O Defensor - A História de Bert Trautmann

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.

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!

Once again what could have been an excellent film was ruined for me by a script written by people who were not born until decades later. I was growing up in the North of England at that time, and the period covered my childhood and teens. I cannot speak for the men but the F___ word was NEVER used by women or in mixed company at that time NEVER, EVER! The first time I heard used at all I was in my 20's and the user got a severe reprimand. Nor did women at that time discuss sexual matters as freely as the young women in the film. It just wasn't done, was considered 'dirty talk' and the women were considered 'fast'. Otherwise the film was very enjoyable, if a little too manipulative. One encounter left out when Trautmann broke his neck he was being congratulated by Prince Philip after the game, who remarked on the injury as Trautmann was holdng his neck. One thing the filmmakers did get right was the way they showed the football scenes and the way it was back then, when players kept their day jobs, and spectators at local pitches stood to watch the match. There may have been seats, but we could never afford them. When I see the way football has become a huge business today, with astromical salaries, prima donna players, luxury stadiums and changing rooms, somehow I think we lost out and the simple game was better. To summarise, I really would like to see film makers cut down on the use of offensive language, particularly in flims set before the 21st century.

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.