The Thomas Crown Affair
 



Synopsis

Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is a man of risk, gambles and adventure. A reputed financial man, generous patron, art and woman collector, he seduces us with his elegance and his always in control composure. Yet he is a loner, a secret person always on guard and unable to make bonds with others.

Recently, Crown has been giving up his lunch breaks to visit the New York Museum and admire a painting by Vincent Van Gogh for which he has fallen passionately in love. The museum personnel begin to joke with him about this ritual, especially when there is a priceless Monet in the same room.

And then, one day, four men enter the museum in a statue of a horse. The alarm is sounded and confusion reigns. Crown, taking advantage of the havoc, in one smooth movement, puts the Monet in his brief case and calmly exits the museum.


Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) is the insurance inspector in charge of the case. She has already figured out that the four men were just to throw the attention off track. Noting that the name of Thomas Crown appears on the list to participate in a big auction of impressionist paintings, her instincts convince her that she has found her man. She informs him of her suspicions and that she will get him. The challenge appeals to Crown enormously...

The original Thomas Crown Affair came out in 1968. Steve McQueen played the supercool millionaire and Faye Dunaway, the one who wants to nab the gentleman-thief. Dunaway also appears in the new version as Crown's psychiatrist. Norman Jewison directed the original film and Haskell Wexler was the cinematographer who employed the multi-image effects popular in the 60's. But most of all, we remember the Oscar winning theme song "The Windmills of Your Mind" by Michel Legrand.

Pierce Brosnan
"Thomas Crown has always seemed to me one of the most intelligent and complex characters in the history of cinema. He has power and is not satisfied just to earn amply a living, but must turn everyday into a new challenge."

John McTiernan
"The first Thomas Crown Affaire was the story of a hold-up, ours is a romantic movie. It's about the meeting of two very strong personalities, satisfied with being single and unable to maintain long-term relationships."

"The original was centered in the traditional bourgeoisie of Boston. In our version, he's a self-made man who won a scholarship for Oxford and continued to climb the ranks. Twenty years later, he possesses a considerable fortune and is in search of a new challenge."

 

Pierce Brosnan, Thomas Crown

Brosnan was born in Drogheda, Ireland where he spent his first eleven years before moving to London with his family. He studied at the Drama Center before debuting in theatre and then made a reputation for himself on British television, especially the BBC series Nancy Astor. Brosnan became internationally famous with his role as James Bond in Goldeneye (1995) and then Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

 


Among the titles of the more than twenty films he has appeared in are: The Lawnmower Man, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mars Attacks!, and Dante's Peak. His production company, Irish Dream Time Inc, produced The Thomas Crown Affair. His third Bond picture is soon to come out: The World is Not Enough with Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards and Robert Carlyle. Brosnan lives in Malibu, California with his wife and 2 year old son.


John McTiernan, Director

McTiernan is an action and adventure filmmaker who is best known for films such as Die Hard with Bruce Willis, The Hunt for Red October with Sean Connery, The Last Action Hero with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 
FILM CREDITS
Producer Pierce Brosnan, Beau St Clair
Director John McTiernan
Screenplay Leslie Dixon, Kurt Wimmer
Editor John Wright
Photo Tom Priestley
Costume Kate Harrington
Decor Bruno Rubeo
Music Bill Conti
Cast Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara, Faye Dunaway
Running time 105 min
International sales UIP