Here is part of a review of Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt in German):Tom Tykwer's Lola rennt: A Blueprint of Millennial Berlin
Margit Sinka
During one week in September 1998, Tom Tykwer's Lola rennt, a low budget film costing slightly more than three million German Marks, suddenly transformed a particularly quixotic German dream into reality: A German film, rather than a Hollywood production, garnered the largest number of moviegoers. Only mildly less astonishing, reviews of Lola rennt in the major dailies throughout Germany consisted mainly of generous praise. The relief at not having to comment on yet another specimen of the Cola Light, middle class relationship comedies that had proliferated in recent years was palpable, as was the amazement that a German film could be so incredibly fast-paced and such sheer fun to watch.
"Chaos, Verwirrung, Liebe, Tod," proclaims the movie flyer distributed to Berlin audiences in the fall of 1998. And the film, set in Berlin, indeed contains plenty of each in its short, eighty-one minutes. Yet its main plot, unfolding in a mere twenty minutes and then repeated in two additional twenty-minute segments with only slight, though crucial variations, is surprisingly simple. Receiving a frantic phone call from her boyfriend Manni, located in a phone booth far away from her, Lola promises to come up with 100,000 Marks-the amount Manni needs to deliver to car racketeers for a successfully executed car smuggling deal, the same amount that he had carelessly left on a subway train in a reflex action to escape from policemen controlling passengers for tickets. Lola has exactly twenty minutes not only to locate this large sum but also to deliver it to the far-away Manni-that is, twenty minutes to prevent him from robbing a supermarket or twenty minutes to save his life, for his criminal boss would definitely kill him were he to show up empty-handed. Yes, an impossible task, Tykwer admits, gleefully adding that the film operates on the premise that "you have no chance, therefore use it." [1]
Not surprisingly, using the nonexistent chance, to speak with Tykwer, nets no rewards in the first twenty-minute segment. Lola's impassioned attempt to secure the money from her banker father fails. Rather than preventing Manni from carrying out the supermarket holdup, she ends up helping him with it. For good measure, she is accidentally killed by a policeman. But, resurrected for the film's second twenty-minute segment, Lola receives a second chance to accomplish precisely the same hopeless task she had assumed in the first. Though she now obtains the necessary money from the bank and reaches Manni within the allotted twenty minutes, her efforts are in vain. This time Manni is killed accidentally, but by a speeding ambulance rather than a policeman's bullet. Since either Lola's or Manni's death thwarts viewer longings for successful romance, Tykwer provides yet another round of the same twenty minutes, concluding it with the kind of utterly happy Hollywood ending most German directors would be too embarrassed to even contemplate. Manni succeeds in recouping the lost amount from the derelict who had taken it from the subway car and in delivering it to his boss on time. The 100,000 Marks that the speedy Lola obtains in a casino, likewise legitimately, can now be spent as the couple wishes.
All three versions of the plot are embedded in a chaos theory-tinged philosophical framework accentuating the demands of fate and the vagaries of chance. The outcome of each version is dependent on the seconds lost or gained by Lola's response to the first obstacles on her run, a nasty-looking youth and his growling dog situated at a staircase in the building where she lives. Quite likely because they represent the strictures of time, Tykwer calls them the messengers of fate. [2] In the first version, barely aware of their presence, Lola spurts past them. In the second, the youth trips her, causing her to fall down the stairs; in the third, perhaps aware of the danger in her path, Lola jumps over the dog. Regardless of the nature of Lola's response, each has a ripple effect on all other events in its segment.
Most German film critics did not valorize as a fresh idea the concept that the decisions we make in life, no matter how minute, have snowball effects on the rest of our lives (and on the lives of those crossing our path). The film's success [3] rested less on perceptions of its conceptual depth than on its immensely successful blend of image, motion, and sound as the flame-haired, brightly attired, somewhat punky-looking Lola, her attractive stomach tattoo often tantalizingly visible, rushes across Berlin landscapes, either dodging or bumping into obstacles in her all-or-nothing attempt to rescue Manni and their love. The incredibly kinetic energy she exudes on all of her three runs proves a match for the pulsating techno rhythms accompanying her, music marked by far more variety than the techno amalgams heard during Berlin's entire Love Parade. Responding to Tykwer's accomplished, playful use of a broad array of filming techniques with the same unrestrained admiration accorded to his Lola and the film's soundtrack, German cinema critics emphasized that Tykwer had not only created something new but had expanded the possibilities of the filmic medium itself. [4]
As in Germany, many U.S. reviews [5] express astonishment that a German film can be so enjoyable. Generally German cinema is "so wretchedly slow, so humorless, so audience-unfriendly," writes one commentator. [6] Perhaps precisely because German films are associated with adjectives such as "dour, dark and depressing," remarks an Australian critic, the marketing of Run Lola Run, as it is titled in English, has "skirted around the fact that it is a German film." [7] Despite its subtitles, others advise against stressing the German origin of the film: With its American style and pace, nothing is foreign about it; its appeal as universal as that of Titanic, it can be incorporated into any nationality. [8] Based on the statement he supplied for advertising purposes to the U.S. distributor Sony, Tykwer seems to concur: It could "just as easily be set in Peking, Helsinki or New York, the only thing that would change is the scenery, not the emotional dimension." [9]
When elaborating on Lola rennt's appeal for Americans, Tykwer stresses its universal theme (a tiny moment has immense repercussions), its romance aspects, and the emotional identification its main protagonists Manni and Lola generate. [10] For most Americans, however, Lola rennt's universal nature is attributable mainly to its innovative, even dazzling recycling of familiar elements of international youth culture (music, video games, interactive links). [11] The emotional identification with the main protagonists, on the other hand, is far less pronounced than in Germany. Manni, played by Moritz Bleibtreu, rarely elicits sympathies (Americans are unaware of his stature as youth idol in Germany), [12] and Lola is frequently faulted for her excessive devotion to such a loser. Thus the rationale for her relentless run to save Manni is called into question. The bedazzling filming techniques, concludes Janet Maslin of the New York Times, essentially camouflage the "pointless nature of the exercise." [13] Could it be that Lola rennt is not quite as universal as had been supposed and that it is more embedded in German culture than is readily apparent? [14] In the following comments, I will argue first for this position and then for the view that Lola rennt resonates, in particular, with some of the most prevalent Berlin discourses at the turn of the millennium. This Berlin connection, even if perceived only on a subconscious level, provides the film with a cultural relevance on its home territory that it can not possibly have for international audiences.
Discussion Topic:
An obvious theme in the "Run Lola Run" is the concept of time and of changing time. Talk about how the editing of the film specifically adds to this theme, (besides the obvious answer that she goes back in time). Think about what techniques the director and editor use to manipulate time in the "Run Lola Run" and how these techniques are used to effect or add to the idea of time in the film.
36 comments:
There are several things done in the movie to manipulate time. An overall theme in the movie is about the choices we make and how they affect the rest of our lives. This can be seen clearly with the flashbacks that appear just before they die, where they confront eachother basically asking them if they really want to be with the other. It's obvious that their biggest decision was that they wanted to stay together, and not only that, but were ultimately willing to die for eachother. Moving on in the film was the animated sequence of running down the stairs. At first I could not figure out what this was for, but it is in fact the most important scene in the movie. And is illustrated as such by making it completely different from the rest of the film. Whether she jumps over the dog, walks by, or is knocked over, each scenario changes her journey by a few seconds time. It is this miniscule timeframe that changes getting in a car accident, or missing by a hair. Running into someone around the corner, or brushing past them. Single events can change a person's life and is a great example of the "butterfly effect". These minuet changes in her journey also bring us to the next time technique. Depending on the scenario of "too early" "too late" or "on time" we see a flash at every major encounter showing where the other person's life will go, rippling away from their encounter with Lola. After analysis this film really has an interesting and unique take on how our past effects our present, and how our present can change our future.
This film was very interesting in terms of its use of time and editing. during and right after the phone call in the beginning you see flashbacks, slow motion clips (especially when he lost the bag on the train i suppose to add to the sense of "What Now?!?") . To me that set the tone for the entire film. the randomness and quickness of changes really set up a frantic feel.
Also i like the premise of the film that the smallest of happenings may change the course of history drastically. i found it to be an interesting take on time especially when you see that the ultimate outcome is literally affected by taking or cutting off only a second or two from previous attempts to deliver Ronnie the money. That one little second affected so many peoples lives from the lady she bumped into when she ran out of her apartment to her father and his mistress's relationship and so on and so forth.
I really enjoyed this movie.. it kinda reminded me of groundhog day in that everytime he failed to do something the day would start over just like everytime the couple failed to deliver/get the money and died trying the movie started over from 11:20am.
In the film Run Lola Run there are a variety of methods used to manipulate time. Each one has it’s own effect on the plot of the story. There are multiple shots in the film where replay is used to show the audience when a minuet detail of Lola’s plight changes. For example, each time she runs past the women with the baby carriage, or each time she frantically walks by the secretary in the bank hall. And each time we see these details change we see snapshots of that particular persons future, and how their encounter with Lola has changed something. There are also points in the story, particularly when one of the two main characters is in danger of dying, when we flashback to a moment in time where Mannie and Lola are deciding if the love they share is real. This is the most crucial point in the story! It shows us how single, seemingly insignificant, events can greatly alter the future. Without this scene there is no way the rest of the story could have taken place. The use of time alteration in Run Lola Run, although somewhat jumbled, shows the audience how the most important moments in our lives often seem to pass by with our true regard.
Run Lola Run has a theme about time. The time concept in the movie gets changed several times. It shows how in several different instances where just a few seconds can make a difference in someone’s life. In Lola’s first situation she gets shot and after they show some scenes, the movie rewinds to her on the phone with Manni. In her second chance she is a few seconds later to see her dad because she got tripped. This shows how just a few seconds can completely change an outcome, in this time, Manni gets hit by an ambulance. It even shows one random lady being different in each scenario, from being rich to being poor. They even show people’s lives by short picture clips. The main thing that I can take from this movie is the idea that just from being tripped by a boy to bumping into a lady can make someone a few seconds earlier or later and can change the rest of the situation.
There are a few aspects of the film Run Lola Run which add to the central theme of changing time. First, three possible outcomes are introduced throughout the course of the film. One single event during each scenario alters the entire outcome as a whole. This is blatantly apparent in the final scenario, during which Manni and Lola both make away unharmed. For example, had Lola not made eye contact with Mr. Meier in the car, he would have gotten into a car accident at that moment, just as he had in the other two scenarios. Instead, he meets with Lola's father and the two of them die in the same car accident later on. One small event can change the entire outcome drastically. Also, in the final scenario Lola almost runs into the man on the bike, rather than running alongside him in the other two scenarios. He then veers off where he meets the same homeless man who stole Manni's 100,000 marks. He buys the bike off him and eventually runs into Manni, who steals his 100,000 marks back again. Such a small event can, thus, change the outcome. The entire film is centered around miniscule, seemingly unimportant events in time.
Another aspect of the film which adds to the central theme of changing time are the "flash forward" sequences which occur several times throughout. For example, the woman with the baby who Lola almost runs into has her own set of "flash forward" sequences in the film (in one scenario a tragedy occurs in her life, in another she wins the lottery, etc.). This particular editing technique adds greatly to the theme of changing time in Run Lola Run, showing many possible outcomes of the lives of ordinary people.
Tykwer used several techniques to add drama to the concept of time and changing time in the movie “Run Lola Run.” Throughout the entire movie there was a series of montage editing in the film. The music that played continuously added to the feeling of desperation and it was almost like a rapid heart beat with a feeling that time was running out for Lola and Manni. I think that Tykwer used a series of motif objects in order to enhance the intensity of the present moment for Lola and Manni. Some of the objects used were the telephone ringing when Manni called Lola, the dog on the stairs and how Lola reacted to the dog each time she had to run down the stairs in the animated scenes, the clock that showed how fast time was ticking away, the phone booth were Manni waited for Lola and the dude riding the bicycle offering to sell it to Lola. The type of shots also added to the concept of time. The tight shots of the expressions of the character’s faces, showing fear, frustration and determination. The full body shots of Lola running through the city in each montage, showing the audience how far she actually had to run and the bright colors in the city, like the red ambulance and the yellow phone booth, which depict caution and danger. The angle shots added drama to the concept of time and changing time by showing submissive and power positions and how each choice Lola made affected the outcome. The rhythm of the re-occurring elements of the shapes in the film also added to the concept of changing time. Tykwer crossed the axis in some of the scenes possibly to add to the confusion Lola was experiencing, which I think was depicted in the scene when she confronted her father about his mistress. When Manni was run over by the ambulance I think that added to the drama of changing time because it was at that moment that time started over again, as it did when Lola was shot in the street. I did not expect the movie to end on such a happy note, but for me, there was a message with regards to the magnitude of how individual choices can influence a person’s life.
This movie deals alot with fate and how one action can lead to a whole new set of other actions and consequences. The director uses repeated instances of this idea to really emphasize the fate and twiested time motif. All of these events were triggered by the scene where she runs down the stairs. This is the pivotal point in the movie since whatever happenes here, affects the rest of the movie. The editing made the movie itself, by placing the different scenes involving the same thing in the pattern of 3 repititions, we see three different ways that one scenario can end. This portrays and examines the idea of fate and how everyday situations no matter how ordinary are actaully very unique and a consequence of many tiny sometimes arbitrary events. The editing techniques used in "Run Lola Run" make for a great ending even though the audience sees versions of it throughout the movie.
"An obvious theme in the "Run Lola Run" is the concept of time and of changing time. Talk about how the editing of the film specifically adds to this theme. Think about what techniques the director and editor use to manipulate time in the "Run Lola Run" and how these techniques are used to effect or add to the idea of time in the film."
Throughout the film, Lola bumps into people, talks to them, or passes them by entirely. Details of that person's future are then shown in a series of still frames. The futures are very different from one encounter to another. In one of the scenarios, a woman who Lola accidentally bumps into wins the lottery and becomes rich; in a different scenario, she remains poor. In another scenario, the woman becomes a religious preacher.
Several moments in the film allude to a supernatural awareness of the characters. For example, in the first scenario, Lola is shown by Manni how to use a gun by removing the safety, where in the next scene, she does this as if remembered from the previous scene.
The movie itself begins by posing questions pertaining to the unpredictability of the world and the unknowable nature of its meaning. It suggests that drastically disparate consequences can alter the fates of different people from a one second change in the time of one person's routine.
Excellent examples of this are the men walking across the street with the huge sheet of glass. In one scenario they make it across with only seconds to spare. In the next scenario they are to late and the van smashes through it.
Also there is the guy driving the white car coming out of the parking garage. In the first scenario, he barley clips the other car and there is only minor damage. In the second scenario, the cars T-bone and there is major damage. In the third scene, the cars completely miss each other and there is no contact at all.
These scenarios all show what a difference a few seconds make in the outcomes of people's lives.
Each time Lola goes back in time there is a different ending. Everytime it begins the same with her running out the door and her mother calling after her. When the scenes go back in time however the endings are not the same. In the first one Lola dies, in the second Manni dies, and the third neither die. This is because each time the people she comes into contact with delay her in a different way than they did the previous time, or don't delay her at all. The fist time Lola runs into a lady with a stroller and by the third time she avoids the lady completely. When the director shot the first scene, he added the necessary details of her run through the city, more detail than the second two times. He edited these extra scenes out because the audience already knew what happened in the time between Lola running into the stroller and almost getting hit by the black car. It was edited out because it wasn't necessary for the audience to see it twice, they only needed the key points that changed the outcome. The director did this because putting everything in there would have caused the movie to drag on like some of the other German movie scenes do. Editing out the extra kept the fast paced feel, which kept the audience interested. The movie ended with a completely different conclusion than what was thought it would end with. Everything she went through each time she went back in time captured the audience's attention. Editing out the details when she goes back in time is what adds to the affect of the flashbacks or going back in time.
There are many examples in the movie of how time is manipulated using certain techniques. One obvious example is the "butterfly effect" scheme of the movie. In how something so small (which, in time could be seconds) can make such a huge difference in something else. The timing aspect of this movie relates a lot to the "Butterfly Effect" which was released not to long ago, I like how the movies were similar in techniques and used many of the same ideas. It puts a different outlook on things, that where you are now in life could be totally different if in the past one tiny thing would have been different. It was an interesting movie.
As the title would indicate Run Lola Run is an extremely fast paced film, so when it does slow down it is meant to make a point. Nowhere is this more evident than in the quick sequence of 'snapshots' about the possible futures of people Lola passes, and these sequences are all that is needed to cover the rest of their lives. The editing of this film also creates a great sense of urgency. Additionally the animated sequence is used to show different outcomes that are produced from the smallest change, which really illustrates how the tiniest detail can have a rippling effect that can change anything and everything
The movie, “Run Lola Run,” employs a few different techniques through editing to show the steady/abrupt/unexpected changing of time. One of the major ways this is done thru editing is with the sequences that show FLASHBACKS. The flash back sequences were used by the editor/director to show a much larger time scale then what might actually been happening in the current reality of the film. Another major technique used in the film which I noticed was how they showed flashbacks depending on if something was done on time, early, or late. The director/editor used this again to reinforce a much larger time scale then the film actually showed in its length. These techniques help a director/editor portray EPIC features in a film that might not be so.
In the film Run Lola Run, the editor pieces together clips from different 'could have been possibilities', in order to illustrate how a tiny change in decision or an event, can have a massive impact on the world around us. The editors used flash back segments in order to transgress though time. Every time Lola makes a decision, the editor and director show us the impact that is made on all of the people around her. This movie used very similar techniques as the film Sliding Doors.
One of the editing techniques that greatly afftected the time throughout the movie Run Lola Run was that fact that even though the same scenaro was shown three times, different versions of the shots were shown. It's obvious that many situations and encounters hapened three times throughout the movie so it is important that various versions of each scene were offered. Even if the situation was the same, the camera shots were taken from different angles so people were viewing the shot in a new way. To pull of a movie that is so repetative, it is necessary that there are enough subtle differences throughout the film that keep the audience attentive and interested.
The whole concept of Run Lola Run revolves around the theme of time. Throughout the movie Lola makes choices that affect what happens next, obviously. But, what’s particular about her decisions is that she is racing against time to save her boyfriend. The three alternative scenes really depict the use of time.
In each of the several scenes, Lola goes through the almost exact series of events with a few changes in between and different outcomes. These actions were shown ultimately through the editing process. Although editing this movie probably took a great deal of time, it made the movie what it is.
Through the different angles and shots taken, the editors were able to take the individual characters and in each sequence of events, portray their future based on their decisions. The remarkable thing is that it all happens within a 20 minute period.
In the end, the idea that the choices we make now will have an effect on our future is what the movie reveals.
Run Lola Run has three different scenarios that could happen with the result of the past. Because something different can happen in just a few seconds, it could change your future. For example, because she tripped over the dog, Manni died. She found out that her father was having an affair and robbed the bank. The first time she ran past the dog, she went through a bunch of scenes where she either missed hitting someone, finding out about her father, running into the same people, or coming close to having contact. The thing that I liked about this movie is that it basically used the same path she took to get from her house to manni. The only difference was what encounters she ran into and didn't run into. And also what happened to those people after she ran into them. So not only did it affect her life but others as well. For example, the woman at the bank was later seen dying in a car accident. Then the second time, her future led her to marrying her co-worker. The point of this movie is all your actions lead up to what will happen in the future all based on time.
Each time Lola goes back in time she runs into the same people and or animal, but each of her meetings with them change with what she does, whether its jumping over, running by or getting knocked over and these cause the future to change because of the amount of time it takes for her to get past each obstacle or meeting with these characters.
Going back and manipulating time is another way of letting the characters and the audience see what may have happened if a character had choose to say go left instead of right. It allows the audience to see two versions of the same situation with different outcomes. This movie shows how what we do in our past really decides what lies ahead in our future.
There are various techniques in the German film "Run Lola Run", that the director uses to manipulate time in the movie. One obvious example is the fact that Lola and Manni both travel back in time to change the outcome of the desperate plot. They both turn back time to try and do it over. They also flashback after they each die where they speak of loving eachother and what they would do if they died, which adds to the themes of love and death. If it was not for those two themes Lola and Manni would never of had the drive to go to those desperate measures for one another. As Lola runs in her journey to save Manni, she encounters many different people, as she passes them flashes of their lives pop up as to show what happens as an effect of meeting her. This movie shows the audience how we have control of the time that we have and how taking control of the present will effect our future.
The editing in this film was at times very well put together in the sense that each time Lola would go back on her journey to meet up with Mannie that her travel was always delayed in different circumstances. Also each time Lola would be running down the stairs at the start of her pursuit to meet Mannie they would focus on the television in her mother's room whihc would show a cartoon image of her running down the stairs instead of show Lola herself running downthe stairs. Whil in pursuit of Mannie Lola would come across the same people time and time again and during each encounter the director would show either the past and part of that person's life that lead them up to that point of time and their future or just how that person's future will look like after the encounter. At times they would show a split screen of Lola and Mannie or Lola and her father, this help to show two things going on at the sametime all at once. This film started off not so well but during each race to Mannie you would catch yourself in anticipation on what will happen next to Lola, this in turn made the film very enjoyable to watch.
The editing used in Run Lola Run is constantly used to reiterate the theme of the film, which incorporates time to show the importance of even the smallest events on the outcome of the situation. Slow-motion and fast-forwarding are used in the appropriate moments to make them more dramatic. The beginning of each of Lola's attempts starts the same way. The filming and the editing just show you how everything that happens, every decision made creates a snow-ball effect on your life. It's the little decisions that can make the most difference.
The overall theme of this film is no doubt the thought that every choice we make, and every second we take effects the outcome of our lives. The directors of this film uses several techniques to manipulate time, which ultimately portray the themes. The same scene is played several times over the course of the film, but every time a different ending is revealed. Each scene is changed by Lola’s response to the dog on her stair case at the start of her endeavor. When she is tripped by the dog’s owner and tumbles down the stairs, it changes every encounter with the characters she passes on the street, with her father, and ends in Manni being hit by an ambulance. Yet, when she jumps over the dog in the first scene, the outcome is she is shot after trying to help Manni rob the grocery store. As you can see, small differences in the choices we make have a resonating effect on the outcome of our lives.
On the movie "Run Lola Run" the director used many techniques to manipulate time and show the audience the concept of the "butterfly effect". By using slow motion, flashback and going on in a tanget the diretor avoided that the audience got bored or even exhausted of so much running Lola had to do. Showing the story of other people, or in other words, what they were doing at the same time Lola had to get the money and take to Manni is another way of manipulating time. If the director did not focus on showing the actions of the co-stars the audience would not have a reference point in which to base how late or early Lola is. By editing the film and placing scenes between Lola's "journey" the director avoided monotony and confusion.
In the movie Run Lola Run the director and editor use several different techniques to create a fast pace feeling to the movie. There are times when we will see little shots things speeding by quickly or see someone's future within a 5 second montage. They also incorperate a lot of clocks through out the film to hint that time is running out. They also hint at how everything is a domino effect in the video. Whether it's because she took too long at one place that she has to run or it's because her dad is being uncooperative and she gets to the store too late to save her boyfriend. All of these things put together are what make this movie seem liek you're always in a rush and that time is of the essence.
The way the editing is done in this film is very unique. The concept of time is shown as a valuable asset to Lola. Each "flashback" Lola learns from the mistakes made from the previous ones. Such as with shooting a gun, the dog and the owner in the building, or with how she deals with her father. It is however somewhat redundant to see the same overall plot without explanation of how or why she does this.
Although many viewers of "Run Lola Run" see it as a movie about a girl trying to get a large amount of money to her boyfriend on time, I see it as a movie about time and how with each passing second our lives could change. The Director of this film completely illustrates it's theme of the concept of time and of changing time.
The director uses many different shots all in random order to make the audience put the pieces of time together. This technique makes the story hard to understand at first but makes the audience wonder what will happen next.
During the film there are also many flashbacks as well as foreshadows. Each time one is shown this fast-paced movie slows down to emphasize the importance on the particular one. For example when both Lola and her boyfriend are about to die the film flashbacks to them in the bed declaring their true love for eachother.
The director also uses the technique montage in "Run Lola Run". When Lola is running to get the money and meet Manni the director uses music and different shots of Lola to shorten the time but also brings out the determination that Lola has.
I feel that "Run Lola Run" clearly shows its theme. The director uses many techniques to achieve this.
Several techniques are used to show the change and travel through time in the movie. Every time the character goes back in time, it always starts the same way. Lola sees the same characters but the interactions are different. The differences show the changes that she is making by reliving these situations.
The editing techniques used in Run Lola Run emphasize the central meaning of the film. Even the smallest moments in a person’s life can mean so much. This is the case with Lola when she gets the phone call from Manni informing her he has lost the 100,000 deutschemarks. The order in which the shots are put together allow the audience to entirely understand the emotions of Lola and Manni. The back and forth shots of Manni and Lola talking on the phone show Manni’s feeling of panic, and hopelessness, while Lola is trying her best to stay calm and collected as she tries to figure out what she can do to help Manni. The juxtaposition of is also completely effective the second time Lola runs in on her dad speaking to the women he is cheating on his wife with. If these shots were not put together in this way, the feelings of the three people involved in this scene would be totally misunderstood.
There are multiple ways that the director and cinematographer manipulatite time in Run Lola Run. The main element I could pinpoint to show the time change was when the camera zoomed in on the eye of the dead character, Lola, or Manny and cutting to a scene where they are laying in bed talking about the love that they have for each other. another element that displayed time travel was the choices how the choices impacted each character every time they "rewrote" their lives. Each time around Lola comes closer to the one she loves, and by the last time she realized which choices to make and not to make to save the one she loves.
In the film Run Lola Run there are a variety of ways the director manipulate time. Several points include flash backs when they die, decisions they were to make in the past, and all of the different scenarios making the movie centralize about choices. Flash forward concepts in the different stages such as what had happend with lady at the corner, security gaurd, random girl in the bank, and the guy on the bike. I enjoyed this film a lot because as another blogger mentioned "the Butterfly Effect". I love movies that really make the viewers think about our own lives and how we, ourselves, can influence the outcome of other peoples destiny. Some techniques the director used besides the flashbacks was attention to detail. After the first scene, he did not show as much detail because we had already knew what had happened. He then began to show more detail on the random passerbys that were in the other scenarios. I must say, I really enjoyed this movie a lot!
Run Lola Run includes three different endings. These are different because of mere changes of action taken by Lola. The editing adds to the theme of this movie because it is very choppy clips of film which take Lola back in time. These scenes are essentially the same, however it seems as though each time she goes back to the beginning of the story, she learns from her past mistakes. It was interesting how the first time Manni dies at the end, then Lola goes back and tries to change the outcome and she ends up dying. Obviously she didn't like that outcome either so the third and final attempt to go back in time and get the money to Manni works out and they end up with twice the money they started with. All of the scenarioes are different by tiny details such as jumping over the dog in the stairwell the next time or kniwing the ambulance at the end was going to hit the glass crossing the road. All these things are tiny but definitely affect the outcome of the movie.
Each time I go to watch a film I go in hopes of finding out something about life or at least something that will spark my imagination and leave me thinking after the movie has long been over. The way in which the director manipulates time is mesmerizing. I especially enjoyed when Lola met each individual in each scenario and it changed as she went back in time, meaning the flash forwards were changed each time for a more desired outcome. Its almost as if the director used the flash backs and flash forwards as foreshadowing.
I also enjoyed how the way the film was shot added to the way I physically felt through out the movie. There were points in the film were I was nervous an felt un easy about the outcome ... Usually I will just watch but during " Run Lola Run" I felt.
Besides going back in time, the editing of "Run Lola Run" allows the effect of time to have much larger consequences than you normally see. The editing of the first scene which pursues a different path each additional time it is shown alloes the audience to actually see the huge alterations of one little piece of time. This movie portrayed the theme that one little difference in the aquaintance with somebody will change the entire result of time in the future. Without the use of editing this theme would not be able to be seen. Over all this thought is extremely interesting, but exausting by the end of the movie!
In run lola run the theme is all about time and about how a secon.d can last a while. the scene after the train also help set the theme of the movie
The time manipulation helped the viewer to grasp where the issue at hand began or originated...it's almost like when you tell a story and you give the full background of how you got to the point in the situation of where you are now, only in this case, of a cinema, we were able to visualize. The choices and confusion remind me a lot of what we go through as new college students, being on our own and trying to make sure we make right decisions....whatever that "right" may be. The three scnearios were brought to life and were an expression of how we may suffer consequences from choices that we make. Good movie, notbad for the budget.
The overall message and theme of this movie is that the choices we make affect the outcome of the rest of our lives. This film is particularly good at illustrating this theme through the manipulation of time. The film consists of one scenario that results in three different specific outcomes based on minute changes and choices of the characters. The entire outcome of the scenario is determined by Lola's journey down the stairs and her reaction to the boy and his dog. While Lola is running down the stairs, the film is animated, a completely different technoque than the rest of the film, emphasizing the great importants of the scene. As each scenario is presented to the viewer, we see that even the most minute or miniscule change in time can drastically change the outcome of a situation. For example, in the first two scenarios Lola ends up causing her fathers boss to get into a car accident, preventing him from arriving at the bank in time and causing Lola to run into her father and his lover. With just a few fractions of a second difference, Lola is able to avoid causing an accident during the last scenario and this results in her missing her father, Manni running into the homeless man, and Lola winning a great deal of money while gambling. Also, the viewer sees throughout the film how Lola's actions affect other people she encounters. We see what happens to the woman Lola runs past, and sometimes into, when she encouters her in different ways. This displays that everyone's actions affect the lives of those around them and that the time at which we encounter people can drastically change their lives. The film has a very interesting take on the effects of time on our lives.
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