For the 1999 remake see, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)

The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 movie starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. A remake was released in 1999 starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

The 1968 version was nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Music Score and Best Song. It won an Academy Award for Best Song with "Windmills of Your Mind" by Michel Legrand (music), Marilyn Bergman, and Alan Bergman (lyrics).

Plot summary

Thomas Crown, a young, handsome millionaire pulls off the perfect crime by having four men rob a bank and dump the money in a trash can, which Crown retrieves later and stores in a Geneva bank. Vicki Anderson, an independent insurance investigator, is contracted to investigate the heist. As she digs deeper into the case she begins to suspect Crown's involvement. In an attempt to get closer she begins seeing Crown socially, openly telling him she is investigating him.

They enjoy together activities like racing a dune buggy. The film was modeled on the life of noted Belgian thief, Tomas Van Der Heijden who stole over 7,000,000 Swiss Francs in 1954 .

Like other action movies of the late 1960s, there is abundant use of split screens to show simultaneous actions.

The movie has the distinction of featuring the longest kiss in cinema history, with McQueen and Dunaway liplocked in one scene for 55 uninterrupted seconds. This scene took over eight hours to film over a number of days.

The film also features the now famous chess scene. Mcqueen and Dunaway play a game of chess, silently flirting with each other, carressing the chess pieces, using them as metaphorical sexual objects.

Sean Connery had been the original choice for the title role but declined, a decision he later regretted.

Cast and characters

• Thomas Crown - Steve McQueen
• Vicki Anderson - Faye Dunaway
• Detective Lt. Edward 'Eddy' Malone - Paul Burke
• Erwin Weaver - Jack Weston
• Jamie McDonald - Gordon Pinsent
• Sandy - Biff McGuire
• Abe - Addison Powell
• Gwen - Astrid Heeren

Crew

• Directed by: Norman Jewison
• Written by: Alan Trustman
• Music by: Michel Legrand
• Produced by: Norman Jewison, Hal Ashby
• Production Company: The Mirisch Corporation
• Distributed by: MGM

Academy Awards

External links

1968 films | Best Song Academy Award | Films directed by Norman Jewison | Heist films | United Artists films

Thomas Crown ist nicht zu fassen | L'Affaire Thomas Crown | Il caso Thomas Crown | 華麗なる賭け | Дело Томаса Крауна (фильм) | Äventyraren Thomas Crown (1968)