What is the purpose of an Olympic opening ceremony?
One is to introduce the competing athletes to the world and the other major purpose is to introduce the host country to all watching. It is a prime opportunity to showcase the host nation to the world and express how that nation feels about itself and its values. I personally do not think it can be viewed as ‘just’ an entertainment.
I think last night presented a dilemma and sent a very mixed message which perhaps reflects the utter confusion of modern England. I say England because I feel there was little more than a passing nod to the fact that there are four composite nations within the British Isles. The show was London/urban centric, reflected in how much time was apportioned to the various scenes.
The initial nostalgic unrealistic pastoral idyll (Spousal unit complained he didn’t see the sheep shagging!) was very quickly passed over in favour of the industrial scene which I thought the best by far of the show. Perhaps more ‘Lord of the Rings’ than anything else but at least demonstrated that we had some creditable mechanical engineers left if nothing else! At least the first two section were tenuously relevant to our past.
Then the most bizarre and seriously weird bit of dark fantasy I have seen in a long time. The NHS???? There can hardly be a more currently discredited institution in the land. Daily horror stories of starvation, neglect, dehydration and sheer ineptitude in every edition of the papers and there were nurses dressed as they haven’t been seen on the wards in a good twenty years actually attending patients? What an incredibly sick fantasy. We were told that these were real nurses, who was ‘minding the store’ whilst they were rehearsing?
Next we were treated to Doctor Bean cheating, a fine moral tale for the Olympics when not an hour later they all took oaths not to cheat! Seriously strange. Finally we were treated to the peasants Saturday night out, the kind of thing that has rendered our city centres empty of the respectable in fear of their lives and wallets. All notably multicultural but with a distinct paucity of our muslim immigrants. Which rather shows their interest in volunteering doesn’t it?
Presumably this was all supposed to represent how we see modern Britain? Hardly much of an advertisement if you ask me for attracting either tourist or business.
It was noticeable too that during the parade of athletes most managed to make a creditable attempt to walk in good order and present themselves as a credit to their nations. More than can be said for our own team who managed to straggle, slouch, jostle, slope and slump their way round as if they had just been let out of their cages. Could no-one teach them to stand up and walk properly? For the amount of money wasted on them surely a few deportment lessons might have been in order?
I am at a loss to understand how 27 million could have been expended on quite such mixed metaphors. The one thing that stood out quite clearly is that England may say that they want the Union of the 4 nations but they really don’t act like it. It appeared they much prefer their immigrants. Maybe it is time that we all left them to it like the Scots. I really found the whole thing rather sad. I noted that HMQ didn’t look too enamoured either. Her opening of the games was a little too short and very, very crisp in icy tones.
Another rather strange thing, considering the iconoclastic post religious nature of Britain it struck me as rather strange to have at least 5 hymn tunes in the music sung/played. And since when has rap music been part of the UK’s musical heritage? And please God would Paul McCartney retire, sounds like a corncrake. Too many old has beens all round. And finally someone ought to tell ‘them’ that you only sing ‘Abide with Me’ when the ship goes down one way or another!!!
Perhaps that was the true message of the evening!
Boadicea's Chariot 
As so often, I couldn’t disagree with you more. You obviously have little understanding of how real people feel or behave.
Hello Christina
I said exactly the same yesterday!
I can understand the participants introducing themselves and marching past the various dignitaries but the whole point of a once off costly extravaganza is beyond me.
I’d be quite happy to see the symbolic flame lit in a simple ceremony, the athletes march in and a welcome by whichever country’s head of state they happen to be in.
See last para of my post for explanation.
janus there really is no need to get personal. Good night.
I found the whole NHS bit quite ironic. After all it now treats all and multi-culti sundry, many of whom have no right to free treatment. This is one of its great problems. And the same is true of GOSH.
I would like to apologise for that Scottish female football player who refused to sing the National Anthem. She is obviously not bright enough to know that the Queen is Head State (whether either of them likes it or not) and probably not bright enough to learn the words. Of course there is a feeling in Scotland that England has hijacked the British National Anthem for its own teams, as is obvious at football and rugby games among the four nations. What Giggs and Bellamy’s excuse is, I don’t know.
Well well, a rather understated critique CO ….. for my penny’s worth some random thoughts; 1) The molten rings being the highlight. 2) very quirky overall 3) pandering to young families; 4) Abide With Me? What on earth had that rendition to do with the Olympics? It seemed to me to be an exultation of a death of a boy! 5) Why didn’t the Queen parachute in for real?
But Christina, why not allow a little revelry among our own athletes, showing off our sense of fun. After all this is 2012 and not 1948. Mind you the costumes reminded me of Garry Glitter! And why indeed do we keep resurrecting Paul McCartney? Is he considered the safe and soft option? Why not get the Pearly Kings and Queens to do a music hall medley? Finally I thought the rap singer Dizzy Rascal a rather good advert for a healthy and young London.
Oh dear, I was absolutely dreading this and my verdict which I wrote elsewhere, about half way through:
It’s the most embarrassing, cringe-making event I have ever had the misfortune to witness.
I really wish it were not so.
It was admittedly good in parts but yes, a very mixed message.
CO, good morning.
A fine critique of the event from your point of view. Just a couple of things.
Her Majesty – ‘Her opening of the games was a little too short’. The exact words that she has to use are laid down in Rule 56 of Chapter 5 of the Olympic Charter – ‘I declare open the Games of [name of host city] celebrating the [number of the Olympiad] Olympiad of the modern era.’ No personsal embellishment is allowed.
I know it’s bureaucratic claptrap but then it was a Frog who thought the whole thing up. I am certain that if HM did disapprove of the Olympics, she would not have co-operated in the 007 section.
And i suppose you have to be interested in sport to realise that all of the ‘hymn tunes’ were there because they a sporting anthems. ‘Abide with Me’ (written by a Jock) has been sung at every FA Cup Final since the 1920’s.
I do, of course, agree with you completely about Macca being well past his sell by date.
Hmmm! Against my better judgement I sat through the coverage, bristling at the sight of a West African dressed up in stove-pipe hat and frock coat as a 19th century mill owner (yeah, right). Everything was under control until HM The Queen arrived (WTF was the James Bond thing all about?) and was introduced to the sheeple in French – at the London Olympics, FFS, as were all the teams! And you are right. The opening ceremony ought to be a formal parade of athletes with absolutely no personal cameras and suchlike. Yes, have a play at the closing ceremony if you will, but have some dignity beforehand please.
You’ll have to excuse me now. I have to go into town and buy a new television. The old one seems to have a large table ornament protruding from the screen.
OZ
Really!!!
Ha ha, must watch that 🙂
I confess that I missed the whole thing. It was not deliberate, but somehow we just got carried away drinking wine in the hills over looking Cannes.It was a glorious evening with a stunning view. By the time any of us remembered, it was all over. I am pretty sure that I would have been impressed by some aspects, embarrassed by others and irritated by the PC elements such as the Mill Owner. Still, it seems to have been well received by the rest of the world, which is a good thing,
My comment was objective, not personal. Sorry if I have offended you.
I switched off after about 20 minutes, as I found it totally uninspiring, and by the sound of it, did not miss much. I see the Guadianistas are baying for the blood of that Tory MP who referred on Twitter to the whole thing as “leftie multiculti crap”. From what I saw and have seen reported since, I suspect he might have been correct. It is certainly not how I view this country, and if I did, I wold be looking at emigrating tomorrow.
Nevr mind, FEEG. Best to be in a vocal minority, innit? 😕
Not so sure that I am.
I am really looking forward to the Games, but could have done without that awful opening ceremony.
BREAKING NEWS:. Team GB’s first medal hope has blown it. Cavendish in the cycling. Now that DOES matter to me!
Interesting that I seem to be nearer the middle of this range of opinions.
I saw this on both Canadian and American TV. Both were being terribly polite, ie quirky, humorous, creative etc etc.
Rough interpretation, what the f’s this all about! No one is going to be that rude about it in the English speaking world are they when some idiot has just blown 27 million?
Except of course Mitt Romney but he just learnt his lesson and will probably lie low!
I found certain parts of it excellent, but it was far too long and ‘bitty’ – bordering on cheesy. The NHS bit, using archaic uniforms for the nurses… what WAS that about?!
The butterfly cyclists at the end were excellent! I liked the idea of the copper flower making a huge flame.
I’m quite thoroughly disappointed. The Chinese were brilliant, the Greeks were, well, Greek, the Australians had the best show of all, the Obamastanis were, well, Obamastanis… This? What was this? It was nothing but unmitigated bilge, PC tosh in its purest and most unadulterated form. I could not stomach it. I trust that the opening ceremonies will have redeemed themselves in 2016 when the Brazilians have their chance. I’m sure we can count on them to have a brilliant event with lots of colour and flair.
Christopher:
And lots of girls who are almost dressed 😀
Bravo: their outfits will certainly be colourful and they will, by all means, dance with flair!
Christopher, if you want inhuman geometric entertainment I can see why you didn’t like London 2012. The Olympics however is about the ‘human race’ and the London message was that British people are human with an eccentric twist.
Janus: hardly, hardly. I simply think it was a travesty. It was a PC exercise in multi-cultural balderdash.
It certainly was quirky, but not necessarily in a good way. What is showed more than anything else was declining standards and incompetent management.
Chris, your comment is a suitable finishing point, agree with you completely.
Shame on you.
No shame needed. There is no accounting for taste. Then again, some have no taste to account for. The latter applies strongly to the organisers of the opening ceremony.
Ah, there’s the rub. Its taste was British, and that definitely excludes you. 😦
I finally got to watch it last night and while there were a few bits that were quite good, for the most part it was embarrassing, inept, PC crap. I mean what on earth prompted Boyle to have a bunch Deaf singers providing a tuneless rendition of God Save the Queen. I realise the majority of the performers were unskilled volunteers, but boy did it show. The dancers were all over the place. As for the Mixed race parents of June who with Frankie were the typical teenage couple out on the town, what was that all about. Why were there quite so many non white people? Even when there was a group of children singing up in Scotland, the camera focused in on the one black kid. It was at times so cringe- making, I had to look away or fast forward. As for Rowan Atkinson and the Chariots of Fire, it was pathetic. The joke could have worked with just a 5 second slot of him hitting the one key, but the rest was nonsense.
Boyle should realise that if you are going to have soldiers marching, you need to have a minimum of 20 for it to look remotely impressive. When there is only a handful, some holding the flag with their left, others with their right hand, they march like a bunch of uncoordinated retards.
Then there was the ubiquitous Doreen Lawrence who for some reason got to carry the Olympic flag. Why her? Why Daniel Barenboim for goodness sake? What do either of them have to do with the Olympics? Marina Silva, Muhammad Ali? Bollocks all of it.
Some of the effects were quite good, but otherwise it was too long, too amateurish and as I have already said PC crap.