The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
(Norman Jewison, US 1968, 102 min., 35mm print)
“What do you get for the man who has everything?” In the case of Steve McQueen’s Thomas Crown, it’s “kicks,” in the form of dune buggies, flying gliders, polo, and planning the perfect bank robbery. Crown is a successful real estate mogul constantly on the prowl for new thrills, including removing $2.6 million from a bank. The insurance company wants to recover that money and calls in a “special,” insurance investigator, Vickie Anderson (Faye Dunaway). Her methods are just as extra-legal as his, and as she gets closer, she finds it difficult to separate her personal and professional worlds, including the most erotically-charged game of chess ever filmed. The ultra-stylish trappings, including Michel Legrand’s score (featuring “The Windmills of Your Mind”) and multi-screen sequences designed by Pablo Ferro, make this a memorable piece of ’60s pop culture.