O Defensor - A História de Bert Trautmann

Though I had heard about Bert Trautmann I didn't know his story

Which this film told very well, and is well worth watching even and especially if you not a football fan.

My dad was in the POW camp with Bert and married a local girl (my mum) from Liverpool! I knew they'd had a hard time because my dad was seen as the enemy and my mum as a traitor, but this film is so beautifully told and it brought it home to me! It's both funny and deeply emotional, but most of all it's about reconciliation and acceptance! Obviously there's a little poetic license, but that adds to the film! It had me in tears, Highly recommended!

My Review The Keeper rating 7:5

It's unusual but this is almost 2 reviews in one unintentionally though but both The Keeper and The Last Quarter Documentary have issues in common.

The Keeper or Trautmann as it's known on IMBD is based on a true character .

I'd never heard of Bert Trautmann why would I? I've never been into football heroes English or Australian.

This week though I'm much more knowledgeable about 2 footballers Adam Goodes ,the famous Sydney Swans footballer after watching the excellent and confronting documentary The Final Quarter and The Keeper about a famous Manchester United Goal Keeper Bert Trautmann.

Both these men talented Sporting heroes sustained continuous insults and crowd abuse booing and jeering at their matches and media publicity reporting negatively about their character and ethnicity.

Bert Trautmann a released German Prisoner of War and extremely talented goal keeper for his participation in the 2nd World War as an Iron Cross awarded Luftwaffe Pilot . Australian Adam Goodes an indigenous First Nation football hero who dared to take a proud stand of Solidarity with his people and in doing so exposed himself to the ugly underbelly of racial vilification and continual booing and insults from the mass crowds at his matches.

The Keeper is a very good film, not great but only a few are these days however it's extremely entertaining and interesting and even if you're not a football fan of great human interest.

I read up a little about the true life events of Bert Trautmann and the script is pretty factual regarding the period of his life that the movie covers ,which saw him play as goalkeeper for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964.

Trautmann is played so well by a very handsome charismatic German actor David Kross who I remember from the excellent 2008 award winning movie The Reader .Freya Mayor gives a lovely performance in the role of Margaret, Bert's first wife and John Henshaw is also very impressive as Margaret's father Jack.

Good directing ,good script ,good acting interesting story and proof again that attitudes and prejudices remain the same even with decades of time separating them and that the ugliness of an angry crowd is a very scary and disturbing mass of negative emotions.

One of the most enjoyable films of the year, whether or not you like football. Really good story, solidly told. Yet another film not getting the publicity or wide release it deserves.

It was an absolutely wonderful film, a brilliant story about a tremendous soul who helped to bring people together. Who didn't seem to have a nasty bone in his body and who just seemed to personify dignity and grace, in addition to being a tremendous athlete. The performances by David Cross and John Henshaw were astonishing. Great ensemble cast, wonderful direction, just a really outstanding production