The Thomas Crown Affair is an American film from 1968 directed by Norman Jewison . The film is a mixture between crime thriller and romantic movie. The Thomas Crown Affair time was an unprecedented success and became a legendary classic. The reason for this appreciation was probably the enthusiastic play of Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway , the film was also praised for its fast-track installation. Famous example assembly during the chess scene. Is also famous for the frequent use of split screen (an editing technique where multiple images are simultaneously mounted on the image) in a number of scenes.