Margin for Error

"Margin for Error" is a propaganda film starring, of all people, Milton Berle! It's an odd but entertaining picture and is still watchable today.

The story begins on a transport taking soldiers to fight in Europe. One of the soldiers, Moe Finklestein (Milton Berle), tells the men a story to buck up their morale and get them to fight as a team.

It seems that before the war, Finkelstein was a New York City cop and he was given the dubious duty of being stationed at the German consulate in order to protect them. Being Jewish (heck, EVERY officer in the place was Jewish), he was loathe to accept the assignment. Once there, he comes to see that the head of the consultate, Herr Baumer (Otto Preminger) is a nasty piece of work. Baumer gives ample reason for everyone there to kill him and ultimately when he dies, it's "Murder on the Orient Express"! Who did it and why? See the film.

This film is unique because most WWII propaganda films are incredibly serious. But this one has a lot of comedic elements which make it a welcome break. Well worth your time...and...oddly...fun.

"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.

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.

Preminger also starred and directed the stage play which ran highly successful seasons both on Broadway (264 performances) and the West Coast, so he was a natural for the movie version. Unfortunately, the play is more than a trifle dated, unlike Mrs Luce's other huge stage success, The Women, which is still pointed and amusing even today. By contrast, the women in Margin for Error are not the least bitchy, feline or self-indulgent. Instead, the comedy (such as it is) centers on the efforts of a Jewish cop to come to terms with his duties at the German consulate. He smiles a lot, wins the heart of a serving girl (the lovely Leisl Handl) and has plenty to say and do, but Milton Berle's interpretation never strikes me as either the slightest bit policeman-like or true-to-life. Otto Preminger's portrait of the evil consul is equally one-dimensional, but at least he gives the role presence and charisma. While Preminger rivets attention, Berle is just plain dish-washy. Admittedly, the plot is full of holes, and the other police officers are likewise ridiculously simple-minded. Thank goodness the rest of the cast are better served by the script, particularly Howard Freeman in his best role ever as the strutting, cowardly Mussolini-like bund leader; dashing Carl Esmond as the secretary; and beautiful Joan Bennett as the wife. Production values, led by Cronjager's velvety photography and Day's appealing sets, impress

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.