Cecil says: I knew I’d enjoy The Keeper, and I wasn’t at all disappointed. In fact, it’s the kind of film I could probably see five times and still not tire of it. A really lovely cinematic experience at the really lovely art deco Balwyn Theatre in Melbourne.
So Bert Trautmann had stopped playing by the time I got into
football at the tender age of 7, but I realise now that he had only just
retired, and in fact was still managing teams in England at that point.
His
story was well enough known, though, for me to have the basics from my
childhood education: German POW stays in England, gets a break into football at
the highest level, and plays a Cup Final at Wembley where he breaks his neck
but heroically (and with a massive dose of good luck) carries on playing.
I even didn’t remember that he played for Manchester City,
but clearly if you are a Man City fan, he is a bit of an icon, and amazingly
even down in the heart of Melbourne, 10,000 miles away from MCR, there are fans
who came to see The Keeper, as a father/son duo in the front row were decked
out in full Man City gear. I shook their hand at the end of the film!
How a film begins is so important to set the tone, I think.
And I loved the opening scenes of The Keeper: first scene was of a wartime dance
floor in northern England; lots of lively jivers who have to stop dancing
because the air raid siren sounds; then we switch to a battle front, with
tired and scared-looking German soldiers walking through a wood, where they get
ambushed.
And that’s one of the beautiful things about this film. Right
from the start it gives you an insight into two sides of the story: how it felt
day-to-day in war-weary England, with POW camps in town and the reaction to a
German – even a good footballing German – getting involved in the community
after the war. But also how it felt from the German perspective, both among the
fellow POWs until the war ended, and then how it was to be that German trying
to fit in and fall in love among people who perceive you as the enemy still.
All powerful stuff. And so well casted with David Kross
excellent as Trautmann and Freya Mavor (was in Sunshine on Leith) very good
also as Margaret. John Henshaw was really realistic also as the father and
football coach in dank, dark northern England in post-war.
Some scenes didn’t work as well for me – like the big
discussion between the couple some months after the tragedy of losing their son
– but as Bea pointed out to me, the stilted dialogue might well have been true
to the time, when people’s self-awareness and communication skills were not as
advanced as today, not to mention emotional literacy.
But this is a moving film about milestones in individual
lives and milestones in history, with some great football footage thrown in,
and I particularly loved the vintage image of muddy pitches, those proper
jerseys footballers wore in those days, and the massive crowds of men in flat
caps totally exposed to the rain. Ah it was a different world back then.
I must see this film again.
*****
Bea says: I wasn't overly keen on seeing this as i thought it would be an overdose on football, and being that bit younger than Cecil, I didn't know anything about Bert Trautmann at all.
But - l loved it, would be happy to watch it multiple times and we bought my parents the DVD for Christmas.
This is possibly because there are some cultural reference points for me - although the era and place was different, my UK mother married a German migrant, and as a result there were many aspects of the story, their relationship, wider family acceptance and societal attitudes that felt very relatable to me.
But even without that, this film has a bit of something for everyone I think. Bert's story is definitely a lesson in stoicism and keeping on going without complaint. 2019 has been a stressful year for me, and that was a helpful message for me to hear. The couple face some very difficult times, and not everything works out rosily in the end - but it works out, and that is life.
Some great vintage costumes too!
****.5
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