Lola/Rath in German version vs American Version
Has anyone else noticed that both Lola and Rath are more complex are different characters in the German version.
I just got done watching both versions back to back (german w/subitles than english). I had never seen the american version before and was surprised at how Lola's character was changed, seemingly subtly but really rather dramactically. Similarly Rath motivation for marriage changes dramtically in the am. ver.
Examples:
1) when the Rath spills Lola's cards on the wedding night and says as long as he has a "penny they will never be sold"
german ver: Lola replies "well you can never tell. we better keep them." at most implying that she's not sure yet that she can rely on him.
american ver: Lola demands he picks them up before they "get dirty" clearly telling him he's nothing and assigning him his fate/place.
2) when Rath is told they are going to be playing at the blue angel as Lola is doing laundry and Rath is getting ready for the stage.
german version: Lola shows some sympathy telling the director to leave Rath alone. The dir. then points out Rath has been living off Lola for 5 years. Lola tells the dir. Rath will be there but then physically comforts Rath and tells him he doesn't have to do what he doesn't want.
american version: the whole exchange is cut to essentially nothing with Lola pretty with the scene where she comforts him becoming one where she is in essence telling him to shut up.
In the German version Lola's disllusionment with Rath is a more understandable. One can interpret her character as thinking she got a "man" to discover she married a "wimp" that she supports for 5 years.
We see Rath as a naive man who willingly jumps into a world he doesn't understand and won't fit in due to his romantic illusions about a woman who hasn't hid what she is. Rath choose to leave his world for something that he will clearly not be happy with. After all, Rath could have chosen to try and bring Lola into his world and choses not to.
The German version argues that to a large extent Rath is responsible for his disintegration. Rath has failed to find a comfortable place for himself in a world he chose. Rath has chosen to not follow through, i.e., refusing to play the Blue Angel, supporting Lola so she won't have to sell her cards, etc.
Anyway, I was just surprised at how much the story was changed between the two versions. Is is that America like clear stories of a man ruined by a woman and not the more complex story of a man self-destructing do to his own failings to understand himself and the woman he chooses to get involved with?