“Pressure” masterfully examines conflicts on selecting when to launch D-Day

“Pressure” is a film about a known event, D-Day. But the topic it covers, how the day of the attack was selected based on weather analysis, is less well-known. The movie does a masterful job de-mystifying meteorology and creating tension based on how a major delay would undermine the Allied cause. The acting is top-notch as well.

The story begins with Group Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) preparing to leave his pregnant wife for some kind of posting. He is driven to Southwick House, the Allies’ headquarters for Operation Overlord. The soldiers there are isolated from the citizenry to prevent leaks about the potential invasion of France.

While tender with his wife, Stagg is off-putting and officious in his dealings with other people. There is no doubt that he is brilliant in his field, as Winston Churchill has told General Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) as much.

One of Stagg’s colleagues, and Eisenhower’s chief meteorologist, is Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina). He correctly predicted, to great acclaim in Hollywood, rain patterns on the set of “Gone with the Wind.” He is portrayed as the life of the party and lax in discipline, much to the consternation of Stagg.

Krick has been Eisenhower’s weather adviser in North Africa and the Mediterranean war zone. He relies heavily on comparable weather maps from previous years to establish his weather predictions for D-Day.

Stagg argues that the use of these comparable maps is inappropriate for the weather of Northern Europe and the English Channel. He foresees a problem with the intended launch date of Monday, June 5. He wants the landing postponed two weeks.

Acting as mediator at times is Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon), Eisenhower’s gatekeeper. But even she cannot control Eisenhower when he becomes enraged that his two meteorologists cannot agree on what to do.

Meanwhile, Stagg receives a call that his wife went to the hospital to have her baby. But the hospital was bombed and her status is unknown. This only adds to Stagg’s stress in dealing with Krick and Eisenhower.
Summersby tries to get Eisenhower to let her go to the area of the hospital for an update for Stagg. But Ike is having none of it. He refuses to let her go.

Eisenhower also is portrayed as having difficulty dealing with a failed training exercise, Exercise Tiger. Held in England, it resulted in the deaths of over 700 American servicemen due to friendly fire and German submarine attacks. Ike holds himself personally responsible for the disaster. Summersby tries to console him with limited success.

It all comes down to a fateful meeting where both Stagg and Krick will present their findings and recommendations to Eisenhower and the Allied leaders. In any case, Ike is the one who has to make the final decision.

The picture is a success as far as it goes. In doing some research, I discovered that there actually was another player, Sverre Petterssen, a Norwegian meteorologist, who first raised the issue with Stagg about having the landing on Monday postponed due to incoming bad weather. Yet Petterssen is not mentioned at all in the movie.

I also found it interesting that there is not even an intimation of a romance between Ike and Kay Summersby. In reading about this alleged assignation, it is unclear if it even existed or how far it went if it did exist. I presume that since the central theme is the weather prediction for D-Day that this tangent was not raised.

At first I found the conflict between Stagg and Krick to be a bit stagey. Obviously they are two different personality types. But the initial encounters are so over-the-top that all they do is allow for scenery-chewing.

Then there is Fraser’s portrayal of Eisenhower. He displays gravitas and emotional range when dealing with the losses of Exercise Tiger and the selection of a date for D-Day.

I don’t know much about the 34th President. But in this script, he is prone to violent outbursts to both enforce his authority and exert control over a situation. At times he seems unhinged. One can argue that this shows how much “pressure” he is under. But I had to ask myself: is this how Eisenhower behaved in real life?

The biggest plus for the film is the way that it is able to build suspense about an event we already know happened. When Monday is rejected and we think that we have to wait two weeks, how do we get to a Tuesday launch?

The picture deserves credit for its ability to make meteorological mumbo-jumbo accessible to viewers. I could follow the basis for the various predictions and why questions were raised about each other’s forecast.

In reading the production notes, I was amazed at how much detail went into recreating the minor details in Southwick House. These included how the weather maps would have looked at the time and what machinery was used to create them. They were not able to film in the real Southwick House, but the production team did a great job making the substitute look like Allied HQ. The costumes also deserve special mention.

As for the acting, I have to admire Scott’s portrayal of Stagg. He can be intimate with his wife even as he lacks social skills in dealing with others or with those who have conflicting ideas. But he also is able to display grace and humility when needed. He has one great triumphal scene that alone is worth watching.
Condon gives the best performance as Summersby, though. She is so subtle in her facial responses and posture. She can be firm and consoling. I wish that she had been in more of the movie.

This is a relatively unknown part of World War II history. Even given possible historical inaccuracies, this can be a starting point for more research. There are some violent depictions of battles, so use caution if younger children are watching.

Three and a half out of five stars

In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice—launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

Cast: Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Damian Lewis
Directed By: Anthony Maras
Written By: David Haig and Anthony Maras