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musings on
synchronicity
and the value of
paying attention

1968 is one of those years. In some ways, the world seemed to be coming apart, while in others, life could almost be too good to be true. As it turns out, neither scenario captured all of reality, and coping across the spectrum proved to be an interesting adventure.

As art seems to imitate life, two films from that infamous year run the gamut. Both star Steve McQueen and both involve screenwriter Alan R. Trustman. The first, from producer/director Norman Jewison (supported by Haskell Wexler as director of photography and Hal Ashby as assistant director), is the stylish and sophisticated caper The Thomas Crown Affair. The second, from director Peter Yates, is the Mustang-fueled car-chase king, Bullitt. You can't go wrong with either one, although they're very different films.

We'll stick with The Thomas Crown Affair here and note that the 1999 film of the same name (starring Pierce Brosnan) is a completely different kettle of fish. The once-and-future Bond star's film resembles McQueen's 1968 adventure only through its name and the general "heist"-related theme. Yes, there's a romantic element in both, but in the Jewison/Trustman/McQueen film, the character study of the two protagonists is the cat-and-mouse game central to the film. With fewer special effects (technology in 1968 appeared as an IBM Selectric typewriter and rotary-dial telephones — with booths full of pay phones, no less!), story takes center stage in the 1968 original.

Of course, director Jewison also brought flair to the screen, and not just by dressing Faye Dunaway in high-fashion (and high-hemline) clothes. New at the time was the use of Mondrian-like floating segments breaking up the screen with out-of-focus backgrounds and shifting elements to dazzle the eye and direct attention.

You'll see character actors like Paul Burke, Jack Weston, Yaphet Kotto, and Gordon Pinsent, whose names you may not recognize but whose faces are oh-so-familiar. And you can indulge your fantasies for fine living, artwork, golf, polo, glider planes, Rolls Royce automobiles, dune buggies, and chess. Add in a jazzy music score by Michel Legrand, who's theme song, The Windmills of Your Mind, was nominated for an Oscar®, and you have a smart, chic, caper flick with lots of character and an nicely unexpected ending.

Then, check out Bullitt.

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