The Olympic opening ceremony

[a lower gear]

The Gears are in the USA for the duration of the Games; the smaller Gears were off in Boy Scout Camp last week so we taped the ceremony and awaited their return to watch it. Intriguing to see it from a US perspective and commentary - but bedevilled by commercial breaks every five minutes (literally!).

Incredibly British and requires a great deal of explanation to the American relatives and friends - not least the NHS. Some cringeworthy bits but way better than I'd feared and much of it really good - and much of it quite draw-jopping. The chimney stacks and the winged bikes were personal highlights.

Using children's choirs and pop music proved to be a mould-breaking means of completely side-stepping attempts to compete with Chinese on militaristic ceremonial, and the selection of upcoming young athletes to light the flame ditto.

Can't recall which US network we taped it off but the commentators were uncommonly quiet - seemed to be non-plussed by what most of the ceremony referenced despite crib-notes. I'll have to watch it a second time to pick up all the subtelties.

Overall, it had much in common with a pop video: designed for TV rather than for these in the grand stands. 8 or maybe 9 out of 10.   

 

[Thing2]

We're in the US, and watched the ceremony on NBC. I'm still annoyed that they didn't show the part in the ceremony which referenced the 2005 bombings in London because "it was not tailored for a US audience".    As someone who was living in London at the time (and also heard the 1996 docklands bomb go off from my room at university halls), that feels very wrong.

[Valiant]

I found out the other day that my sister was one of those involved in making the wings, she was also going to be the opening ceremony for the NHS bit (She's a nurse) but pulled out after they took over a couple of wards at her hospital and changed their policy ie the athletes get better and priority treatement over everyone else.

[gordon taylor]

Overall, it had much in common with a pop video: designed for TV rather than for these in the grand stands. 8 or maybe 9 out of 10.   

Having seen 3/4 of the performance live at a rehearsal, I completely disagree. From the stands the vast tableau of action kept us agog - the drummers starting off behind the audience... the scale, smell and audacity of the chimneys, and (most of all) the amazing choreographed movement of thousands of performers. The TV version was stunning, but the live show was, unbelievably, even better.

[Jurek]

Overall, it had much in common with a pop video: designed for TV rather than for these in the grand stands. 8 or maybe 9 out of 10.   

Having seen 3/4 of the performance live at a rehearsal, I completely disagree. From the stands the vast tableau of action kept us agog - the drummers starting off behind the audience... the scale, smell and audacity of the chimneys, and (most of all) the amazing choreographed movement of thousands of performers. The TV version was stunning, but the live show was, unbelievably, even better.

^ This.

[Rig of Jarkness]

I've no idea what relevance Great Ormond Street hospital has to the rest of the GB.  What was it doing there ?

And as for the celebration of the NHS, well I think most of you can guess where I stand on that.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

JM Barrie bequeathed the royalties from Peter Pan to GOSH in perpetuity, so it tied in the NHS bit with the children's literature bit.

[Ham]

Apparently the Paralympic opening ceremony will also be something special, having spoken to someone involved. Emphasis will be on enablement, whatever that means.  Be very interesting to see how it's handled.

[Rig of Jarkness]

I'm looking forward to the pageant of Scottish history that will be the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.  Lets see now, Bannockburn, Darien, Act of Union, Highland clearances, John Logie Baird.

[Jaded]

Apparently the Paralympic opening ceremony will also be something special, having spoken to someone involved. Emphasis will be on enablement, whatever that means.  Be very interesting to see how it's handled.

Having been lucky enough to get tickets for this, we are really looking forward to it.

[a lower gear]

Overall, it had much in common with a pop video: designed for TV rather than for these in the grand stands. 8 or maybe 9 out of 10.   

Having seen 3/4 of the performance live at a rehearsal, I completely disagree. From the stands the vast tableau of action kept us agog - the drummers starting off behind the audience... the scale, smell and audacity of the chimneys, and (most of all) the amazing choreographed movement of thousands of performers. The TV version was stunning, but the live show was, unbelievably, even better.

That's encouraging to hear! Watching it on TV gave me the impression that the view from the stands might have been an enormous confused mass due to viewing it from too low an angle, and from too far away.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I still haven't seen the Opening Ceremony nor heard much about it, but I have just read about it in a week-old Polish newspaper. The reviewer started by saying he was a fan of Danny Boyle as a film director but couldn't imagine him directing this show - would he sell his soul and produce some bland celebration of corporate patriotism, or would he give us zombies vs the City? In fact it was in his words "a performance which China or Russia would never have dared to put on" and "the country's greatness is best shown by its lack of embarrassment about its smallness". I didn't realise there was so much Shakespeare in the ceremony - nor, what this reviewer makes much of, "the first lesbian kiss in the history of British television [...] which will certainly be the first lesbian kiss shown on tv in countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia." I don't know how he can be so sure it was actually broadcast unedited worldwide. And a deaf choir singing the Olympic anthem, that's a good touch.

[Zipperhead]

I I didn't realise there was so much Shakespeare in the ceremony - nor, what this reviewer makes much of, "the first lesbian kiss in the history of British television [...] which will certainly be the first lesbian kiss shown on tv in countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia." I don't know how he can be so sure it was actually broadcast unedited worldwide. And a deaf choir singing the Olympic anthem, that's a good touch.

He's wrong anyway, the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British TV was on Brookside, in 1994 I think. Only 18 years ago.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That's the one he was referring to. 1993 he said. He picked it out for special mention from a scene of "popculture kisses."

[Zipperhead]

oh I see, it was re-shown during the ceremony.  I missed that, along with a lot of other little bits, it's the brain you know, not what it once was.

[Arch]

I still haven't seen the Opening Ceremony nor heard much about it, but I have just read about it in a week-old Polish newspaper. The reviewer started by saying he was a fan of Danny Boyle as a film director but couldn't imagine him directing this show - would he sell his soul and produce some bland celebration of corporate patriotism, or would he give us zombies vs the City? In fact it was in his words "a performance which China or Russia would never have dared to put on" and "the country's greatness is best shown by its lack of embarrassment about its smallness". I didn't realise there was so much Shakespeare in the ceremony - nor, what this reviewer makes much of, "the first lesbian kiss in the history of British television [...] which will certainly be the first lesbian kiss shown on tv in countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia." I don't know how he can be so sure it was actually broadcast unedited worldwide. And a deaf choir singing the Olympic anthem, that's a good touch.

Um, I think they sang the National Anthem, didn't they?  OUR National Anthem!

And they did it better than Lesley Warbleface.

[Kim]

Um, I think they sang the National Anthem, didn't they?  OUR National Anthem!

They did.  I believe they even signed it too, but you only got to see about 3.5 signs worth of it in sufficient close up to make out what they were signing (looked a bit Englishy).

[Cudzoziemiec]

So it was and so they did. My mistake - skim-reading, "British" and "Olympic" were right next to each other with only the word "anthem" between them.