The Keeper (2018)

The Keeper tells the extraordinary love story between a young English woman and a German PoW, who together overcome prejudice, public hostility, and personal tragedy. While visiting a PoW ... See full summary »

Director:

Marcus H. Rosenmüller

Writers:

Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Nicholas J. Schofield

Stars:

David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
David Kross	...	Bert Trautmann
Freya Mavor	...	Margaret
John Henshaw	...	Jack Friar
Harry Melling	...	Sergeant Smythe
Michael Socha	...	Bill Twist
Dave Johns	...	Roberts
Barbara Young	...	Grandma Sarah
Chloe Harris	...	Betsy
Mikey Collins	...	Alf Myers
Gary Lewis	...	Jock Thompson
Dervla Kirwan	...	Clarice Friar
Angus Barnett	...	Clive Thornton
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Max Befort	...	Poll
Achim Bogdahn	...	Referee
Stephan Buschmann	...	Spectator Fan from ManCity

Storyline

The Keeper tells the extraordinary love story between a young English woman and a German PoW, who together overcome prejudice, public hostility, and personal tragedy. While visiting a PoW camp near Manchester at the end of WWII, Margaret Friar, the daughter of the manager of the local football team, notices young German soldier Bert Trautmann. Her father is so taken by Bert's prowess as a goal-keeper that he gets him out of the camp to play for his local team. Margaret and Bert's love blossoms despite local hostility and resentment of the German PoWs. In the meantime, Bert's heroics in goal are noticed by Manchester's City Football Club. Rather than going back to Germany like nearly all the other camp inmates, Bert marries Margaret and signs for Man City. His signing causes outrage to thousands of Man City fans, many of them Jewish. But Margaret wins support from an unexpected direction: Rabbi Altmann, a Man City supporter who fled the Nazis, who publishes an open letter opposing the ...

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Plot Keywords:

german abroad | soccer goalkeeper | goalkeeper | soccer match | soccer stadium | 

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Taglines:

Er kam als Feind... Und wurde ihr Held. (He came as an enemy... And became their hero.)

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | Sport | War

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Details

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English German

Release Date:

14 March 2019 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Keeper

Filming Locations:

Munich, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

EUR11 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,907,702

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lieblingsfilm, Zephyr Films, British Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scenes filmed also in Munich and Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany.

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Connections

Featured in Granada Reports: 21 March 2019: Evening Bulletin (2019)

User Reviews

Brilliant!

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.