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Film trailer might be a 'Treasure' for tourism
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When South Dakotans go to the movies in the next few months, they will likely recognize some of the landscapes in a trailer for the upcoming movie "National Treasure: Book of Secr-ets."
Part of the movie, starring Nicolas Cage, was filmed in the Black Hills, and the trailer for the upcoming movie features a great deal of footage of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the spires of Needles Highway and the Sylvan Lake area.
Tourism officials hope that national exposure will be good for South Dakota.
Bill Honerkamp, President of the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Association, said he is pleased South Dakota will get that exposure.
"It's good national exposure," Honerkamp said.
He said that sometimes movie exposure is not good for an area because either that area is portrayed in a negative way or the location where the movie was filmed is not clear.
"So movie exposure is a real crapshoot, but this one sounds like it will be good for the area," he said.
He said having Mount Rushmore visible in the movie will let the viewer know those scenes were filmed in South Dakota and hopefully show the state has more to offer.
"Mount Rushmore will nail it as a South Dakota location, and when they show it in conjunction with these other places, I think many people will be surprised that South Dakota has places that look like that," Honerkamp said.
He said he hopes the national exposure to Sylvan Lake and the Needles Highway will let people know those areas exist in the state.
"For some people, South Dakota is a blank spot on the map, and that's part of the challenge for promoters around here to help spread the good word about the beauty of the Black Hills," Honerkamp said.
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets," a Walt Disney Pictures film, is the sequel to "National Treasure," released in 2004. In the film, Ben Gates, played by Cage, attempts to uncover secrets behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
In doing so, he is sent on a worldwide journey from Washington, D.C. to the Eiffel Tower to, of course, Mount Rushmore.
The film, which also stars Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Diane Kruger and Helen Mirren, opens in theaters nationwide Dec. 21.
Honerkamp said the movie is added to the list of national exposure the state has received in the past couple of months.
The Mount Rushmore Fourth of July fireworks display garnered national attention, and CBS News' The Early Show was filmed at Mount Rushmore on Thursday.
"We're really lucking out with this extra media exposure," Honerkamp said. "Now we're making it to the big screen."
Lesa Jarding, film and media representative for South Dakota Office of Tourism, is also pleased with the publicity.
"I think it's great," Jarding said. "It kind of showcases South Dakota and gets people interested in coming to see these places for themselves, and hopefully see the rest of the state while they're here."
The trailer can be viewed at www.nationaltreasure.com, which also features more information about the movie.
Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com
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