New WWII Drama 'Pressure' Tells the Story of the Meteorologist Who Delayed D-Day

The film 'Pressure,' directed by Anthony Maras and based on a 2014 play by David Haig, dramatizes the crucial weather forecast that led to the postponement of D-Day from June 5 to June 6, 1944. The movie stars Brendan Fraser as General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew Scott as chief meteorological adviser James Martin Stagg. It depicts the tense three-day period in June 1944 at Southwick House, England, where Stagg clashed with American meteorologist Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina) over the forecast. Stagg, a geophysicist with limited forecasting experience, was appointed in November 1943 to lead the Allied forecasting team. He synthesized data from three independent bureaus: the U.S. Army Air Forces (led by Krick), the Met Office, and the Admiralty. Krick used analog forecasting, while British teams relied on atmospheric physics. Stagg's prediction of a storm on June 5 led Eisenhower to delay the invasion. A break in the weather on June 6 allowed the Allies to launch the largest amphibious invasion in history, catching the Germans by surprise. The film also explores Eisenhower's relationship with his secretary Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon) and the disastrous Exercise Tiger rehearsal that killed 639 men. 'Pressure' opens in U.S. theaters on May 29.