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source: Design for Living

This really is a great movie from 1933 and very ahead of its time.A young woman who is in love with two friends and is obviously sleeping with both of them must have shocked a more prudish audience back then i think it had been censored for a while.But never mind we can view it today knowing that there are a lot of gems like this one waiting to be rediscovered,its a shame that so many of the films made from this era are now lost.A modern audience wouldn't turn away from this film,as you don't expect a film from this era to be saucy and it is.Gary Cooper was a very nice actor and you can see why he was so popular back then,he had a very unusual style of being very masculine and at the same time very sensitive,he was great at picking the more complex roles,his characters weren't as one dimensional as most actors of this era.He was easily one of the most interesting actors of the 30s,this i would say was his best era in films.Unfortunately A Farewell To Arms is the only film you can buy in the UK from this era,i don't know why.Its sad that he is becoming a forgotten actor,i think we must have lost our imaginations a bit as we keep harbouring on with the John Waynes and the Cary Grants,and forget there were other classic actors around that don't deserve to be forgotten yet.

On a train to Paris, playwright Fredric March (as Thomas "Tom" B. Chambers) and his painter friend Gary Cooper (as George Curtis) are interrupted while snoozing by attractive blonde Miriam Hopkins (as Gilda Farrell). A commercial artist, Ms. Hopkins banters with her fellow Americans about art, then goes to work for her virtuous boss, Edward Everett Horton (as Max Plunkett). Mr. Horton doesn't approve when Hopkins begins dating both Mr. March and Mr. Cooper. Horton has known Hopkins five years, and hasn't made it "to first base," but her new friends get Hopkins there quickly. Roommates eleven years, March and Cooper both fall in love with Hopkins. "Curious to have a little bit of feminine fluff breaking up our friendship," March tells Copper. The bed in the men's apartment seems to have collected a lot of dust (watch as Hopkins throws herself on it). Hopkins says she loves both men. Since they all like each other, the three decide to live together, to "concentrate on work" and make "a gentlemen's agreement" to "forget sex." But, when March or Cooper leaves Hopkins alone with the other, abstinence becomes difficult. Moreover, Hopkins reminds the men, "I am no gentleman." This Noel Coward play was dramatically altered, by writer Ben Hecht, for director Ernst Lubitsch and Paramount. Great credentials, but something was lost in the translation. "Design for Living" intends to be a modern, sexy comedy. Looking back on it, you can appreciate what they were attempting with Hopkins' character. But, despite Mr. Lubitsch's clever opening, there isn't much "chemistry" between Hopkins and her leading men. And, despite Mr. Hecht's clever writing about their laundry, long-time roommates March and Cooper have no screen rapport. Though good, the film doesn't add up. ***** Design for Living (12/29/33) Ernst Lubitsch ~ Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, Edward Everett Horton

I'm not so much into the sophisticated comedies of the thirties where most of the action come from sexual innuendos and a lot of overblown speeches.I like a bit more action in comedies that make me laugh out loud.This one didn't quite do it for me. I appreciate the quality of film-making clearly evident in this movie,but it isn't my cup of tea. I found Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins very good in this movie,but Gary Cooper seemed rather out of place,overacting rather amateurishly. Edward Everett Horton played his usual middle-aged character,which he had done in so many movies of the thirties.Not a movie I will revisit often,but worth the watch.

I bought the Gary Cooper collection because of "Design for Living". It didn't disappoint me. This movie is classy, it's full of wit and sexually free. I found the plot intriguing, the set excellent, the costumes fine and Lubitsch inspired together with Ben Hecht (lovely and smart screenplay). The movie shows 4 actors only, which could be considered its strength if the actors were all good. 1 out of 4 is good and 2 out of 4 are really good. 1 out of 4 has got nothing to do with such environments, dialogs and sophisticated comedy. Gary Cooper does not fit to me. He's a sort of amazing good looking and so dashing statue to look at. Nothing more. He just doesn't look comfortable in acting spoiling intellectual shades. He doesn't work to me. Miriam Hopkins is good, she's mischievous, charming and funny. She plays the free woman with intelligence, combining sensuality and brain. Audience - even the male one - does understand why she can't choose between the two guys and she conquers it. Every woman would like to be her; that's the message she strongly brought on the screen: being free of living life the way she desires. Edward Everett Horton is perfect, hilarious and very elegant. He's the right choice to play Plunkett Inc. and he didn't let it down. He IS Plunkett Inc.! Fredric March is so charming, sophisticated, sexy and so right for Thomas. He does much better here than in other movies (e.g. Anna Karenina) which could seem more suitable for him. He's perfect for Lubitsch so much and his performance is a top one. He's a fine comedian too, he's measured and passionate at the same time and he's really handsome. His sensuality is made up either by intellectual attitude or a physical one. Don't know why he's been forgotten, a wonderful actor like he is. Can anybody tell me? I do suggest to get this movie and to enjoy it since it's really a nice touch in our collection. We do need nice and elegant touches. Especially nowadays.

Wow, look at the folks in this film--Frederic March and Gary Cooper in an Ernst Lubitsch film! You certainly would expect a lot from such a film. Well, although some might strongly disagree, but despite these actors and Lubitsch teaming together, this is not one of the director's better films. The problem is that the love triangle in the story prevents this from being a legitimate love story--something seem in most Lubitsch films. The film beings in Paris with March and Cooper living together in a cheap apartment. They are struggling artists, with March trying to become a successful playwright and Cooper trying to become a great painter. Into their struggle comes Miriam Hopkins, who has fallen in love with both they guys--and vice-versa. However, to preserve the friendship, they promise a "sex-free" friendship. The presence of Hopkins is a two-edged sword. On one hand, she encourages both men to be better at their craft and is responsible for working behind the scenes to be them recognized. On the other, there is strong sexual tension and ultimately this pulls the friendship apart. Can they work through this or will they each end up miserable...and frustrated? This film never could have been made a year later once the Production Code was revised and strengthened, as the notion of a three-some (even a non-sexual one) became strictly taboo...as was the liberal use of the word 'sex'. However, despite all this, the film really is mostly tease without a whole lot of action--though there is some implied sex (such as when March spent the night and was having breakfast with Hopkins halfway through the film). Sadly, however, despite some interesting sexual dynamics and good acting, the scrip just never paid off that much. Now it wasn't a bad film, but more like a film by a great director that is only very good. The so-called "Lubitsch touch" just wasn't that obvious. Yes, there was comedy but the romantic spark just never arrives. A nice but not especially wonderful film. Frankly, everyone in the film has done better work.

In this surprisingly risqué film made before the Hays code, two men and a woman share an apartment in Paris and talk openly about sex. It's fun to watch, thanks to the witty and sophisticated dialog of Noel Coward, the screenplay by Ben Hecht, and of course the masterful direction of Lubitsch. March is wonderful as a struggling playwright. Hopkins has one of her best roles as a free-loving woman who loves two men but marries a third. Lubitsch elicits a fine comedic performance from Cooper as a hot-tempered artist. In a typical role, Horton plays a stuffed shirt. There's no music, which could make things seem static, but Lubitsch keeps it moving at a breezy pace.

The other Reviews gave more than enough technical, background, and actors/actress information regarding this movie. I will just address the classification Comedy. I found the script and the performers amusing here and there. My patience was tried throughout the entire film, though, as I watched and listened in anxious anticipation for the "FUNNY" to kick in. Let me tally the count: Belly laughs= ZERO... Out loud laughter=ZERO... Out loud chuckles=ZERO... Snickers and hmm hmmps=UNDER FIVE... Smiles - Yeah, I smiled (cheeks sure did Not get sore maintaining one, though) AND, the movie ended. If the Pre-Code factor of this film and other info as furnished in other Reviews is enough for you, then watch it. I CANNOT recommend seeing this film if you, like me, have the prerequisite requirement that a movie classified Comedy MUST have at least ONE (1) laugh-out-loud moment in it. Barring that, I can't even say I felt the enjoyment of having spent the time it took to watch the movie, as I felt too much disappointment for what it lacked. By the way -- Of Course I appreciate Gary Cooper, Fredric March, Edward Everett Horton, and (lesser known to me, yet enjoyable enough) Miriam Hopkins. I've seen films they're in that were ---my definition --- Funny. Just not here.

The majority of Ernst Lubitsch's films were silent. I wish this one had been, too, because they talk the story to death. As the old saying goes, "Too much talk and not enough action". And, to make it all the worse, all you really have here are two adult men with school-boy crushes on a young woman. It makes them look simply childish. Is there any reason to watch this film? Well, a few minor reasons. You get to see Gary Cooper speaking excellent French; it's his only really good dialog in the film. And, you get to see Mirima Hopkins in a role before she was typecast as a ditz. Edward Everett Horton has a rare role for the character actor where he was almost a romantic lead. But the problem with this film is that there are no admirable characters. Gary Cooper and Fredric March fight over the girl...and are not only unfaithful to their friendship, but literally unfaithful, as well. And Hopkin's character is pretty much a...well, what do you call a woman who marries one man, has a relationship with a second man, and also marries a third man...all the time playing games with the affections of each. I know I'm in a minority here, and I usually like both Cooper and March, but this film is about as low class as a film can get...at least back in 1933. I kept watching only because I thought there must be a redeeming value to the film; it never came.