By John Corrado
One of my favourite movies of the year so far, the fantastic World War II drama Pressure is being released on physical media this week, including 4K Ultra HD.
Andrew Scott stars in the film as James Stagg, the meteorologist tasked with providing General Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) the weather forecast for D-Day. The story unfolds in the 72 hours leading up to the attack on Normandy Beach, with director Anthony Maras wringing a lot of tension out of the material.
It’s built around an incredible performance from Scott, who is backed up by strong work from the ensemble cast, including Chris Messina as an arrogant rival meteorologist. It’s a great watch, finding a fresh and exciting angle to exploring one of the pivotal events of WWII, and I’m hoping that it finds a bigger audience at home.
Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)
Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):
The 4K disc includes two featurettes. A regular Blu-ray is also included in the package, which ships with a standard slipcover.
• Building Pressure (8 minutes, 53 seconds): Focuses on adapting David Haig’s original stage play for the screen, how the actors approached taking on these historical roles, and the interplay between the cast members.
• An Authentic World of War (10 minutes, 28 seconds): Looks at how the production team approached accurately recreating this period in time, from filming at the historic Mentmore Towers (standing in for Southwick House), to the costumes and uniforms, and the use of archival WWII footage (including the surprise involvement of Stagg’s grandson). It’s a good look at the film’s strong attention to detail.
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