The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Four men pull off a daring daytime robbery at a bank, dump the money in a trash can and go their separate ways. Thomas Crown, a successful, wealthy businessman, pulls up in his Rolls and collects it. Vickie Anderson, an independent insurance investigator, is called in to recover the huge haul. She examines the people who knew enough about the bank to have pulled the robbery and discovers Crown. After starting a tight watch on his every move, she begins seeing him socially.
For more about The Thomas Crown Affair and the The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray release, see the The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on February 17, 2018 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
One of the "nice" things about less than optimal Blu-ray releases of fairly well known titles is that often after the initial release (typically by the studio
and/or
label responsible for the original theatrical exhibition), other labels can pick up the titles and go for the gusto again, in a perhaps risky attempt to part
consumers from their hard earned cash. That's the case with The Thomas Crown Affair, out now in a so-called 50th Anniversary Edition from
the folks at Kino Lorber, several years after MGM released its
version of the venerable title. One of the interesting things about this release is that one of its new supplements is a commentary by folks more
associated with Twilight Time, suggesting that this may have been on the "Limited Edition" radar at one point (those with long memories may recall
that at one point it looked like At Long Last Love was
reported to be coming from Twilight Time, though it ultimately ended up as an Amazon Exclusive offered by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment).
The Thomas Crown Affair is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Kino
Lorber touts a new 4K restoration of this title for this release, and there's little doubt it's an improvement over the previously released Blu-ray. I'm
scoring this a 4.5 since it's such an obvious improvement over the previous MGM release, but that said, this is a film that is almost relentlessly filled
with opticals, some of which
present a few hurdles for grain resolution and overall compression, so I could see some thinking this doesn't deserve quite that high of a score.
Sharpness and clarity are generally improved here, even in some of the opticals and split screen effects, though admittedly the upticks can be quite
slight at times. The palette looks a good deal healthier in this version than the MGM release, and many of the outdoor scenes really pop with a new
vividness now. Fine detail on the gorgeous costumes Dunaway is fitted with also looks more precise.
As with the video element, I'm upgrading the audio score on this release to 4.0 from the MGM's 3.5, but there are still some occasionally slightly weird
sounding aspects, including a boxy sounding opening rendition of the film's Oscar winning anthem "The Windmills of Your Mind", aspects which (again,
as with the video) may cause some to think this deserves a somewhat lower score (3.75, maybe?). This version doesn't quite have the same low end
fluttering I perceived in the MGM release, but there's still something not quite right about how at least some of the music sounds. As with the MGM
release, dialogue makes it through the gauntlet just fine.
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Lem Dobbs and Nick Redman
Interview with Director Norman Jewison (1080p; 19:26) is actually called A Master Class in Style, which is perhaps a more
accurate descriptor for the focus of this engaging piece.
Interview with Title Designer Pablo Ferro (1080p; 7:39) is also interesting, detailing Ferro's multiscreen technique.
Three's a Company (1080p; 8:53) is an archival on set piece featuring interviews and behind the scenes footage.
The Thomas Crown Affair Trailer (1080p; 2:04)
In the Heat of the Night Trailer (1080p; 2:47)
The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! Trailer (480p; 4:29)
As I mentioned in the review of the MGM version, The Thomas Crown Affair is kind of unavoidably a relic of the "mod" late sixties era, and as
such may be perceived as being horribly quaint to younger viewers in particular. That said, the film is brisk, visually inventive and brimming (perhaps
even overflowing) with the combined charisma of Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. This new Kino Lorber Studio Classics version not only improves
on the technical merits of the presentation, but ups the ante by including several enjoyable new supplements. Highly recommended.
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Kino Lorber have detailed their upcoming Blu-ray release of director Norman Jewison's classic thriller The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston, and Gordon Pinsent. The release will be available for purchase ...
Kino Lorber have confirmed that they will celebrate the 50th anniversary of director Norman Jewison's classic thriller The Thomas Crown Affair with a brand new Blu-ray release, which will be available for purchase in early 2018.
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