The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Take one playboy millionaire, a gorgeous woman, a bank heist and sprinkle with a fabulous though dated soundtrack and you have the type of film that US movie-makers in the 1960's were experts at producing. I look forward to seeing the re-make, but I know it won't be as good as the original. The directing was slick and the characterisations were brilliant, even though you need only to analyse McQueen and Dunaway. The only thing that marrs the film is the split screen direction at the beginning which probably was state of the art at the time, but appears passe now. As you watch the film you notice that the scenes with Dunaway and the detective are fast-paced and strained, whereas McQueen's scenes are drugged and relaxed, a bossa-nova backing tune never far away. The infamous chess scene is a tongue-in-cheek masterpiece that could never be equalled although the fact that recent films love to parody this suggests that it is rather dated. Although Crown is essentially an immoral character, you have to like him - you want to be him. There are certain similarities with The Great Gatsby in that Crown has so much cash that he is after absolute perfection. Unfortunately he can't get it, but unlike The Great Gatsby, this is by no means a tragic film, much more of a romantic thriller with a twist.

Fmovies: Amazing movie. I give movies a 10 when I can come up with no suggestion at all to make it better. The cinematography, editing, dialogue, acting, costumes, locations and most of all direction of this movie are perfect. A definite must see if you are a fan of James Bond or risk taking films such as The Graduate and Rosemary's Baby. After you watch it, make sure to watch the remake which simply pales in comparison. The two together are a perfect example of what we loose from the comtemporary Hollywood blockbuster formula.

Thomas Crown is a Boston financier who organises a daring bank robbery. This crime is not committed because he needs the money- he has made a large fortune from entirely lawful activities- but because he is bored with life and needs excitement. The police are in the dark as to who might have been responsible, but the bank's insurers are determined to recover their money and appoint Vicki Anderson, a tough female investigator, to look into the affair. Vicki soon comes to suspect Crown, but cannot prove his involvement, and so a game of cat and mouse begins between them. Vicki makes contact with Crown, hoping that he will give himself away, but he is well aware of her suspicions and is too clever to betray himself. They find themselves attracted to one another and eventually begin a love affair, leaving Vicki torn between her feelings for Crown and the job she has been assigned to do (in which she also has a financial interest, as she has been promised a percentage of any money she recovers).

The above scenario is, of course, implausible, but this is not a realistic film. It is a glossy colour supplement of a film that one watches not for realism or for its plot but for an atmosphere that has been described as the epitome of sixties cool. The trappings of Crown's millionaire lifestyle are much on display- his expensive cars, his luxuriously furnished penthouse apartment, his Cape Cod beach-house, his private glider, his games of golf and polo. (His surname is significantly derived from a symbol of wealth and power). The two leading actors, both iconic figures of the sixties, are perfectly cast. Steve McQueen was known not only as the Cooler King (his role in "The Great Escape") but also as the King of Cool. He was normally cast in "tough guy" roles, but here he broadens his range by taking on the role of a suave, wealthy playboy (although still with a hint of toughness), the sort of man every man wants to be and every woman wants for herself. Faye Dunaway was perhaps not a classical beauty in the style of some other sixties icons such as Raquel Welch or Julie Christie, but few actresses were better than she at conveying elegant, sophisticated glamour.

Everyone who sees this film seems to remember it for the same three things. First, there is director Norman Jewison's use of the "split screen" technique during the robbery and in the scenes of the polo match. This has been criticised as a gimmick, but I found that it did help to give these sequences a greater sense of urgency and rapid movement, a sense also heightened by Michel Legrand's driving musical score. (Legrand also provided a similar score for the British film "The Go-Between"). Second, there is the famous scene, full of sexual symbolism and suggestion but without any overt sexual content, where Vicki seduces Crown- or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they seduce one another- over a game of chess. (Faye Dunaway was at her best here). Third is the well-known theme song "The Windmills of Your Mind". The song's rather enigmatic lyrics do not have any direct reference to the plot of the film, but it fits the general mood perfectly, particularly as the plot itself is often enigmatic.

The sixties were the golden age of the heist movie with films such as "Topkapi", "The Biggest Bundle of them All" and "The Italian Job", all of which featured daring robberies carried out by a glamorous cast, often in an exotic setting. This genre has been criticised- and

The Thomas Crown Affair fmovies. I cannot think of anything that I did not like about the TCA. I read some of the other reviews, and I can understand why they might come to their conclusions to the contrary.

First, McQueen does look a little out of character being a financier, but as in most of his other roles, he is in control of the situation. He plays the loner outside of the situation and/or system. Even the women that came into his arms are issued temporary visa only as shown by Faye Dunaway left holding the bag at the end of the movie. He played her like a violin.

Someone mentioned that they hated the multiple shots used in several scenes, and that it was overused and probably pointless. I completely disagree. I think that it adds dimension and excitement when it used. During the robbery, the viewer can witness several aspects of the caper as it unfolds. The polo shots were fantastic and exciting.

To me McQueen was a bit of a mystery. What did he really want? "Kicks" as suggested by Paul Burke the police investigator? He told Faye Dunaway that it was he against the system, which leaves me a little less than satisfied. He certainly seemed to be bored. Everything came to him too easily.

Faye Dunaway started out great with the pitbull attitude toward reclaiming the money for the insurance reward. I liked the repartee at the initial meeting with McQueen at the art auction. I felt she showed weakness at their first dinner meeting when McQueen accused her of having a "funny, dirty little mind". The surveillance, "replacing the carpet" in his mansion and IRS audits forever were good blows she landed. McQueen always seemed to be one step ahead. Even before the last robbery when he said he had to know where she stood, I think he already was on the plane to Europe without her. For Faye, it was a lose-lose situation. Whether she ever was really in love with him or not, she got far to close to draw the line.

The chess scene in McQueen's den was probably the sexiest scene I have ever witnessed. Everything occurred in the viewer's mind -- no nudity or anything more than kiss on screen.

This movie was wonderful, a very good look at a refreshing look at the 60s with wealth and power. Even cigarette smoking had not become a pariah.

PS: I saw the Pierce Brosnan version of TCA, and it was zero in my estimation, and that was with the nudity. Don't waste your time on it.

The original "Thomas Crown Affair" directed by Norman Jewison is one of the coolest movies ever made and great fun for all of its 100 minutes - a clever bank-heist caper combined with the sensual romance where both participants (the brilliant bank robber and his match, the sultry and shrewd insurance investigator) are sophisticated, quick-witted and oh so cool. The split-screen technique really works well in this movie and I should mention the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" by Michel Legrand that very deservingly received an Oscar - and it does not happen often in the best song categories.

The chess game between "King Of Cool" Steve McQueen and 27 year old Faye Dunaway in the most provocative dress possible is one of the sexiest and most exiting without actual sex involved (my favorite kind of scenes - let my imagination work, let everything happen in my mind) scenes ever filmed. IMO, the 60s was one of the best dressed decades ever with the first wave of mini (and I mean it) skirts and elegant suits and dresses.

From Faye Dunaway's interview to "USA Today" about working with McQueen, "We had the most magical spark. Our hearts and souls combined. There was no romance off screen but on screen it was like a smack."

The Thomas Crown affair begs the question. What do the rich think of when they are bored? Norman Jewison decided to answer that question with a subtle, but over the top version of cops and robbers. Thomas Crown (suprisingly, but adroitly played by Steve McQueen) is a bored, millionaire who asks, "Who do I want to be tomorrow?" To that end, he decides on 'kicks.' In what seems like an absentminded challenge to himself, Crown designs and implements a down to the minute bank robbery. The plan is fantastic. He selects and hires five total strangers at random, instructs them on their part of the Bank robbery, then sets them in motion. What follows is perhaps the finest cat and mouse crime game between two intelligent and sophisticated players. Faye Dunaway plays Vicki Anderson, a top notch insurance investigator who for ten percent of recovered loot promises the capture of her agile quarry. Standing by to arrest the elusive Crown is Paul Burke, who plays Lt. Edward 'Eddy' Malone. Jack Weston portrays Erwin Weaver the get-a-way driver who could jeopardize Crowns Perfect crime. With the famous, "Windmills of your Mind" theme song, the viewer is hauntingly allowed into the mind of a sympathetic man and one cannot help but root for the thief. This film was McQueen's favorite. *****