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London 2012 Opening Ceremony - What did you think?


  

143 members have voted

  1. 1. What are your feelings on the Opening Ceremony?

    • It was fantastic, up there with the best if not the best!
      37
    • It was really good, maybe not one of the best but London did it's self proud!
      40
    • Was good, could have been better.
      34
    • Meh, did not like it.
      9
    • It was poor, was disappointed.
      14
    • Was really bad, one of the worst iv seen.
      9


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I'm sorry but I can't sign off on this. This was way more a closing ceremony than an Opening ceremony. A really fun closing ceremony but not an opening ceremony at all. I was completely disappointed.

It was another nod to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: I open at the close

And 7 final torchbearers... The horcruxes.

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I just know the Closing will not be my kinda show.

Oh well, maybe the Rio portion will be worth waiting for.

P.S. David, Chaplin is more famously connected w/ Hollywood than his UK roots. Because if that were the case, then you should throw in Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Peter Lawford, Julie Andrews, etc., all Brit-born show biz personalities who made their mark in the US more than in the old home country.

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I just know the Closing will not be my kinda show.

Oh well, maybe the Rio portion will be worth waiting for.

P.S. David, Chaplin is more famously connected w/ Hollywood than his UK roots. Because if that were the case, then you should throw in Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Peter Lawford, Julie Andrews, etc., all Brit-born show biz personalities who made their mark in the US more than in the old home country.

Well they did briefly show Chaplin during the film part, surely that could have been the cue for Chaplin performers to come out.

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What closings are your kinda show?

Well, LA's was really the best -- a combination of mainstream entertainment (Lionel Richie) and imagination (the UFO). It wasn't one, long, boring stretched out rock concert. And Athens was actually good because I got exposed to great Greek talents I never heard of before.

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I guess none really. It's only the Handover portions which are really imaginative and worth waiting for: Lillehammer, Torino's, Sydney's have been the best so far.

They are an interesting part of the closing. I've gotta say, I did love Sochi's handover -- it was pure Russian excess.

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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.

I wasn't watching an Olympic ceremony, that's the problem. The moments which reminded me it was the Olympics were the moments I liked the most (the Olympic Rings and the Olympic Cauldron). I started to dislike it since it had two countdowns, both of them underwhelming, finishing at an anti-climax... There was that useless giant bell, and then the children started to sing. In some part sounded like they were chanting "Oh Danny Boyle, oh Danny Boyle, I love you so".

Overall, I liked the 'Satanic Mills' segment. I really enjoyed Bradley Wiggins acting. The percussion, the lift of the tree and those people coming out of the Tor was awesome (can't say the same for the Zombie Macarena Choreography - thanks blueview). Then, comes the best part: the forging of the Olympic Rings and their union in the sky. It was very clever inside the Industrial Revolution atmosphere.

What to say about the Queen's entrance? It was funny... Looked like those slapstick American movies, ~very Olympic~. I also noticed that it took very long to fly from Buckingham Palace to Stratford, since the sun was bright when they left. I could see her "Oh God Why?" regret face when she arrived. After that, put so many disabled children, from so many ethnicities, to sing "God Save the Queen" seemed very appellant and forced.

'Chariots of Fire' and Rowan Atkinson were also in the highlights of the show. This was something truly funny that didn't breach the Olympic sentiment and succeeded to celebrate a bit of British cinema and culture.

Then comes the National Health Service... Really? I mean, really? Honor a government public service in an Olympic ceremony? Lord Voldemort versus Mary Poppins? I was probably high... Not to mention it was artistically or aesthetic ridiculous. Radioactive beds, children with headphones, cameramen, assistants running, etc (Not only in this segment, but throughout the whole ceremony).

The whole 'Flashmob British Music Mashup Social Network Party Girl' segment was totally disposable. What was that? Kids Choice Awards? Interracial couple? After this sh*t and a tiresome parade of athletes (I was glad to see it speeded up, but not in that way) they could put something better than Arctic Monkeys to play. Although I liked the flying dove bike, looked pretty good on TV.

I don't remember if there is something else - apart from the protocol speeches and oaths - until the lightning of the cauldron... I kind liked the flame arriving in a boat driven by David "Bond" Beckham... But then came the unknown teenagers to ruin the ceremony once for all. The Olympic Cauldron was really a masterpiece of art, I loved it. The lightning was idiotic, another anti-climax. I don't think it needed permission from the Prime Minister, unless some of those kids were Cameron's son...

Finally, it was beautiful to see the Stadium singing "Hey Jude" alongside Sir Paul McCartney. I think it was the only moment of the night which had soul, for real... Awesome fireworks as well and also enjoyed the effect of the LEDs. At the end, it felt like I was watching something else, other than an Olympic ceremony, and MEH... I DIDN'T LIKE IT!

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I think the NHS was a good homage, after all free health service to all citizens when many countries either have discounted services or none at all. Universal health care is something that the British are proud to have started and rightfully so. It also appropriate led to literature with the children already in beds.

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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

Well, there...you learned something.

Did you understand every single second of Athens' and Beijing's ceremonies? Probably not.

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Even though the presentation of the ring was superb, I was puzzled on what Danny Boyle was trying to tell us. The Olympics are a product of industrialization? After the green and pleasant land is stripped for resources rises the Olympic movement? Am I over thinking this? LOL?

Overall, 7.5/10, that social media portion just dragged it down by at least a point and I didn't like the dove segment.

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Athens was exceptional interms of flow and use of technology. They celebrated Humanity and Olympic values.

Indeed. Athens is still my favourite because it not only celebrated Greek culture, but also humanity. I felt connected with the ceremony, unlike London or even Beijing.

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Also want to add, read on the news today that the people of China are chiming in (translated from a Chinese article)

These are some opinions from the China cyberspace:

==> London OC is not as spectacular as Beijing OC but it showed the humor of a civilian society

==> The OC is all about the British attitude on everyday life injected with humor. London's OC centers around the civilians.

==> London OC was like a circus show with not much attraction and greatly lacked the Olympic passion especially sports. It lacked in the creatives which was a disappointment.

==> Beijing OC let the Chinese feel proud because it proved to the world the fruit from the hard labours of the Chinese people, but at the same time London's OC also let the Chinese people feel sad because it demonstrated the British is proud of fully 'owning' their everyday lives.

and this comment is the one i fully agree:

==> Beijing's OC was a show given by its state, London's OC was a show given by its people.

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Also want to add, read on the news today that the people of China are chiming in (translated from a Chinese article)

These are some opinions from the China cyberspace:

==> London OC is not as spectacular as Beijing OC but it showed the humor of a civilian society

==> The OC is all about the British attitude on everyday life injected with humor. London's OC centers around the civilians.

==> London OC was like a circus show with not much attraction and greatly lacked the Olympic passion especially sports. It lacked in the creatives which was a disappointment.

==> Beijing OC let the Chinese feel proud because it proved to the world the fruit from the hard labours of the Chinese people, but at the same time London's OC also let the Chinese people feel sad because it demonstrated the British is proud of fully 'owning' their everyday lives.

and this comment is the one i fully agree:

==> Beijing's OC was a show given by its state, London's OC was a show given by its people.

Well, surprisinly enough, Americans seem to be much harsher than the chinese people...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/07/27/london-olympics-the-most-embarrasing-opening-ceremony/

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Indeed. Athens is still my favourite because it not only celebrated Greek culture, but also humanity. I felt connected with the ceremony, unlike London or even Beijing.

I agree

After London OC

1. Athens 2004

2. Beijing 2008

3. Barcelona 1992

4. Sydney 2000

5. Atlanta 96 - London 2012

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1. Athens 2004

2. Beijing 2008

3. Sydney 2000

4. London 2012

4.5. Barcelona 1992 / Atlanta 1994

London's ceremony just really felt like that of a small host city, if that makes sense. I expected a certain degree of monumentality, especially from London. The last three summer OC's had that in spades. It was missing last night.

*Atlanta 1996 :rolleyes:

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We were never going to get monumentalism with Boyle and Frears who came of age in the 80s and whose anti-thatcherite roots are weaved through their works. The Abide With Me Section was just about the only piece that resembled the professional gloss of ceremonies past. I'm not convinced that the desire to be inclusive didn't just come off as chaotic, although there were flashes of brilliance. I loved the "caliban's dream' soundtrack at the cauldron lighting, the almost apolgetic minor key which suggested that there is another way than triumphalism and hubris.

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