The Keeper

A truly heartwarming story of reconciliation and the human condition. I watched this film in the Cinema in St. Helens. A town that is close to my heart and that features in Bert Trautmann's story before his time playing for Manchester City.

This movie is about so much more than football. I'm largely disinterested in the beautiful game but even I was bowled over by the brilliant humour and heartwarming story of redemption and reconciliation.

Watch this movie, tell your friends about it and talk about it. It deserves to be seen both on its own merit and as one of the few films to represent working class northerners in a human light, displaying their unique sense of humour and kindness as well as dealing with the emotional fallout of war in a mature way.

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

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!

Anglo-German production, TV-movie(ish); two-dimensional fare. But the amazing story and a dollop of charm, makes this a hell of a lot better than it should be.

This is a straightforward historical romance. But it's well played by Kross as Trautmann, and Mavor as his wife Margaret. And Henshaw gives a typically excellent performance as plain-speaking, Northern dad.

It should be terrible, but it's a really watchable film, and a very good football film to boot. The CGI recreation of 1950's football stadiums is amazing. It takes dramatic licence, but still brings home the Cup.

1st half rather slow - livens up in 2nd. Two principal actors (German) and supporting British cast good. Film shows initial suspicion and hatred of Trautmann and later full acceptance by Man city supporters. The war scenes are rather glossed over (German script writers). In reality Trautmann was originally a committed Nazi and met the Fuhrer at the Hitler youth games where he was a silver medal winner at 2 events. As an elite paratrooper he won the Iron Cross and took part in the airborne invasion of Crete where he killed a few partisans. His training later helped to further his goalkeeping skills and he dived at the feet of opposing forwards and rolled forward with the ball. He surrendered to the British sector as the Americans would have killed him. He really should have played for Germany in the 1954 World Cup finals in Switzerland but only players with national home based clubs were considered.

After his broken neck in the 1956 cup final it was encased in plaster for 5 months. He was certainly a Manchester city legend. In 1964 I attended his testimonial (last game)which was never finished as the crowd invaded the pitch to shake his hand. He made a moving tannoy address and many were in tears.

He is the only player to win the OBE (Order of the British Empire) and the German equivalent, The Iron Cross and an FA cup winners medal. He died in 2013.