The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Movie Review

Still stylish after all these years.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Director Norman Jewison


• 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)


• F.I.S.T. Trailer (1080i; 2:29)

The Thomas Crown Affair Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.