Margin for Error

"Margin for Error," a wartime film released in 1943, navigates the delicate balance of injecting humor into a narrative dominated by the shadow of World War II. Despite its promising origins as a stage play by Claire Booth Luce and a screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Samuel Fuller, the film struggles to rise above the weight of its propaganda content.

Directed by Otto Preminger, who also takes on the role of the sadistic Nazi consul, the film showcases a mismatched mix of genres. While the comedic elements feel desultory and often fall flat, Preminger's portrayal of the villainous consul adds a compelling layer to the story. His character lacks any redeeming features, and Preminger revels in playing the antagonist with evident gusto.

Milton Berle, playing the lead character Moe Finkelstein, a New York City cop tasked with guarding the German consulate, displays a restrained performance. However, the film's attempt to infuse humor into the serious wartime setting seems to stretch Berle's comedic talents thin. The supporting cast, including Joan Bennett and Carl Esmond, contributes solid performances, with Bennett bringing a noteworthy presence to her role.

The narrative unfolds through a clever use of flashback, allowing Berle's character to recount the events within the German consulate. The film cleverly weaves a murder mystery, reminiscent of Agatha Christie, into its plot, adding an intriguing layer to the otherwise uneven storyline.

Cinematographically, the film boasts impressive production values, with velvety photography by Cronjager and appealing set designs by Day. However, the comedic elements, intended to provide relief from the wartime tension, have not aged well, resulting in a film that falls short of its potential.

In retrospect, "Margin for Error" remains a peculiar blend of genres, with Preminger's strong performance standing out against a backdrop of mixed comedic and dramatic attempts. The film's historical context, as a wartime propaganda piece, adds an extra layer of interest, but it ultimately fails to join the ranks of Preminger's more accomplished works.

Additionally, it presents an idealized vision of a democratic America where seemingly people of all nationalities are well accepted and integrated. However, notably absent is any acknowledgment of the serious issue of segregationist racism that prevailed in the country at that time. The film appears to offer a simplified and optimistic portrayal of American society in the 1940s, overlooking the tensions and challenges related to racism that were, in reality, a significant part of the era. This lack of a deeper exploration may limit the authentic representation of the social and cultural complexity of that period.

I saw this film last night at the NFT.Unfortunately my hopes were not realised.It could not decide whether it was a comedy,drama or war film.Otto Preminger,doing his usual nasty Nazi was the only good thing in the film.When he disappeared the whole film went down the plughole.Milton Berle is unknown in the UK.I have seen some of his film performances which tend to be rather over the top.In this film he is rather restrained,more is the pity.Even he could not draw humour out of what should have been a promising situation.Apparently Otto was so keen for this film to succeed he spent his own money on rewrites.This begs the question just how bad the film was before the script alterations.All i can say is,Otto you should have saved your money.

Policeman Milton Berle is assigned to guarding the German consulate in New York, despite his protests. He woos the German maid, Liesl Handl, gets along well with aristocratic consulate secretary Carl Esmond, thinks the consulate's wife, Joan Bennett, is quite a looker (so do I). That leaves the consul, played by director Otto Preminger as if he is Eric von Stroheim, He is a stinker. Meanwhile, various plots are playing out within the walls.

On paper, this looks like it should have been a pretty good movie. It's based on a Claire Booth Luce play, and the screenplay is by Lillie Hayward and Samuel Fuller. Yet the propaganda content overwhelms everything so much that the jokes have aged very poorly. The result is a desultory effort.

I venture to suggest that Preminger had no talent for directing comedy. He finished up a couple of films for Lubitsch in a manner tha lacked sparkle, and spent the rest of his career doing important and often fascinating dramas, I venture to say that it's just as well.

It's just a joy to see Moe Finkelstein,a modest cop ,give lessons in democracy to a consul (the director/actor) and to a German of high birth,a baron !It was a propaganda movie ,but it did not repeat parrot(!) fashion Preminger's peers ' errors (!).Actually the purpose of the movie was to denounce Nazis and it pulls it off with gusto ,thanks to Milton Berle's naive but effective common sense .He probably never read "Tristan Und Isolde" but he knows that his country is the country where you enjoy freedom of expression.The movie cannot be ranked among Preminger's finest works,by a long shot ,but its construction (a long flashback) is a good way to show that all the Germans are not evil when the cop (now a soldier)stands up for his noble friend .There's also a murder mystery a la Agatha Christie a bit far fetched but rather smart. Fine acting,particularly by Joan Benett and Milton Berle.Preminger's character is a bit caricatured.

In order to bring this to the screen in 1943 Margin For Error had to be told in flashback. So it was by star Milton Berle as he relates to his fellow GIs his and Carl Esmond's story as they are about to hit a beach.

Margin For Error which was written by Clare Booth Luce had a run of 264 performances on Broadway during the 1939-40 season. Only Otto Preminger as the sadistic Nazi consul in New York before FDR broke diplomatic relationship with them and star of the story and Edward McNamara playing a police captain repeat their roles from Broadway.

Milton Berle takes the place of Sam Levene playing New York City policeman Moe Finkelstein who draws from McNamara the unenviable task of guarding the Third Reich embassy in New York. Can you imagine that in New York there are a sizable number of people not happy with the doctrines of the Third Reich, a lot of them with names like Finkelstein? Still Berle does his duty and at the same time is in a position to foil a few Nazi schemes.

Otto Preminger is looking like he's loving playing the villain here, a man without a single redeeming feature you can name. He's even stealing from the Third Reich because he has a nasty gambling habit which ultimately brings him down. He's married to Joan Bennett whose mother was American although she's in love with the embassy's secretary Carl Esmond.

Howard Freeman is in the cast as the leader of the American Bund in a characterization a whole lot like Fritz Kuhn. Kuhn had ambitions to be America's Hitler, but he was a bungler and a clod and just didn't have the right stuff. Still he was what later would be termed a useful idiot, but even Freeman's not putting up with Preminger for too much longer.

Watching Berle in another feature from 20th Century Fox it becomes even more abundantly clear that Darryl Zanuck saw in him a comedy star who could be as bankable at the box office as Bob Hope was with Paramount. He was certainly more convincing in this instant as a Jew than Hope would have been, but the lines and situations were pure Hope.

Margin For Error still holds up well as a World War II era item than a whole lot of others do.