L'Affaire Thomas Crown

The large number of reviews tossing this in the trash bin as an overwrought 1960s period piece, or inferior when compared to the Pierce Brosnan/Rene Russo remake caused me to find the DVD and take another look.

The problem with the 1967 film is that, unlike most films made today (including the remake), viewers need to think and connect the dots; and, there isn't always a "right" ending with all details neat and tidy. This is still a classic of the caper films, with McQueen giving the definitive performance of his absolute-cool image, and Dunaway as the Joan Crawford of the Virginia Slims generation.

The then-innovative parts of the film, including the multiple split screens and the repetition of the theme song with Noel Harrison look dated (and the split-screen is only effective on the big, big screens of the 1960s-era theaters), but the chess game is still the most-seductive bit of film where all the clothes stay on and nobody talks.

Listening to director Norman Jewison's commentary on the DVD is enlightening. The split screens were indeed a timely gimmick (Jewison and the producer saw the technique at Expo '67 in Montreal), and his explanation of the last scene in the cemetery gives a good insight as to how he aimed the film in general.

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."

This is a very stylish and cerebral film that's meant to stimulate your mind rather than your senses: it isn't fast-paced, there are no explosions or big "special effects", and it doesn't have a formulaic happy ending. But it will keep you guessing (and thinking)... that's what makes it so good.

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 there is justice in the criticism- for glamorising crime and dishonesty, and "The Thomas Crown Affair", although it concentrates as much on the aftermath of the crime as on the robbery itself, falls within this tradition and must therefore bear some of the criticism. It is, however, unlikely that it ever persuaded anyone to take up a career as a millionaire playboy criminal mastermind. It is too obviously a fantasy for that- with its visual tricks, its highly stylised acting (especially from Miss Dunaway) and a general atmosphere that seems unreal, at times even dreamlike, it has about as much to do with real crime as the James Bond films have to do with the everyday work of the British Secret Service. Moreover, unlike some of the other heist movies, such as "The Italian Job" or "The Biggest Bundle", which have artificially moralistic endings, "The Thomas Crown Affair" at least has the courage of its own amorality. Its ending may be ambiguous, but it does not try to drive home a "crime does not pay" message.

I prefer this film to the recent Pierce Brosnan remake which, although it has its good points, lacks the distinctive style of the original film. The original has, in fact, been criticised for being a triumph of style over substance. Well yes, it is- but with style like this, who's complaining? 7/10

Some movies rely on the chemistry of their lead co-stars in order to engage their audience, hoping that the thrill of watching two sexy movie-stars romancing and eventually getting it on with each other will provide sufficient escapism to make the reality lurking outside seem a world away. It's difficult to think of a film as reliant on the raw sex appeal of its superstars than Norman Jewison's 1968 heist thriller The Thomas Crown Affair, and Steve McQueen, as the titular millionaire playboy, and Faye Dunaway, as the sultry insurance investigator hot on his tail, positively sizzle with chemistry. In fact, they are so gorgeous that they manage to turn a game of chess into a playful game of seduction. The duo have certainly given much better performances during their careers, but they have never looked so good.

This pretty much sums up The Thomas Crown Affair: a polished, colourful star vehicle with an unashamedly glossy veneer. At the very centre of the story is a bank heist gone right, masterminded by the rather smug Thomas Crown (McQueen) after he handpicks his crew without ever letting them see his face. The thieves escape with over 2 million dollars, and nobody, including the rather clueless Detective Eddy Malone (Paul Burke), has any idea who it was. Enter Vicki Anderson (Dunaway), a no-nonsense independent woman with a love of the finer things in life. She quickly figures out that Crown was behind it all, but remains puzzled at why a man with everything would want to steal money he doesn't need. Of course, it's all a game, and the couple start their own game of cat-and-mouse as they embark on a steam affair.

Taking inspiration from the Expo 67 film A Place to Stand, which greatly impressed McQueen, Jewison employs 'multi-dynamic image technique', splitting the screen into sections with each part showing a different viewpoint. It gives the film a unique style, especially during the opening heist, and when combined with 60s kitsch, everything is wonderful to look at. While the visuals still impress, the characters are somewhat dated. He's the rich, philandering charmer, and she is bowled over by his fast-living and expensive possessions. It makes it all the more difficult to warm to a character I would detest in real life, but McQueen has more than enough charisma to pull through. There are never any real stakes, but it's pretty fun while it lasts, just a little hollow at its centre. The Pierce Brosnan/Rene Russo remake from 1999 makes for a more satisfying ride.