Date for ‘Bert the movie’
THE story of legendary City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, who played on for the Blues with a broken neck in the 1956 FA Cup final victory, will hit cinema screens in April.
Trautmann was a former Nazi paratrooper who after being captured and sent to a prison camp in the Second World War, won over the Maine Road faithful – and the community – and went on to make more than 500 appearances for City.
His remarkable life story has been transformed for the big screen and ‘The Keeper’ will be in cinemas from April 5.
The film reveals how Trautmann overcame a backdrop of post-war prejudice and protest to secure the position of City’s number one.
German actor David Kross, who starred alongside Kate Winslet in Oscar-nominated drama The Reader in 2008, plays Trautmann.
The film also stars Manchester actor John Henshaw and Irish actress Dervla Kirwan.
Trautmann, who died in 2013, will be forever remembered by City supporters for bravely playing for 17 minutes during the 1956 FA Cup Final victory over Birmingham City with a broken neck. He was also the first German to play in an FA Cup final at Wembley.
After his playing days, Trautmann managed Stockport County before returning to his native Germany in 1967 to coach Preussen Munster.
He passed away at his home near Valencia in Spain six years ago aged 89.
Directed by Marcus H. Rosenmuller, the film is produced by Parkland Entertainment.