The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writer:

Alan Trustman (written by)

Release Date:

19 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Romance

Tagline:

He was young, handsome, a millionaire - and he'd just pulled off the perfect crime! She was young, beautiful, a super sleuth - sent to investigate it!

Plot:

A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Heist | Insurance Investigator | Police | Bank Heist

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Steve McQueen	...	Thomas Crown
Faye Dunaway	...	Vicki Anderson
Paul Burke	...	Eddy Malone
Jack Weston	...	Erwin
Biff McGuire	...	Sandy
Addison Powell	...	Abe
Astrid Heeren	...	Gwen
Gordon Pinsent	...	Jamie
Yaphet Kotto	...	Carl
Sidney Armus	...	Arnie
Richard Bull	...	Booth Guard
Peg Shirley	...	Honey
Patrick Horgan	...	Danny
Carol Corbett	...	Miss Sullivan
Tom Rosqui	...	Pvt. Detective

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 | USA:TV-PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:R (M.P.A.A. Cert. No. 21612) | Canada:PG (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | Brazil:12 | USA:Approved (Suggested for Mature Audiences) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

85 Mt. Vernon Street, Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

The one-minute kissing sequence between the two leads took eight hours to film over a number of days.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When the robbers and some people are in the bank elevator, one girl wears a light-blue dress. Some minutes later, after the robbery, she talks to the police wearing a light-green dress.

Quotes:

Thomas Crown:What a funny, dirty little mind!
Vicki Anderson:It's a funny, dirty little job! So shoot me in the leg!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Twice in a Lifetime: Old Flames (#1.18)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

The Windmills Of Your Mind

Unforgettable 60's cool

This movie is for fans of the 60s era not just 60's movies. It is a vehicle for displaying McQueen's cool and Dunaway's style. Made and set in an age when only the hippest were members of the jet set. Besides the two stars, look for solid performances from a very young Yaphet Kotto and the always disgusting Jack Weston.

The film itself is well crafted, beautifully photographed and brilliantly directed, it also has a great score. Jewison makes use of the split screen effect, several places in the film. While not only visually interesting, it also captures something of the essence of the era. Few people today will realise the significance of the split screen effect, as they don't remember Montreal's Expo/67.

While essentially a cool heist flic, and one of the first, this film is much more. It is a subtle study of human behaviour and the basic characteristics of man and woman. McQueen is the bored rich playboy and Dunaway is the cool, yet seductive private eye, who is not above using her feminine charms to solve a case. From time to time, the film hints at Crown's inner crisis, he is constantly in need of distraction, to prevent himself from dwelling on the fact that his life is essentially empty and meaningless.

Throughout the film, McQueen and Dunaway play a cat and mouse game, both on the professional level and also on the sexual level. The sexual tension during the chess game for example is so palpable, you can't help but be drawn in, dwelling on every stroke of Dunaway's fingers and every twitch on McQueen's face.

Unlike the modern remake, which is vapid by comparison, this film forces the viewer to pay attention, or risk missing the whole point. The pace of the original is much slower than the remake, and so might not appeal to those raised on video games.

The ending of this film gives us some real insight into the true nature of the relationships between men and women.

Overall, this film is a modern masterpiece.