description Design for Living Overview
Design for Living, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, adapts Noël Coward’s 1932 play. The story centers on a woman navigating affections from two men alongside a shared arrangement of cohabitation. Fredric March, Gary Cooper, and Miriam Hopkins star in this pre-Code romantic comedy exploring complex relationships.
info Design for Living Specifications
| Country | United States |
| Year | 1933 |
help Design for Living FAQ
Who are the three leads in Design for Living?
Miriam Hopkins plays Gilda, with Fredric March as George and Gary Cooper as Tom. The 1933 film builds its comedy around Gilda's refusal to choose neatly between the two men.
Is Design for Living faithful to Noel Coward's play?
It is based on Coward's 1932 play, but Ben Hecht's screenplay changes much of the dialogue and structure. Ernst Lubitsch keeps the triangular relationship but makes it a distinctly Hollywood pre-Code comedy.
Why is Design for Living called a pre-Code film?
It was released in 1933, before strict enforcement of the Production Code began in mid-1934. Its frank treatment of sex, cohabitation, and a three-person romantic arrangement would have been much harder to make under later Code rules.
What does the phrase design for living mean in the movie?
In the film, it refers to Gilda, Tom, and George trying to invent their own romantic arrangement. The joke is that their elegant pact keeps collapsing under jealousy, desire, and ambition.
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