This is a Lola rennt project contributed by Pamela Reid at Tinora High School in Defiance, Ohio. It offers some ideas for a Lola rennt film activity that spans several days.

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I have the PAL version and wanted to show it before it became available with subtitles. My students just loved it, and the discussion grew each day. It is the kind of film that benefits from many viewings. (See note on this and the DVD version below. - Ed.)

Here is the plan that I used over a three-day period:
We first brainstormed in small groups and developed ideas of how to get DM100,000 in 20 minutes. A quick review of the subjunctive and a few minutes were all that were needed to come up with a wide variety of ideas. Some were right on; I had fun anticipating reactions.

I then gave the students a copy of the summary on the video, the two quotes from the beginning of the film.

Von T.S. Eliot:

Wir lassen nie vom Suchen ab,
und doch, am Ende allen unseren Suchens
sind wir am Ausgangspunkt zurück
und werden diesen Ort zum ersten Mal erfassen.

“Nach dem Spiel ist vor dem Spiel.”

I also presented several questions for them to consider as they watched, but not to try to answer in writing. (The action goes much too quickly.) These questions encompassed various levels of thinking, and were good for our discussion later.

1. Warum hören wir so oft das Ticken der Uhr?
    Warum ist die Uhr am Anfang so unfreundlich?
2. Warum schreit (screams) Lola? Was heißt dieser Aufschrei?
3. Warum geht Lola zum Papa?
4. Was ist die Ironie des SWAT Teams?
5. Warum soll Lola nicht in dem Casino sein?
6. Warum stehen die beiden oft mitten in der Straße?
7. Was macht Lola am Ende des Filmes?

In order to direct their attention to the development/changes in the main characters and peripheral characters during each of the versions, I made a list of all of them. We quickly ran through the list before viewing, just to increase awareness, and each student was assigned just one character/situation, and asked to follow the development of that character through each day's viewing. Some of these characters involve an alternate reality. Since each student was to concentrate only on one character, it was easier for them to watch that character carefully, and I think they enjoyed the others, knowing someone else was remembering details.

1. die Zeichentrickfilmelemente
2. die Mutter mit dem Kind auf der Straße
3. der Vater mit seiner Freundin, Jutta
4. der Vater mit Lola
5. der Fahrradfahrer im Fußballtrikot
6. der Autofahrer und der Unfall
7. Manni mit der blinden Frau an der Telefonzelle
8. der Penner
9. der Wächter in der Bank
10. die Frau im Flur in der Bank
11. der orangen Krankenwagen
12. die Szenen im Bett

After the film the students answered the obvious question in writing.... Was macht denn Lola?

All of these items provided plenty of content for discussion, and we also talked about general themes.

"Jede Sekunde triffst du eine Entscheidung, die dein Leben verändern kann", verspricht die Message des Films. Und tatsächlich zeigt "Lola rennt", dass jede auch noch so unwichtige Begegnung fatale Folgen haben kann.

Spiritualismus im Film
Die Wiederholung von ähnlichen Ideen von mehreren Charakteren (z.B., Lola mit dem Vater, Lola mit Manni, als sie zusammen im Bett gesprochen haben, der Vater mit der Freundin, usw.) - u.a.

Both the students and I loved this activity. I'm anxious to see the subtitling, which I expect will be worse than the actual language in the film. We did not need the subtitles at all. The film is quite easy to understand or at least follow.

Viel Spaß!
Pam

Contributed by: Pamela Reid, Tinora High School, Defiance, Ohio.

From your Guide:
I agree with Pam about the subtitles. The film can actually be better appreciated by intermediate and advanced students without any subtitles. Subtitles are usually inadequate and distracting anyway. Much of the original language is mistranslated in English, particularly words like Scheisse, which is actually more like "damn" in English than the English s-word. If you have access to either the great DVD or the original German PAL version, use it. If you don't have the DVD (which allows you to turn the subtitles on or off), some teachers simply cover the bottom of the monitor screen with paper/cardboard to block to subtitles.

Lola Movie Exercises / Worksheets > Contents | A | B | C | D | E

"Lola" Locations, Photos
Information and photographs of various Berlin locations used in Lola rennt. A virtual Lola tour of the German capital.

Lola's Running on Video
A three-part article about the video release of Lola rennt. With links to the video in DVD or VHS format.

Lola Links
Web links for reviews, fan sites, and more – in German and English. From your Guide.

"Lola" Trivia
Interesting trivia and film facts related to the film. From your Guide.