The Narrow Margin │ Warner Archive Collection
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment
by CHAD KENNERK
Few film noirs are as tight as The Narrow Margin. Originally produced as a low-budget programmer for RKO Radio Pictures, the 1952 thriller directed by Richard Fleischer became an unexpected critical and commercial success and is now widely regarded as a noir classic. Running a lean 71 minutes, it wastes no time establishing LAPD Sgt Walter Brown (Charles McGraw), who must escort a mobster’s widow (Marie Windsor) on the Golden West Limited from Chicago to Los Angeles, where she is set to testify against organised crime — all while evading the killers hidden among the train’s passengers. The new Blu-ray release from the Warner Archive Collection finally gives the noir the home video presentation it deserves.
Based on the unpublished story Target, by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard and adapted by Earl Felton (who initially wrote it for radio), the film’s deceptively simple premise unfolds almost entirely within the claustrophobic confines of a train. Fleischer (son of animation pioneer Max Fleischer) was given just 13 days and roughly $200,000 to complete the picture, constraints he turned into strengths. Working alongside cinematographer George E. Diskant, Fleischer employed close-quartered compositions, shadows and reflections to intensify the feeling of entrapment. And though much of the film was shot on sets, he managed to bring the cast and crew to Los Angeles’ Union Station and onto a real passenger train, shooting guerrilla-style without permits. Looking back, he admitted to pushing the cast and crew a little too hard in the pursuit of authenticity. Fleischer would go on to helm major productions such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Soylent Green.
The production’s behind-the-scenes drama is nearly as compelling as the film itself. RKO executives initially baulked at casting McGraw due to his off-set reputation, but Fleischer insisted, vouching for the actor’s toughness and presence. Windsor, who was once touted by MGM as the ‘next Joan Crawford’ and later dubbed the ‘Queen of the B’s’, quipped at a 1999 screening, “It’s nice to be queen of something.” Completed in 1950, The Narrow Margin was shelved for almost two years by RKO’s mercurial owner Howard Hughes, who loved the film but considered reshooting it with bigger stars such as Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell to transform it into an “A” picture.
Thirteen months after completion, fill-in director William Cameron Menzies filmed a handful of revised pages. Fleischer eventually secured the film’s release by agreeing to assist with adjustments on John Farrow’s His Kind of Woman (ironically starring Mitchum and Russell). RKO’s marketing department reportedly came close to spoiling major plot details on the original poster until someone suggested otherwise. Released in May 1952 with minimal alterations, the film became a sleeper hit, widely praised for its taut direction and sharp dialogue. Fleischer later recounted the saga in his memoir, Just Tell Me When to Cry.
Presented in 1080p from a new HD master sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, the transfer is impressively sharp, with rich contrast that preserves the organic grain structure while showcasing the deep blacks and crisp whites so integral to shadow-heavy noir. While the Warner Archive line is not known for extensive bonus material, this edition punches above its weight with an audio commentary by the late directing legend William Friedkin, which incorporates excerpts from Fleischer interviews and offers a thoughtful appreciation of the film’s craft and legacy. The period-appropriate short subject So You Never Tell a Lie, the noir-themed Daffy Duck cartoon The Super Snooper, and the original theatrical trailer round out the package. More than seven decades after its release, The Narrow Margin remains a masterclass in economical filmmaking. The Warner Archive edition enhances the experience with superb presentation, making it an essential recommendation for long-time devotees and noir newcomers.
The Narrow Margin is available on Blu-ray 27 January from Warner Archive Collection.
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