Design for Living (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Reviews

There aren’t a lot of Noel Coward’s words in Ernst Lubitsch’s adaptation of his stage play Design for Living, but the basic plot is there, and with a smart script, witty acting, and that unmistakable Lubitsch direction, the essence of Coward is there even if the words aren’t. This pre-Code romantic comedy hasn’t been much seen over the decades after its initial release because the Production Code refused to grant it a seal owing to its über-sophisticated view of sexual couplings, but Lubitsch and writer Ben Hecht have let the audience supply the raunch: all of the sexual dalliances going on in this scenario are definitely being played off screen and in our heads.

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