Lola's Running on Video
Part 3: 'Lola' Locations
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Director Tom Tykwer and his production crew decided early on that they wanted to make Lola rennt in Berlin. The film intentionally shows the German capital city from its less familiar side. No famous landmarks, no Brandenburg Gate, no Reichstag—none of the famous postcard, touristy images. The film was shot in Berlin from mid-June to early August of 1997 with a budget of about 3 million marks (ca. $1.8 million).
Manni forgets something
important at a Berlin
U-Bahn station.
Graphic: BVG - Berlin
Berlin Locations: Lola's Berlin
Part of the film's appeal is in the details. Tom Tykwer's exercise in alternate realities is packed with little details that only jump out at you upon a second or third viewing. Besides story details, a repeat viewing of the video reveals geographic information like the name of the Berlin U-Bahn station where Manni loses his bag of money. Manni steps out of the subway car when he sees two ticket checkers (Kontis) coming his way at the "Deutsche Oper" ("German Opera") station—a stop on Berlin's U1 subway line that runs between Ruhleben in the west (near Olympia-Stadion) and Warschauer Straße in the east.
Most banks are reluctant to be identified with a holdup. The fictional bank's interior in "Lola rennt" is actually a converted area in city government offices on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm thoroughfare. The casino scene was shot inside Berlin's Schöneberg Rathaus (city hall) because Berlin's real-life casino wasn't elegant enough for the filmmakers.
Almost all of the film's exterior shooting was done on the streets of Berlin, but there was no effort to be geographically correct. Lola ran where it looked best for the film, not in any accurate relation to Berlin reality. Shooting locations were selected wherever they fit the filmscript (Drehbuch). The production also needed luck with the weather since the story happens mostly outdoors on a single day. There is one big continuity/weather flaw when Lola takes a taxi to try to pick up Manni in the beginning of the film. Rain drops are obvious on the cab's windows even though it's a sunny day at all other times.
Finding the supermarket/phone booth location for the film was tricky for several reasons. The chosen locale (the intersection of Osnabrücker Straße and Tauroggener Str.) had to provide the opportunity to set up a phone booth on a corner opposite the market at a suitable angle for filming. Plus, most supermarket chains are just as reluctant as banks to be portrayed as holdup targets. Finally though, the Bolle chain agreed to allow filming in one of its Berlin stores. All shooting was done on weekends when most German businesses are closed and traffic is lighter.
For more about the film's Berlin locations ("Lolas Berlin"), see our illustrated Lola Locations page.
FOTOS > Lola Locations with Berlin photos
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