Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony Live Chat

[JMarkSnow2012 386]

4 hours ago, plusbrilliantsexploits said:

It seems that there has been a nuanced shift in terms of remembrance by the IOC. A couple of days ago, I read an article in the Jerusalem Post in which this issue was discussed - basically, Bach seems to have gotten the fact that the IOC cannot just pretend that Munich never happened. Hence, the space of remembrance created in the Olympic Village (which was praised by the widows of the Munich 11, Ankie Spitzer being among them) and maybe this "Saudades" segment. However, the latter may just be a continuation of the section of the "Abide by Me" remembrance section which was musically accompanied by Emeli Sandé during the London 2012 closing ceremony.

 

London deliberately set out to demolish the IOC's earlier argument that remembrance in general had no place in Olympic ceremonies- first the "poppy pause" in the industrial segment, then the "wall of memory", followed immediately by Akram Khan's 52 dancers confronting death, while at the same time, but in a completely different rhythm and mood, Emeli Sandé sang the traditional British sporting anthem "Abide With Me". Then to cap it all off, they marked the 40th anniversary of Munich by refusing to sing the lyrics of the Olympic Hymn (the same way Albertville had marked the 20th anniversary in 1992- Barcelona having a very different point to make with their trilingual summer rendition).

4 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Far better than the "rain extinguishing Rio's flame" which was bizarre and really a big Huh?   #1 - It was already a rainy, stormy night, but they created this fake "rain" to douse the cauldron -- which it PLAINLY did NOT.  You could see the gas jets being shut off, doused the flame.  

#2 - That "fake rain" on a stormy night, really rings hallow in areas where there is drought (i.e., California where I live, the Saharas area), and you have these "show people" wasting so much water for a show effect, when the "rainfall" wasn't even a natural one.  

That, whatever those hang-gliding contrapations for the Cappabarra Cave things, and the FAKE flying of Santos-Dumont's "plane" really needed to be more credible.  

Brazil is not California; about half of it is RAIN forest, as depicted in the performance area. Of course the fake rain didn't douse the Cauldron- it would have been designed to cope with the sort of conditions which really occurred that evening.

Everybody knew the 14-bis flying was fake, just as everybody knew the parachuting Queen was fake; but it was fun, and very popular with the stadium spectators, and it provided an excuse for a lovely night flight over the city.

2 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

The man was sick and/or recovering from surgery.  At least he knew how to stay away and NOT make the moment about him -- unlike The Big Mouth Ali, who, not content to showing how sick he already was in Atlanta, still HOGGED MORE GLOBAL spotlight in London, 16 years later.  I mean, the man could NOT have enough attention showered on him until the day he died.  Talk of needy... 

As I've stated previously, Ali's presence was perfectly in tune with the main theme of the London OC (and in Atlanta it was a good response to Barcelona's use of a Paralympian).

[baron-pierreIV 1693]

2 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

As I've stated previously, Ali's presence was perfectly in tune with the main theme of the London OC (and in Atlanta it was a good response to Barcelona's use of a Paralympian).

1

I thought Ali was perfectly superfluous in both instances.  Just a bad choice.  

[cubebox 31]

Does anybody cries when the cauldron was extinguished? 'Cause I did and I don't have any problems recognizing it.

 I think it was one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony. Perfect song, perfect singer, the rain. Just beautiful

[Nacholympic 82]

2 hours ago, cubebox said:

Does anybody cries when the cauldron was extinguished? 'Cause I did and I don't have any problems recognizing it.

 I think it was one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony. Perfect song, perfect singer, the rain. Just beautiful

I got the sensation of "Oh! It's over... It's over, man!!! I waited for years these Olympics... I followed them since the bid... and now it's over.. I can't believe it!"

[paul 617]

4 hours ago, cubebox said:

Does anybody cries when the cauldron was extinguished? 'Cause I did and I don't have any problems recognizing it.

 I think it was one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony. Perfect song, perfect singer, the rain. Just beautiful

This was THE moment of the last 7 years for me, I did not expect to feel anything, I don't know the singer and never heard the song, I was not a big fan of these games or the organization but when the lady started singing and the rain was falling I felt something special was happening. It was a stunningly beautiful moment and the song is in my head since that day. I've been very hard on these games and I'm not a huge fan of how Rio withheld things that were promised but this moment was one of the most beautiful and emotional of any ceremony I have seen. She was standing on some black tarp covered platform-construct that was unrefined (at best) but none of that mattered. For me this was Rio's most powerful moments.

Edited August 28, 2016 by paul