London 2012 Opening Ceremony - What did you think?

[Lee]

Double post

[USJay]

I thought there would have been red busses, they are pretty English are they not?

I wish I had tickets to go to the mens soccer

[Lee]

I thought there would have been red busses, they are pretty English are they not?

I wish I had tickets to go to the mens soccer

So are cups of tea, beefeaters, red phones boxes, fish and chips...the list is endless. There was no way we could get everything into the ceremony, simply too much. As it was people were criticising it for being too confused. You really can't win.

[USJay]

It was only confusing for me because i am American, and there are some English stuff i am not sure of. Did not make it less enjoyable, maybe i should research some stuff on England then it might all make sense.

[Lord David]

So are cups of tea, beefeaters, red phones boxes, fish and chips...the list is endless. There was no way we could get everything into the ceremony, simply too much. As it was people were criticising it for being too confused. You really can't win.

Well for one thing, if I were contributing something to this opening ceremony, I would have certainly added a segment involving "High Tea" as a homage. Perhaps at the start with the meadow field, where people are actually having proper high tea, then you get volunteers to come out and distribute free crust-less sandwiches, pastries and such to the greater audience.

Furthermore, I would have done a homage to London's preparations and getting to where they are now. A video/performance segment involving The Beatles' "Long and Winding Road", with the video part paying homage to Britain's past 3 prior bids, Birmingham, 1992, Manchester 1996 and 2000 (and perhaps a small reference to the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, which proved that Britain could host large scale sporting events) and the others who bid for this year's games, a slight nod to the non-finalists (excluding Rio, Havana and Leipzig), and commiserations to Moscow, New York, Madrid and Paris. This would then play Russel Watson's version of "Faith of the Heart", "Where My Heart Will Take Me". During the video you can easily show footage of construction of the Olympic Park.

The Memory Wall could have been incorporated to the "Doves of Peace" segment (which should have been longer anyways), by putting it in the start, perhaps adding a short tribute to the Munich Massacre, where a moments silence would occur. Then the doves on bikes come out, where the Arctic Monkeys play Come Together.

[Rob2012]

It was only confusing for me because i am American, and there are some English stuff i am not sure of. Did not make it less enjoyable, maybe i should research some stuff on England then it might all make sense.

Just out of interest which bits were lost on you?

[menegazfelipe]

"Rio has a hard act to follow"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... B*tch, please!

[Alexjc]

My feelings are 'tween Was Good and Meh...No flow and too much Video...Really, who outside the UK cares about the NHS?

[Lee]

My feelings are 'tween Was Good and Meh...No flow and too much Video...Really, who outside the UK cares about the NHS?

Well in my opinion the NHS is one of our greatest modern achievements. I am very proud of it. For that reason I am glad it had a place. Our ceremony was all about showing the essence of Britishness to the world. If the world didn't like it, or get it, then that is sad...but at least we stayed true to ourselves.

[Alexjc]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... B*tch, please!

I think what she means is...Rio will have to make an even bigger spectical than ever before because everyone will be expecting so much more to forget this one...

Rio WILL...

[USJay]

Just out of interest which bits were lost on you?

Some of the bits at the start, the change to fields then factories - i get that it was changing but, i didnt get why the fields, was only there for a few minutes - nothing seemed to happen on it. I also was not sure who the shakespere guy was. And the guy on the keyboard - no idea. The video at the start, i didnt understand some of the music. Also GOSH? and NHS i had to look up.

I guess it just me being a stupid yank

[Daze]

Ok, after watching the part before the athletes parade again, I must say that it was brilliant.

I have to admit that I was really pissed yesterday, because during Coe´s speech our TV signal got lost, due to a thunderstorm.

So we missed the Olympic Flag. We finally watched the lighting on a second TV linked to my laptop. Bad quality and only the sound out of the laptop.

I watched it again now and it just feels much better with full sound and HD quality.

I really liked that whole Dark Satanic Mills part. From when the workers climbed out under the tree to the finishing of the rings.

The music just fits perfectly to that part. And Kenneth Branagh did a real good job.

The pop-culture part was really cool. Never thought that I would ever hear "Firestarter" in a Olympic Ceremony.

"Forever Blowing Bubbles" was a cool reference to East London/West Ham Area.

The lighting was good. Nice idea but I would prefer a location for the cauldron where it would burn for all 16 or 17 days. It´s like Vancouver.

Ignite the cauldron inside the stadium, extinguish it and build it somewhere else in the stadium. For me it feels like it is not the same flame.

Now I´m really excitied for our trip to London next week.

[Alexjc]

From what I gather...The Flame is multiply lit at outlying venues and the stadium cauldron is portable...thus being able to be moved to the side? Has a gas cylinder in its base and just be plugged back into the mains again.

[oakydoky]

I thought the opening ceremony was OK. Not outstanding overall, but good and fairly enjoyable.Some parts pushed boundaries and some parts fell flat.

Bits I liked:

- The industrial revolution section and how it intelligently linked to the creation of forging the rings. Brilliant.

- the various video segments ( the countdown, the high-speed travel via the countryside/London etc). I thought London 2012's video segments were very creative and introduced a new dynamic not really explored to such an extent in other ceremonies I've seen.

- I liked some of the original soundtrack composed by Underworld(?) -- it reminded me of William orbit/Brian Eno who I love.

- I liked the design of the cauldron.

- the literature section (as a concept).

Bits I didn't like:

- The bloody 'love story' section. It was like having an episode of Hollyoaks placed within an opening ceremony. I know it was supposed to be edgy and kinda like "look how cool and free we are yadda yadda yadda" but I thought it was distasteful and not appropriate for an Olympic opening ceremony.Moral of story: young girl wearing very revealing clothes goes out with friends, texting, partying etc and then 'falls for' some dude she's only just met. They then play tonsil tennis with one another whilst a schizophrenic rave is going on. Classy stuff London 2012.

- I also didn't enjoy the musical montage bit. It felt a bit like filling time and a bit of a cop out.

- Wasn't a fan of the seven random young athletes lighting the cauldron. I thought it was a contrived attempt at sentimentality and totally underscored the true nature of what lighting a cauldron should mean (in my opinion). Basically, I thought the gravitas of the seminal moment of the ceremony was diluted.

- I felt the NHS section was a bit slap dash too. Something about the choreography of it all seemed a bit too unfinished. But I liked the concept, just not the execution.

Suggestions for improvements:

-I wished the countryside theme was explored a bit more. Would have been nice to emphasise the animals and the cottage with billowing chimneys-- they seemed slightly lost amongst all the cast. So much was happening that is was distracting.

- The cauldron lighting was given more gravitas.

[Michelle]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... B*tch, please!

The worlds media has given the ceremony a ringing endoresement, including those in Australia. I happen to agree.

Put simply, if you had any intellect and some background knowledge of the UK - you would have understood the ceremony, and what it was trying to represent. Also, I am sure even I missed certain connections that only repeated viewing will reveal.

If you were looking for something that was pomp, red buses all that jazz - I suggest folk watch highlights of the Jubilee.

The press and media in France have been heaping praise on Danny Boyle today, and the French did love the presence of Bradley Wiggins

I have no idea what most of you were hoping for. It was a ceremony that was quintessentially British. And though I had doubts about certain segments, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and commend the British on a different opening ceremony, one that I will remember.

[baron-pierreIV]

I thought there would have been red busses, they are pretty English are they not?

I wish I had tickets to go to the mens soccer

Welcome, USJay. Yes, they had a red bus (buses, plural) in Beijing at the Handover segment.

[USJay]

cool, i have not seen that yet, i will need to try and watch. I have only seen London in full and bits of others on youtube. But the more i see of the ceremonies the more i like

Thanks for liking my post Baron Pierre, my first like

[baron-pierreIV]

. Something about the choreography of it all seemed a bit too unfinished. But I liked the concept, just not the execution.

Remember, they were using mostly NON-professional dancers for the whole show. So choreography...or actually, if you're using amateurs, the proper term is 'movement,' was very good. I especially like the movements of the Abe Lincoln/capitalists crew. Very well defined and quite masculine.

-I wished the countryside theme was explored a bit more. Would have been nice to emphasise the animals and the cottage with billowing chimneys-- they seemed slightly lost amongst all the cast. So much was happening that is was distracting.

.

Many of us here wished that too. I think Boyle was afraid to linger too long on that bucolic setting. But it was a Masterpiece Theatre postcard cut to shreds too soon.

Missing for me: Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, the Lambeth Walk and Susan Boyle. If they were in there, I would've been a happy camper!

[oakydoky]

Remember, they were using mostly NON-professional dancers for the whole show. So choreography...or actually, if you're using amateurs, the proper term is 'movement,' was very good. I especially like the movements of the Abe Lincoln/capitalists crew. Very well defined and quite masculine.

By choreography, I meant the overall movement of the sets etc, not the nurses. They were great. It was really just opining about how the NHS segment (which as a concept I like) could perhaps have been maximised in the stadium setting. That was all.

[Lord David]

Remember, they were using mostly NON-professional dancers for the whole show. So choreography...or actually, if you're using amateurs, the proper term is 'movement,' was very good. I especially like the movements of the Abe Lincoln/capitalists crew. Very well defined and quite masculine.

Many of us here wished that too. I think Boyle was afraid to linger too long on that bucolic setting. But it was a Masterpiece Theatre postcard cut to shreds too soon.

Missing for me: Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, the Lambeth Walk and Susan Boyle. If they were in there, I would've been a happy camper!

Speaking of Susan Boyle, they had that act Signature, from Britain's Got Talent season 2. Another needless reference to Indians IMO. The Television segment could have shown a variety of Britain's Got Talent acts, but they emphasized on those two for some reason. Lambeth Walk? Should have been there with an accompanying Ministry of Silly Walks!

Sherlock Holmes? Miss Marple? Yes, this should have recognized adult based literature in the literature segment.

[cormiermax]

I noticed they focused on Indians and immigrants over all quite a lot, sometimes more than ethnic Brits.

[Lord David]

It's all Boyle's fault, Danny seems to be obsessed with Indian culture, there should have been less of this, a mere reference to Rudyard Kipling in the literature segment would have sufficed.

I personally would have moved some elements depicted in the ceremony. Eliminated the love story completely, moved "Abide with me" to after the Parade of Nations, as a lead up to the doves of peace segment.

Along with other stuff I have said prior.

Even if it wouldn't have probably been allowed, I would have insisted that a homage to the 27 years of "preparation" been represented through a video, with that tongue and cheek "sorry" to Paris for not getting the games.

[Ikarus360]

I still haven't watched it fully due to lot of stuff I had to do at college yesterday, but I did saw the ceremony until the parade of nations,

The opening segment, without doubt, was the best moment of all the show. Stunning music and wonderful representation of the Industrial Revolution. One can tell this was the segment they put most effort onto, and I'm sure this will be the most remembered moment when we talk back about it in future years. Although the songs of the fourth nations were performed at the first minutes, they gave more focus to Jerusalem. Perfect touch which fitted with the whole scenario.

The James Bond part was kinda fun. I can't believe the Queen herself was in the video. The anthem was ok, at least it was not a pop version like in 2010 but I preferred the rendition of the anthem in the 2008 handover.

The NHS segment...well, it was kinda cheesy at first but I did liked it (though I didn't expected that the theme of The Exorcist would play on it..o_o ) also it had the participation of J.K. Rowling herself, narrating an excerpt of Peter Pan. Though the Mery Poppins vs Voldemort fight was cool, it felt a bit rushed to me.

The Chariots of Fire part with Mr. Bean made me laugh a lot I loved both the comedy and the references to a movie which has a lot related to the Olympics.

I wasn't a big fan of the british music segment. Seemed very weird to me and confusing. Though I liked the homage to the social network and how it has affected our lifes in the last years.

The last segment with the dancers (before the athletes came in)...I'm really not sure what it tried to say. I need to rewatch it. The final route of the torch through the Thames was stunning, it brought me memories of the 2006 CWG at Melbourne (I gotta say London did it better).

I couldnt keep watching anymore during the parade of nations but i'll try to do it tonight or tomorrow, depending if i have time...but so far the ceremony was pretty good. The last two segments could have been done far better IMO but the opening of the show was outstanding (for me it was better than Beijing and the LED drummers...though yesterday we also had drummers. It's becoming somekind of a rule for ceremonies )

I'll be back when I see the rest of it.

[baron-pierreIV]

It's all Boyle's fault, Danny seems to be obsessed with Indian culture,

I can only imagine how many late-night, Indian food take-out meals the Ceremonies team had to endure because "Danny" wanted it. I'm surprised he didn't throw a Bollywood number in there.

BTW, only 2 descendants of Emily Panhurst were included in the suffragete contingent. Why weren't any descendants of Titanic survivors called in??

[Lord David]

Mr Bean? Again with Mr Bean, I assumed it was just merely Rowan Atkinson and not any portrayal of Mr Bean. If it was Mr Bean, I would have certainly had a reference to him later, when the Mini shows up. Have a crazed Mr Bean annoyed that he stuffed up his part, come in, "steal" the car and drive it away. Or I would have had his iconic green Mini beeping behind the family car (assuming he was really desperate to get out of the stadium and go home before anyone else), even though there's no traffic!

Perhaps even some disgruntled speech from Mr Bean "burughahghghghgurrh, BEEP, BEEP, I have to return this suit! Grrrh."