DramaWarHistory

The Keeper

- He won her love and our hearts and minds

The story of a man whose love for football, for England and for the love of his life, Margaret, saw him rise from Nazi 'villain' to British hero. Bert Trautmann, the German goalkeeper won over even his harshest opponents by winning the FA Cup Final for Manchester City in 1956 - playing on with a broken neck to secure victory.

Release Date : 2018-12-05

Language :GermanEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : LieblingsfilmZephyr FilmsBritish Film CompanyNorthern Ireland ScreenSquare One EntertainmentMEDIA Programme of the European UnionBeta Film

Production Country : BelgiumGermanyUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles : The Keeper

Cast

Character Name : Bert Trautmann

Original Name : David Kross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Margaret

Original Name : Freya Mavor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jack Friar

Original Name : John Henshaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jock Thompson

Original Name : Gary Lewis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant Smythe

Original Name : Harry Melling

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bill Twist

Original Name : Michael Socha

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tilson, Man City President

Original Name : Julian Sands

Gender : Male

Character Name : Roberts

Original Name : Dave Johns

Gender : Male

Character Name : Clarice Friar

Original Name : Dervla Kirwan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grandma Sarah

Original Name : Barbara Young

Gender : Female

Character Name : Betsy Walters

Original Name : Chloe Harris

Gender : Female

Character Name : Alf Myers

Original Name : Mikey Collins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barbara Friar

Original Name : Olivia-Rose Minnis

Gender : Male

Character Name : John Trautmann

Original Name : Tobias Masterson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Clive Thornton

Original Name : Angus Barnett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rabbi Altmann

Original Name : Butz Ulrich Buse

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ross

Original Name : Jay Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colonel Bledsop

Original Name : Ian T. Dickinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Richard Holthaus

Original Name : David Schütter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Becker

Original Name : Lukas Turtur

Gender : Male

Character Name : Private Fletcher

Original Name : Tom Machell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Band Leader

Original Name : Davy Hughes

Gender : Male

Character Name : German Soldier

Original Name : Shenja Lacher

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ukrainian Boy

Original Name : Dennis Alizada

Gender : Male

Character Name : Commentator

Original Name : Simon Kingsley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Commentator

Original Name : Daniel Holzberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Commentator

Original Name : Jesse Inman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Journalist

Original Name : Michael Patrick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Journalist

Original Name : Richard Croxford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Journalist

Original Name : Chris McCurry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Journalist

Original Name : Adam Turns

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man City Fan Club Representative

Original Name : Mark Windsor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man City Fan Club Representative

Original Name : Shaun Lawton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man City Fan Club Representative

Original Name : Alex Freeman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Alex Tondowski

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ice Cream Man

Original Name : Tony Wright

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kunartz

Original Name : Thomas Lettow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Translator POW Camp

Original Name : Steve Hudson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Meinert

Original Name : Max Befort

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rudi Konrad

Original Name : Florian Kroop

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bach

Original Name : Martin Walch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bert (aged 9)

Original Name : Jonathan Gottschalk

Gender : Male

Character Name : John (toddler)

Original Name : James Baxter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Supporter 1

Original Name : Ryan Wichert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Supporter 2

Original Name : Peter Riley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Physician Wembley

Original Name : Peter Wagner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nurse

Original Name : Sonja Schleif

Gender : Male

Character Name : Groundkeeper

Original Name : Trevor Brinsley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Secretary POW Camp

Original Name : Lukas Benjamin Engel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pretty Girl in Pub

Original Name : Dorothee Henzler

Gender : Male

Character Name : St Helens Referee

Original Name : Ciaran McCrea

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man City Captain

Original Name : Valentin Grezalja

Gender : Male

Reviews

SWITCH.

@maketheSWITCH

2021-06-23

I wouldn’t call ‘The Keeper’ a great film, but certainly a good one with one hell of a story to tell. War tales are a dime a dozen, but this is certainly a unique story and the first I’ve heard that incorporates the world’s game. I can’t imagine there’ll be another like it in the future. - Jess Fenton Read Jess' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-keeper-the-true-story-of-the-nazi-goalkeeper-and-the-english-girl

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-08-26

Jack (John Henshaw) does a bit of black marketeering as the second world war comes to a close and it's a visit to a British POW camp that introduces him to the lithe Bert Trautmann (David Kross) whom he reckons is impressive in goal. He manages to get this man involved in some local matches and with the war now over, a trial with Manchester City seems to offer Trautmann the chance of a new life. Of course there's a considerable degree of local resentment at this former enemy playing for their local team, but an intervention from his new wife Margaret (Freya Mavor), who just happens to be Jack's no-nonsense daughter and another from a far less likely source sees the man given an opportunity to prove his skills on the pitch. History tells us of his successes for a club he played for over five hundred times, but this drama focusses a little more on the personal side of his life - and on that score, tragedy was never so very far from their lives. The political questions are addressed here to an extent, but really only, I think, to illustrate the power of football as a healer. Fans, like people in general, can be fickle things and sins can soon be forgiven, if not exactly forgotten, if someone can become an integral part of a winning team and induce a much needed feel-good factor. There's a decency to the character of Trautmann that Kross captures well and though yes, it's all fairly light and fluffy, it's still a nicely photographed and filmed biopic of a man who ended up having a far more ambassadorial role in Anglo-German post-war relations that could have been envisaged in 1945.