Margin for Error (1943)

It is a toss-up as to who is most displeased when Patrolman Moe Finkelstein is given the duty of guarding the German consulate ran by Karl Baumer; neither Moe nor Baumer are too happy with ... See full summary »

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Clare Boothe Luce (play), Lillie Hayward (screenplay),

Stars:

Joan Bennett, Milton Berle, Otto Preminger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Bennett	...	Sophia Baumer
Milton Berle	...	Moe Finkelstein
Otto Preminger	...	Karl Baumer
Carl Esmond	...	Baron Max von Alvenstor (as Charles Esmond)
Howard Freeman	...	Otto Horst
Poldi Dur	...	Frieda (as Poldy Dur)
Clyde Fillmore	...	Dr. Jennings
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ludwig Donath	...	Hitler's Voice (as Louis Donath)

Storyline

It is a toss-up as to who is most displeased when Patrolman Moe Finkelstein is given the duty of guarding the German consulate ran by Karl Baumer; neither Moe nor Baumer are too happy with this turn of events. Moe, however, quickly becomes fiends with the other residents of the consulate: Sophie Baumer, the consul's wife; the secretary Baron Max Von Alvenstor; and a pretty maid named Freida. Moe senses an underlying tension that is not entirely accounted for by the gathering clouds of war. The gambling-loving Baumer has lost a large sum of money belonging to the German government, Sophie has learned to hate her husband and what he stands for and represents, and Baron Max has fallen in love with her. Max confronts Baumer with the discrepancy in the consulate's funds, and Baumer threatens to inform Berlin that one of Max's grandparents was not "Aryan." The arrival of a group of Nazi saboteurs and the insistence they be given the funds to finance their project stirs consulate affairs ...

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Plot Keywords:

german | baron | nazi | saboteur | captain | 

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Taglines:

There's NO Rationing of Entertainment in... [Margin for Error]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Margine d'errore

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

User Reviews

Sour grapes

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.