Crown, o Magnífico

Having just revisited this one for what seems like 10 years (oh wait, it is about ten years), the first thing that chips away at me is the overkilling of gimmicks and a need to be art for arts sake. It's such a shame because the sexual tension of the two leads coupled with a deft story should have made for a 60s masterpiece, but sadly I think Norman Jewison (Director) must have gotten carried away like a kid in a sweet shop with the tools available to him in that burgeoning part of the decade.

The use of split screens works at the start but come the end of the film one feels like they have been hit over the head with it to the point of nausea. It also takes a third of the film before Faye Dunaway's Vicky Anderson shows up, which is fine if the film was actually another 30 minutes longer, yet the film isn't any longer and so we get a forced hour of blossoming love and passion and it leaves little room for fleshing out of the characters in relation to the crime heartbeat of the film.

There is still much to enjoy here, tho, the story is very impressive and it's one that intrigues all the way to the splendid finale. McQueen & Dunaway sizzle on the screen, none more so than during a chess sequence that had me hot under the collar. Some memorable scenes such as our couple in a sand buggy disturbing flocks of birds, and the scenes in Boston are just delightful, but ultimately the film goes down as style over substance exercise, a big chance wasted, which to a McQueen fan such as myself is infuriating in the extreme. 6.5/10

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.

Not what I expected. I expected a movie centered around Steve McQueen pulling off a heist. But actually it's a movie where the (brief) heist occurs early and the rest of the movie is about an insurance investigator played by Faye Dunaway trying to snare McQueen. The leaps of logic that allow Dunaway to get on McQueen's trail strain credulity even more than the implausible heist. The plot leaks like a sieve but the flashy direction and charismatic performances by the leads keeps you interested. McQueen and Dunaway definitely had chemistry. Hard to believe that terrible theme song won an Oscar. It's a good film so give it a shot, especially if you're a fan of "the king of cool" Steve McQueen.

This film seems very audacious for its age. It looks like it has been edited just two years ago because of the very dynamic way the bank attack scenes were filmed and the very sensual way the chess game scene was acted.

I very liked this movie, which very cool and very 'french' in its ambiance.

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."