Paris 2024 Ceremonies - Verdict

[MisterSG1]

14 minutes ago, Australian Kiwi said:

Pushed what, exactly?

You're whipping yourself up into a lather over other people living their lives completely separate from you. Did it ever occur to you that this particular moment in the opening ceremony had nothing to do with you at all? It was not for you, and it was not by you. Not every moment is about you. 

Are you aware that there were drag queens featured prominently in the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics? 24 years ago.

Yeah, the same Sydney who would have a rock band singing a hypocritical song while wearing shirts that said “Sorry” on them.

If that hypocrite from midnight oil actually believed in that nonsense, perhaps he should move to whatever ancestral land he is from. But he won’t do that now, will he? He’s a hypocrite. A moment of celebration at the closing ceremony instead becomes a guilt tripping exercise.

Yes it does affect me when drag queens and freaks do this kind of nonsense, ever hear of Drag Queen Storytime Hour, that kind of nonsense should never be acceptable and instead of society refusing to stomp it out, we now have a society like the weird sisters said “Fair is foul and foul is fair”

[Olympics2028]

1 hour ago, Sir Rols said:

That was a reference to the finale of he the original “Planet of the Apes”. One of a number of cinematic references in the tribute to the Lumière brothers

 

Are you sure? If so, that seems way too obscure. Or trying to link the ending of an American movie of the 1960s with one of the early pioneers of cinema based in France.

As for the politics favored by the planners of the 2024 opening, what if they had done a segment that mocked certain sacred symbols associated with Islam? Or Buddha?

Beyond that, what does the Last Supper have to do with Paris, with the French, the Olympics? That famous painting is in Milano, Italy and Leonardo da Vinci is Italian, not French.

Like the politics/religion or hate the politics/religion, planners of Olympics ceremony seem to have a "What the hell! Who cares?!" attitude about what fits or doesn't fit.

[venuedesignlover]

1 hour ago, mr.bernham said:

Enough has been said about what was wrong with this ceremony, and I don't think me piling on will help much. I'll stop my deeper criticisms by saying Paris is very fortunate that Rio hosted it in 2016. As we say in America, you'll never be the worst as long as Mississippi exists.

The music was spectacular. Based on the Leitmotifs, I'm assuming it was produced mostly by Woodkid. This was quite emotional for me. Paris has been using Woodkid since their Bid back in 2015! Woodkid again produced the handover ceremony's music in 2020. I loved this continuity, and it's something I think almost everyone missed. 

Instead, I'd like to offer some suggestions for how this ceremony could've been improved. 

The concept of a ceremony on the Seine was novel, and I think Paris should be commended for breaking the mold. Aside from the rain (which frankly, the organizers should've anticipated...the climate is changing but Paris is notoriously rainy this time of year), I feel the concept fell apart because it failed to take advantage of the backdrop of Paris. 

Watching the ceremony for a second time during NBC's re-broadcast, it shocked me how little we see of the Seine's banks! So many iconic vistas are completely lost. Perhaps this is due to poor camera angles. But I think it's down to how the show was structured. From my perspective, it seems they tried to fit traditional arena set pieces onto the banks of the Seine rather than letting the Seine's banks themselves be the set pieces. It's almost as if they weren't ready to think outside the box and settled for this weird middle ground that felt too muddled, too off-pace, and not majestic enough. Yes, Athens 2004 was a homecoming, but this was the *true* homecoming for the modern Olympics, and it didn't feel like it all. 

The ceremony really only came together once everyone made it to the Trocadero. In my opinion, if the organizers wanted to stay wedded to the traditional artistic set pieces while still involving the backdrop of Paris, the temporary arena constructed at the Trocadero should've been the main arena for the artistic pieces. In my idealized version, the ceremony starts on the Champs Elysee and then moves through the Arc de Trimophe into the Trocadero. As the artistic sections are taking place in Trocadero, have the athletes start processing, but only cut to them once they pass under Pont de Alexandre III. Have the torch journey be an ongoing theme of the ceremony as a whole, but once it gets to Trocadero, keep it there. Have the relay take place w/o the international athletes included (why steal LA's thunder??), but lead to the Champ de Mars. Loved the caludron, but lets have that balloon soar above the Eiffel Tower. 

Feel free to tear this apart, but I just think this concept was good idea but could've been executed better than what we saw tonight. France had a lot of bold ideas, but they didn't form up together right. Shame really, they had 12 years to out-do the English and failed. 

Could not put it better than this.

[Bear]

9 minutes ago, LatinXTC said:

Did anybody (most likely Americans) watch both the original airing as well as the NBC primetime broadcast of the event? Missed the original and had to watch the edited primetime airing, and I'm left wondering, is this the order all the artistic elements happened? Were some of them really performed in the middle of the parade of athletes? Yeesh!

im currently watching the primetime airing, and im pretty sure it's been edited down to cut some parts, though it does seem to be in order regardless

[Sir Rols]

2 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

Are you sure? If so, that seems way too obscure. Or trying to link the ending of an American movie of the 1960s with one of the early pioneers of cinema based in France.

It was pretty obviously so. The movie was based on the French novel by Pierre Boulle

[MisterSG1]

2 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

 

Are you sure? If so, that seems way too obscure. Or trying to link the ending of an American movie of the 1960s with one of the early pioneers of cinema based in France.

As for the politics favored by the planners of the 2024 opening, what if they had done a segment that mocked certain sacred symbols associated with Islam? Or Buddha?

Beyond that, what does the Last Supper have to do with Paris, with the French, the Olympics? That famous painting is in Milano, Italy and Leonardo da Vinci is Italian, not French.

Like the politics/religion or hate the politics/religion, planners of Olympics ceremony seem to have a "What the hell! Who cares?!" attitude about what fits or doesn't fit.

Exactly, had they mocked Islam, oh boy, I’m sure Paris would probably have went up in flames overnight.

As for The Last Supper, the only possible connection to Paris that came to mind was of course Mona Lisa being in the Louvre, but that’s a loose connection.

[FYI]

12 minutes ago, LatinXTC said:

Did anybody (most likely Americans) watch both the original airing as well as the NBC primetime broadcast of the event? Missed the original and had to watch the edited primetime airing, and I'm left wondering, is this the order all the artistic elements happened? Were some of them really performed in the middle of the parade of athletes? Yeesh!

I watched both (which is unusual for me, but I guess watching it Live [for a change] in the middle of the afternoon, is what lead me to watch it again on Primetime), but yes, the order was the same. And yes, most of the segments were done in the middle of the Parade of Nations (or in this case, Boats of Nations).

And also yes, the Primetime version was really edited down. The "silver horse" riding down the river segment (which some are making fun of was really, really long) was really cut down on the NBC Primetime version. And so were the speeches (to my surprise) by Tony Estanguent & Thomas Bach (although in his case, many would've been okay with that lol).

19 minutes ago, LatinXTC said:

There were some great artistic elements, my favorite being the heavy metal part where there were dozens of marie Antoinettes holding their own head. 

I enjoyed that segment, too. As well as the previous one, too, with the suitcases.

20 minutes ago, LatinXTC said:

Despite me liking some of the artistic elements of this OC I am not a fan. I did not think this format was necessary at all and majority of it could have been done in a stadium. Probably would have cost less too.

Oh, I'm sure it would've cost A LOT less if it had been done in the Stade de France instead. Security alone for the Opening on the Seine must've been through the roof!!

[sebastien1214]

3 hours ago, MisterSG1 said:

But according to the OP, everyone in France just loved the opening ceremony.

"except those who scream about wokism"

 

[sebastien1214]

3 hours ago, Gonzo said:

French MP

https://x.com/MarionMarechal/status/1816925819077296174

Do we really have to mention a fascist scum like Marion Maréchal? Member of a party founded by the Waffen-SS, granddaughter of a torturer in Algeria.

[Olympics2028]

1 hour ago, MisterSG1 said:

As for The Last Supper, the only possible connection to Paris that came to mind was of course Mona Lisa being in the Louvre, but that’s a loose connection.

The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona had participants in costumes that symbolized famous Spanish artists or something like that. The planners also included a fashion runway show. Huh?

I believe Paris 2024 had another salute to fashion. Why couldn't they've had a segment that also highlights French chefs and restaurants? Or maybe they did?

Why don't Olympic organizers include segments that celebrate local manufacturers of household appliances? Or plumbers? Or makers of computer equipment? Although since a lot of that is now made in China, it could have been a part of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

As for 2028, I'd like to see LA drop the provincialism altogether and celebrate the entire world.

[illustrado]

55 minutes ago, BigVic said:

Watching a replay now. A Ceremony unlike no other. For 2028 they plan to have a dual ceremony at the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium then reverse during the Closing Ceremony. Wonder how it'll work. 2026 will be at a rectangular stadium at the San Siro 

For LA, it’s going to be a parade from the LA olympic colosseum for sofi Stadium 

6 minutes ago, Olympics2028 said:

As for 2028, I'd like to see LA drop the provincialism altogether and celebrate the entire world.

I don’t like that. America is such a large and diverse place that it needs a bit of provincialism. La1980 was too American that it lose the LA of it all. Even Atlanta was a better representation of the south. Even if it was too focus on the centenary.  
 

but this is another topic all together. Let’s talk about that after aug 11

[FYI]

19 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

"except those who scream about wokism"

Well, it couldn't have been too "woke" if Elon Musk was there.

[sebastien1214]

7 minutes ago, FYI said:

Well, it couldn't have been too "woke" if Elon Musk was there.

Speaking of Elon Musk, I must admit that seeing me rage at Philippe Katerine was not really part of my bingo. For the rest, I just wanted to correct a message that unfortunately looked like a desire to truncate my words to make me say what I did not say in order to defend ideas that seem quite nauseating to me. And when I see some imply that we would never have dared to blaspheme Islam, some here cannot imagine how deeply insulting that is. My country has seen almost a dozen cartoonists murdered for that. A minimum of dignity on the part of some would be welcome.

[venuedesignlover]

So many missed opportunities and potential. The concept was there, but so much awful execution. Paris could have been such a better backdrop than what it ended up being. None of the drama of Paris was present because of the execution. A lot of things, like that Lady Gaga performance (which I loved btw please do not hate on me) and the Aya Nakamura performance, felt out of place. I would have scrapped Aya Nakamura or left her for the closing ceremony, while keeping Lady Gaga but for a different portion. I appreciated the runway section, though it definitely could have been way shorter and a bit more on point with messaging. Papa smurf...lets not talk about that. I also did not appreciate the terrible camera work which missed key shots and really messed up a lot of angles (this criticism is in regard to the river section, not the trocadero section). In terms of missed opportunities and missed execution, the ideas could have been a lot more creative. I would have loved some reflections on the water or something more moving with a greater incorporation of Paris landmarks and the Seine. It felt at times like I was watching stadium performances but on water or in front of a building.

Take the Liberte, Marie Antoinette section. Though I loved seeing Marie Antoinette beheaded out of that window, it felt like they were not using the building surrounding around it to its full potential. It felt like a concert that just happens to be in front of a Paris landmark. The character of the building was not being further explored or used for the best effect. That's the thing with this ceremony: the point of it was to use the character and drama of Paris to its benefit and not be confined to a stadium, but none of that character and drama came out in the end. Paris was a backdrop, rather than its own force in the ceremony, just like that building in the liberte metal concert section. Speaking of bad backdrops, the Notre Dame section was sloppy, and if you listen closely enough, the construction tools did not actually create a rhythm. The rhythm was created by the musical background, and it honestly just sounded like a mess. The character of Notre Dame was not used to its full potential and thats not because it was under construction, the construction rhythm section ended nowhere and instead cut to that dance by the banks of the Seine (again, a stadium set using Paris as a pretty backdrop, not a force of its own)

What we needed was more of a national anthem being performed on the Grand Palais. That artist absolutely nailed the national anthem, and that pure image of her singing on the Grand Palais was ICONIC and breathtaking. It was truly moving and it was the moment. Will absolutely return to that scene on Youtube best moments compilations. Using the Grand Palais for something truly Grand as a messenger of its own right, propelling the artist and France forward onto a global stage is what I mean by making Paris its own character in the ceremony, not just a backdrop.  I do feel like the whole ceremony got significantly better when it went to the Trocadero. We got true Parisian drama and using Paris as a force on its own right there. Celine Dion using the Eiffel tower as her stage...need I say more. Absolute queen. And there was something so iconic about Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal, Nadia Comaneci and Serena Williams on a boat together traversing the Seine. My jaw dropped seeing all of them on that boat. I really felt like in that moment the Seine was used how it should have been used in the entire ceremony. And there was something really moving about that masked figure carrying the olympic flag on a horse and all the "flagbearers" following the horse, thus following the Olympic flag. It felt like the whole world was following the direction of the Olympic flag and the Olympic movement and being united together in one glorious and peaceful procession around the Olympics. It was simple, but for me, it really worked. We definitely got some iconic moments, but there were far too few in proportion to the mess of camerawork, prerecorded sections, and not fully realized sections. I do not believe it would have been much better if there was no rain. In the end, it was not the rain, it was not using Paris and the seine as a force within the ceremony enough.

They had so many topics and themes to cover with it being France AND Paris, but it felt like none of those themes were truly covered. I know its a big task to cover the global and cultural monolith that is Paris and to pack so much french culture into one ceremony is a lot, but with better execution, I do believe a lot more of those themes could have been covered. I do admit the menage a trois portion was fun and had character, but there was something about it that could have been executed a little better. Paris being the city of love could have also been explored a little more beyond that. 

As a final note, I absolutely loved the Official Musical Theme of the ceremony. So beautiful and moving and really an example of what could have been...enjoy!

I applaud OCOG for really experimenting and trying to making something revolutionary. But that is what it was in the end, "trying" and "experimenting"

Quick shout out to security forces for keeping everyone safe and making sure the worst did not happen.

[mr.bernham]

7 minutes ago, illustrado said:

For LA, it’s going to be a parade from the LA olympic colosseum for sofi Stadium 

As a resident of Los Angeles, this would be an absolute nightmare. If we thought the segments on the Seine were too long, a parade of athletes from one end of LA to the other would threaten the Olympics' viability as a marketable television spectacle. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A separate thought which came to me upon further reflection was how prominent the presence of American figures was. I really cannot wrap my head around it. The Americans + the Minions + the not-so-subtle product placement really gave the whole thing an air of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (just wet). 

Something else I noticed in the NBC Primetime edit is that they both reduced the length of the torch relay and added music for the bit where it's dead silent. Cannot fathom what possessed the organizers to not have spectators present. 

The more I think about it too, the more I wonder why they didn't just do the whole thing in the Louvre? Hell, could've even have the athletes parade down the Champs Elysee. If the goal/aim of the whole thing was to make Paris the backdrop, and if that's the idea we're to base our judgement off of, then I think Paris left a lot wanting. 

[dreamyeyes12]

For me, It was a hit and miss opening ceremony because I felt that the parade of nations and artistic segments were somewhat all over the place but nevertheless, the performances that absolutely stuck out to me was Aya Nakamura’s and Celine Dionne’s performance. Aya killed it and Celine almost made me tear up with her performance. The balloon cauldron was interesting in my books. All I can say is that I enjoyed this ceremony more than the poop show that Dentsu came up with for Tokyo’s olympic opening, which was depressing to watch, after Mikiko was forced out. 

[Bear]

5 minutes ago, mr.bernham said:

Hell, could've even have the athletes parade down the Champs Elysee. If the goal/aim of the whole thing was to make Paris the backdrop, and if that's the idea we're to base our judgement off of, then I think Paris left a lot wanting. 

this will be the case for the Paralympic Games opening ceremony, with the athletes going down Champs Elysees and into the Place de la Concorde

[Olympics2028]

If this segment could have been consistent throughout the production, that would have nailed the grandeur of "Paris" and "Olympics." Although the music Dion sings is sort of forgettable (and weren't any famous French singers available?), the backdrop of one of the modern marvels of the world is unbeatable. Even the hotair balloon with the fake flame somehow fits this segment. But because producers of Olympic ceremonies love throwing in everything including the kitchen sink (and very political or dorky kitchen sinks to boot), they make a big mess of presentations.

 

 

[dreamyeyes12]

At least I was not Depressed watching Paris opening compared to Tokyo’s, which was very depressing for me to watch because the original plans for Tokyo put forth by Mikiko were so cool but it got scratched

[Bear]

upon re-watching the ceremony, i think i dislike it a little less. it's actually kinda fun if you don't take it too seriously. the only thing i don't really like (other than the random minions appearance) is how random and out of place La Marseillaise was. you would think that the host country's national anthem deserves to be properly announced and placed within the ceremony storyline!

[mr.bernham]

13 minutes ago, venuedesignlover said:

So many missed opportunities and potential. The concept was there, but so much awful execution. Paris could have been such a better backdrop than what it ended up being. None of the drama of Paris was present because of the execution... In terms of missed opportunities and missed execution, the ideas could have been a lot more creative. I would have loved some reflections on the water or something more moving with a greater incorporation of Paris landmarks and the Seine. It felt at times like I was watching stadium performances but on water or in front of a building.

                                                                                        --------------

They had so many topics and themes to cover with it being France AND Paris, but it felt like none of those themes were truly covered. I know its a big task to cover the global and cultural monolith that is Paris and to pack so much french culture into one ceremony is a lot, but with better execution, I do believe a lot more of those themes could have been covered. I do admit the menage a trois portion was fun and had character, but there was something about it that could have been executed a little better. Paris being the city of love could have also been explored a little more beyond that. 

Exactly what I was trying to get at early.  Paris oftentimes felt like a backdrop rather than a true force in the ceremony. 

I think you also make a really really important point: Paris was doomed if it did doomed if it didn't. Paris, London, New York, and Tokyo are four cities which probably will always have the greatest challenge when it comes to hosting an Olympics, and particularly the ceremony. These are cities, especially Paris, which have such diverse personalities and reputations that no ceremony could ever fully capture what they mean to people around the world. In some sense they all have stereotyped identities *and also* people around the world have their own unique and deeply personal relationship or idea of those cities. No ceremony could ever hope to capture this fully, which makes the mountain of putting on a good ceremony all the harder to climb. 

[mr.bernham]

8 minutes ago, Bear said:

this will be the case for the Paralympic Games opening ceremony, with the athletes going down Champs Elysees and into the Place de la Concorde

Please say sike this is so much better lmao. 

[sebastien1214]

1 minute ago, mr.bernham said:

 

I think you also make a really really important point: Paris was doomed if it did doomed if it didn't. 

Exactly. I couldn't have said it better than you.

[mr.bernham]

5 minutes ago, dreamyeyes12 said:

At least I was not Depressed watching Paris opening compared to Tokyo’s, which was very depressing for me to watch because the original plans for Tokyo put forth by Mikiko were so cool but it got scratched

Glad you made this point. At least the Paris vision was executed, however ham-fisted it ended up being. Tokyo was doomed games all around. I really hope the IOC throws them an olive branch and awards them 2036. 

[StefanMUC]

OK, my two Euro cents worth:

It was a mixed bag, but the absolutely iconic moments (Horse on Seine, Céline, balloon, Conciergerie scene…) easily overshadow the parts that I found less inspiring. The mix of boats/artistic elements especially at the beginning wasn‘t well balanced, and the catwalk/dancefloor bit dragged  on too long. Smurf Dionysus made me cringe a little, though of course the diversity, feminism, LGBTQ+ themes were a huge middle finger to lots of „dignitaries“ from many countries and probably had both Marine LP and the Saudis cringe simultaneously - you win‘t see that in Riyadh 20XX. Kudos to the creative team for being so brave there.

The weather was a shame, but now the forecast will get better and athletes will shine for sure.

It was also clear (since the concept was announced) that it‘s probably much better to watch on TV than along the Seine if you want to catch all elements, but I guess despite the rain, the atmosphere on site was still amazing.

And finally, while Escrime 1976 spouted the usual platitudes, Tony E‘s speech felt like coming from his heart, he was radiant and you could feel his immense pride for pulling that all off. So much better than what we are used to at such occasions. 
 

All in all, bravo Paris!