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By Mallory Mattingly
Director Anthony Maras’ latest project, PRESSURE, highlights the historical decisions that shaped D-Day and conveys a message of faith in the midst of uncertainty.
“I was really captivated by this idea of a character who had something he really needed to get off his chest,” Maras told Movieguide® about Captain James Stagg, Britain’s top meteorologist. “He needed to warn these people of these massive storms that were coming. And yet he knew what he needed to tell them, but he knew that they also didn’t want to hear it. And I thought that it took a lot of courage for his convictions to basically stare the most powerful military titans on earth at the time and to basically tell them something they didn’t want to hear.”
PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Stagg in the 72 hours before D-Day as they “face an impossible choice — launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.”
“I thought that took a lot of courage, and it was one of the central things that kind of interested me in the story,” the director continued. “Someone who’s able to look into nature and kind of see the hidden code behind the weather fronts, and he’s the canary in the coal mine. He was trying to warn people of what was going to come next, and they didn’t want to listen to him. And so the clash between these characters is something that I found quite captivating.”
“A lot of faith you have to have to make the decisions and calls that he made,” Maras added.
Related: Brenden Fraser to Star as Dwight D. Eisenhower in PRESSURE
Part of Movieguide®’s review for PRESSURE reads:
PRESSURE is a superbly structured, acted and directed patriotic movie about the Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy. The invasion spelled the beginning of the end for Hitler’s National Socialist Germany. PRESSURE is a gripping, terrific, must-see historical drama. It has a strong moral, patriotic worldview with an inspiring church scene. However, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children and young teenagers because of strong violence, five strong profanities and six obscenities.
The movie highlights one of the most important days in US and world history, and faith played a massive role.
“I think it’s about having the humility to say, ‘I don’t know.’ I think some of the best moments…in the film is where Stagg looks his superiors in the face and says, ‘I cannot give you the thing that you want most,’ which is certainty,” Maras said. “‘But I can tell you, based on what we do know, I think this is the right answer.’ And it’s perhaps something they weren’t used to hearing.”
“I think the courage in one’s convictions, that sort of trait is timeless and that theme is timeless,” he added. “But I think now more than ever, having someone who is like a rock, who is steady, who makes his findings based on facts and data, and an honest representation of those is something that should be celebrated.”
PRESSURE stars Andrew Scott as James Stagg, Brendan Fraser as Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, Kerry Condon as Kay Summersby, Chris Messina as Irving Krick and Damien Lewis as Bernard ‘Monty’ Montgomery. The film was written and directed by Anthony Maras as well as David Haig.
PRESSURE is in theaters now.
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