#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)
[1] The film's plot does center on characters hiding aspects of their identities and backgrounds.
[2] Barney Thompson, the hotel manager, does figure out Vivian's profession and helps her discreetly while maintaining hotel propriety.
[3] Vivian's 'no kissing on the mouth' rule is well-documented as being 'too personal' and she breaks it when falling in love with Edward after the opera.
[4] The mother locking Vivian in the attic is verified in the film dialogue. However, the specific detail about her father only liking her when drunk is mentioned in character analyses but not consistently in primary sources.
[5] Vivian and Kit are behind on rent and facing eviction, which motivates Vivian to accept Edward's offer.
[6] Edward reveals his father was president of the third company he bought and dismantled, an act of revenge after his father divorced his mother and abandoned them.
[7] Vivian directly confronts Edward about both of them 'screwing people for money,' making him reflect on the harmful nature of his corporate raiding.
[8] This is incorrect. Edward explicitly tells Philip Stuckey the truth about Vivian being a prostitute at the polo match. Philip then uses this knowledge to proposition and later assault Vivian.
[9] Barney Thompson quickly figures out Vivian's profession but protects her and helps transform her appearance and manners to fit into Edward's world.
[10] Philip Stuckey does harbor resentment and his predatory nature is revealed when he hits and attempts to sexually assault Vivian, blaming her for Edward's change of heart about dismantling the Morse company.
[11] Kit spending rent money on drugs is confirmed, and in the original '3000' script Kit had a narcotic-induced cough. However, the theatrical release downplays Kit's drug problem compared to what was in the original script.
[12] The original screenplay '3000' was indeed much darker and was reconceived as a romantic comedy under Disney.
[13] In the original script, Vivian was addicted to cocaine and part of the deal was she had to stay off drugs for the week.
[14] The original ending had Edward throwing Vivian out of the car with money, and the script ended with Vivian and Kit on a bus to Disneyland.
#C RELATED QUERIES
#01 What role does La Traviata opera play in Pretty Woman's thematic structure?
#02 How does Edward's relationship with his mother influence his character in Pretty Woman?
#03 What other changes were made between the '3000' script and the final Pretty Woman film?
In the film *Pretty Woman* (1990), secrets and hidden identities serve as the primary drivers of the plot and character development. The characters are often leading "double lives," hiding their true selves or pasts behind professional veneers.
### **1. Vivian Ward's Secrets**
* **Her Profession:** The most obvious secret is Vivian's identity as a street-level sex worker. While Edward knows this, she must keep it hidden from everyone else in his high-society world, including business associates like James Morse and the staff at the hotel (though the manager eventually figures it out).
* **The "No Kissing" Rule:** Vivian keeps a secret emotional boundary: she refuses to kiss clients on the mouth. This is her way of keeping a "secret" part of herself—her intimacy—protected and uncommodified. Breaking this rule later in the film signifies her genuine love for Edward.
* **Traumatic Childhood:** Vivian hides a history of abuse and neglect. She later reveals to Edward that her mother used to lock her in the attic when she "misbehaved," and her father only liked her when he was drunk. This "secret" past explains her fantasy of being rescued by a knight.
* **Financial Desperation:** At the start of the film, she hides the extent of her desperation—she and her friend Kit are behind on rent and facing eviction—to maintain leverage in her deal with Edward.
### **2. Edward Lewis's Secrets**
* **His Relationship with His Father:** Edward keeps his deep-seated resentment toward his late father a secret until he opens up to Vivian. He reveals that his career as a corporate raider was essentially an act of revenge: he "bought" his father's company and "sold off the pieces," effectively destroying his father's legacy.
* **The Nature of His Business:** To the public and the Morses, Edward is a "successful businessman." However, he hides the "hurtful" nature of his work—asset stripping—until Vivian's influence makes him realize he "screws people for money" just as she does.
* **Vivian's Identity:** Edward initially keeps the secret of who Vivian really is from his lawyer, Philip Stuckey, and his business partners. He introduces her as his "niece" or a "friend" to maintain appearances in his professional circle.
### **3. Supporting Character Secrets**
* **Barney Thompson (Hotel Manager):** Barney maintains a "professional secret." He quickly deduces Vivian's profession but chooses to keep it hidden and instead helps her navigate the social world of the Beverly Wilshire. His discretion is what allows the "fairytale" to continue.
* **Philip Stuckey (The Lawyer):** Philip keeps a secret, growing resentment toward Edward's newfound softheartedness. He also harbors a "secret" predatory nature, which is revealed when he attempts to assault Vivian after discovering her true background, blaming her for Edward's refusal to liquidate the Morse company.
* **Kit De Luca:** Kit keeps the secret of where their money goes. While Vivian is the "responsible" one, Kit struggles with a hidden lack of self-worth and a burgeoning drug problem (a theme much more prominent in the film's original dark script, *3000*).
### **4. "Meta" Secrets: The Original Script (*3000*)**
In the original draft of the film, the characters held much darker secrets that were scrubbed for the final romantic comedy version:
* **Vivian's Addiction:** In the original script, Vivian was secretly addicted to cocaine, and part of Edward's deal was that she had to stay clean for the week.
* **The "No-Happy-Ending" Secret:** The film's "secret" original ending was not a rescue; Edward was supposed to throw Vivian out of his car and toss the money at her in the dirt, leaving her to return to her life on the streets.
(Note: This summary was generated by Gemini 3.0 Flash + Search)