treasure hunters take heed; riches await for those who break the code. For Nicolas Cage, star of the film, National Treasure opening nationwide on November 19, 2004, code-breaking involves stealing the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives in Washington, DC and sleuthing in the bell tower atop Independence Hall in Philadelphia. For the rest of the world, it means seeing the film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Jon Turteltaub, then packing up friends and family and their curiosity to explore the sites featured in the film.

Thrilling and entertaining, the movie is a history lesson as well, deriving clues from the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin’s Silence Dogood letters and the Masons and Templar Knights. The Washington, DC & Philadelphia Tour, inspired by the movie National Treasure, guides visitors on their own treasure hunts in both cities with fun and informative commentary. The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation (WCTC) and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) have outlined the tour in a 10-panel, four-color brochure, illustrated with photos from the film, which points visitors to both historic and contemporary stops.  

In addition to the self-guided tour, fans of the movie can take advantage of hotel packages for two-night stays in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, along with Amtrak discounts. For a virtual sneak preview of the tour, visitors can log onto to www.movietour.org, where they can download a copy of the brochure and also book hotel accommodations.

Movie synopsis: A secret from our nation’s past will lead to the greatest adventure in history.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Rock” and “Armageddon”) and director Jon Turteltaub (“Phenomenon,” “While You Were Sleeping”) team up to bring you “National Treasure,” story by Jim Kouf, screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and Marianne Wibberley and Cormac Wibberley.

Academy Award®-winner Nicolas Cage stars as the brilliant Benjamin Franklin Gates, third generation treasure hunter. All his life, Gates has been searching for a treasure no one believed existed: amassed through the ages, moved across continents, to become the greatest treasure the world has ever known. Hidden by our Founding Fathers, they left clues to the Treasure’s location right before our eyes … from our nation’s birthplace, to the nation’s capitol, to clues buried within the symbols on the dollar bill.

Gates’ life-long journey leads him to the last place anyone thought to look: A map hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

But what he thought was the final clue is only the beginning.

As word of the invisible map spreads among the enemies of freedom, Gates realizes in order to protect the world’s greatest treasure, he must now do the unthinkable: Steal the most revered, best guarded document in American history before it falls into the wrong hands.

In a race against time, Gates must elude the FBI, stay one step ahead of his ruthless adversary (Sean Bean), decipher the remaining clues and unlock the 2000 year-old mystery behind our greatest national treasure.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles link.

The Washington, DC Convention & Tourism Corporation (WCTC) is the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital. A private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses and institutions, WCTC is committed to promoting the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. www.washington.org

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of gophila.com/pressroom.  

October 2004

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