Paris 2024 Ceremonies - Verdict

[kevzz]

20 minutes ago, hektor said:

 I was there, on one of the seats in front of the bike islands.

i had never felt so miserable in a long time, it reminded me of the SLC 2002 closing ceremony but the misery lasted longer… I decided to hold on and stay till the end. But this is the first time I considered leaving a ceremony. A lot of people left…

The ceremony was as expected. I knew that it would not be made for spectators (or athletes) but for TV, The Seine is 7 km long and at best you can see 500 m of the river from one given spot so…

i suspect that even the VIPs at Trocadero did not see much.

so quite a concept: pay a hefty sum for a ticket to watch the Ceremony on a big screen (not big enough given the distance from one river bank to the other) and with an awful sound.

i will rewatch on TV and I am sure some pieces are sumptuous and others disgusting

i don’t regret to have gone there, I wanted to experience this despite I knew how it would be (except the rain)

i was at both Albertville 1992 ceremonies. I remain a big fan of what Decouflé did.

 

I feel for you. Would be so hacked off to sit in the rain watching most of the ceremony on the big screen. 

The fact that there is no one around the cauldron and everyone incl the VIPs have to watch the climax of the entire ceremony via a tv screen is unforgivable. How did this concept even get approved? There are just so many questionable decisions here. 

[PikyoK]

Hi everyone! Well what a ceremony! I was able to watch it live but waited until now to give my review so I can get my thoughts and analysis together in one post. I'll just be going from beginning to end analysing and then I'll give my final mark out of 10. Here we go!

OPENING SEQUENCE

I love the humour behind the opening video with Zidane and Jamel Debouzze when they realise that the ceremony won't be taking place in a stadium but in the middle of Paris. Also love the posters of past Olympic Games on the Paris Metro. It's fun to see the torch from the start right through the ceremony rather than at the end. I understand that the outfit of the narrator is supposed to be universal and mysterious but who is he and why does he give me grim reaper vibes especially when travelling through the lake and the catacombs? I do love the camera motion from the bottom upwards to the Trocadero. Very clever. The one thing I don't understand about Thomas Jolly is the font for the title of each segment. It looks like something out of a horror film. It should've been the same font used for the Paris 2024 official branding or a different font depending on the feel of the segments. The title "Ça Ira" mean everything will be alright...so I wonder what he meant by that. I think the masked narrator made it fun and tried to bring the segments together a bit like Nikki Webster in 2000.

I do however loved the tricolor pyrotechnics off the Pont D'Austerlitz. Very well done. and the way they decorated the bridge too was great!

I found the parade of nations to be quite well done given the rain and tide of the Seine. I was right when I said that smaller delegations will share one boat. Kudos to me. Yay!

I think the parade of nations mixed in with the segments was quite fun but it would've been interesting to leave the parade of nations uninterrupted and have the segments one after another separately. That could've made the ceremony more consistent.

ENCHANTE

Loving the Lady Gaga cameo. You can tell she has a knack for musicals and French cabaret maybe. Quite a wow factor but it was lacking an audience around the stage. I've heard rumours that it was pre-recorded but if anyone can investigate where she performed and if it was pre-recorded that would be great.

The pink on the flags, props and costumes on the river banks made the setting a bit more fun amidst the rain. I thought the Moulin Rouge Can Can dances were great. We love French culture on show. The sad thing was the dancers were out of sync...a tiny bit. You couldn't even see them from the other side of the river only very little.

SYNCHRONICITE

This was a perfect segment hailing French craft and the Notre Dame. Interesting to see the narrator travel through all these locations. Loving the Michael Phelps cameo and other athletes. That's what the Olympics are about. Loving the glitter on the walls with the dancers too.

LIBERTE

Just when you thought it couldn't get more French, a reference to Les Mis was made. The narrator falling into a rehearsal and being part of the show was clever. I laughed when seeing the heavy metal rock with Marie Antoinette's head. The shooting confetti from her prison was clever. Can be used as daytime fireworks. The Carmen opera was done very well. The scenes at the Bibliotheque nationale was great paying homage to the best of French literature. The stilt dancers representing love were fun to watch (a la Kate Miller Heidke Eurovision 2019). I felt that the three characters and their movements throughout the scene was quite weird and a bit raunchy towards the end...but hey Paris is the city of love I suppose. The heart formed in the sky was sensational.

EGALITE

Loved Aya's performance mixed with a French Army choir. The French language has gone through a unique evolution through time. The narrator's torch igniting the pyrotechnics at the Pont des Arts had a 'wow' factor which was fun to watch.

FRATERNITE

Possibly one of my favourites from the entire ceremony. Loving the narrator's paths at the Musee D'Orsay and all the artworks coming to life especially with the heads of figures from world art on the Seine watching the athletes. Visual arts is my passion!!! The Mona Lisa was then stolen...poor Mona! What was cute to see was the Minions taking the Mona Lisa. And it wasn't till then when I found out that the Minions were illustrated by a French illustrator. The submarine explosion at the end was funny with Mona Lisa floating in the water. I'm surprised not that many people are talking about the minions...the focus was on Lady Gaga and Celine Dion. Cute minions. The rendition of La Marseillaise was superb but it's sad they did not announce everyone to stand for the anthem. I guess it was part of the artistic programme but at least make it obvious or give us some cues. The Dior dress was great. It blended with the flag. 

SORORITE

I found this segment to be educational. Nice to have descriptions of every influential French woman in different languages.

SPORTIVITE

This was quite pleasing to watch. The dancers are to be commended given the wet surface from the rain. I was right again about barges being inspired by the French Gardens and dancers performing BMX tricks and other Olympic sports. The opera in this segment was somehow relaxing. Nice voice though.

FESTIVITE

This is the segment where I scratch my head and drop some marks for the ceremony's final grading. The French fashion tribute to this segment was great. I love fashion. I have to say my favourite outfit from this segment was a black and gold suit jacket worn by a gentlemen with a fedora/zoot hat. My favourite. The one thing about this segment that I don't understand is how provocative parts of the segment was...especially in front of some of the kids that were in the fashion runway and towards families watching worldwide. This is what I mean when I say this is supposed to be a family-friendly event. I totally understand and agree that some frames in this segment had similarities to Christian events like the Last Supper which says something. I love how the lights on the Passerelle Debilly lit up in French colours. Midnight Ciity by M83 was a great choice for the French arrival. It was nice to include the Tahiti athletes too. 

With the EU scene, I think it would be great for Eurovision but not for the Olympics although I think the EU references were great. If you're going to unite the world and not just one continent why include a tribute to the EU. Having said this, I love the selection of Eurobeat songs...my favourite genre. The circle of stars surrounding the Eiffel Tower was awesome.  Unfortunately this segment had to end with Phillipe Katherine as Dionysius in the most off-putting way - nearly naked.

OBSCURITE

The frantic climax of the dancing barges with disasters shown on the LED floors was quite clever and led the way for a spectacular rendition of Imagine. Something about this version of the song was quite cozy and warm...if you count out the burning piano. The LED imagine text was cool.

SOLIDARITE

This is where the video we saw a week ago comes in. I love the outfit of the horse rider with the olympic flag as a cape. The horse and the rider on the river and the trocadero gives a sense of superiorty and importance to the entire ceremony. Gave me goosebumps. One of my favourite moments. Well done! Loving the montage of Pierre De Coubertin, and the history of the Modern Olympics until Paris 2024. The angel wings can be likened to Nike the Greek figure of victory. Unfortunately, the flag raising flopped as I easily saw that they had hoisted the flag upside down. Oof! Big mess up since Sochi 2014 with the missing ring.

SOLENNITE

Speeches were ok. Would've been great if they had translations for everything that was written and spoken in French into English maybe to make it more international and inclusive. I'm guessing that Bach's speech wasn't as long as Tokyo but shorter by 2-5 mins. 

The flame surprised me at the end. So did Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams (she tried to hang onto the boat she nearly went for a fall there)

The lasers and light show on the Eiffel Tower was the BEST!!! Although it was long to fill the void. It should've been 5 minutes or a minute longer to keep it short and nice.

ETERNITE

It was quite weird to see the flame run throughout an empty Louvre. It felt like Tokyo again but there were people by the time they got to the cauldron...which was very smart and well done! Loving the hot air balloon motif and the ring of flames! Finally, Celine Dion's performance came to save the ceremony and bring an end to that unique potpourri of a production. Very heartwarming to see 'reunir celles et ceux qui s'aiment' with the Paris 2024 logo to end the ceremony!

VERDICT!!!

7/10

I felt that some elements in some segments were unnecessary. It felt more International and should've included a tad more French culture. I wonder if the whole Last Supper frame was deliberate? It wasn't the best of ceremonies but very experimental, creative, artistic, and enjoyable to watch. I could see myself watching some segments over again. It's nice to see different segments but somehow felt disjointed at times. If Jolly reshuffled some segments to make it more coherent then that could've been better. It was a ceremony made for TV audiences when the spectators on the River Seine should've been in mind too. They must've had screens to see different parts of the show I suppose. Overall, bien ceremonie! 

 

 

 

 

[PikyoK]

Also, does anyone agree that the vocal were pre-recorded...even Celine and Gaga?

[SkiFreak]

CBC replayed it twice, but they chopped stuff out during the replays. They cutoff Lady Gaga's performance right when she sat down at the piano. And where were the Minions? I did not see them on the live broadcast or the replays? At what point did they show up?

[guilherme b]

19 minutes ago, PikyoK said:

Also, does anyone agree that the vocal were pre-recorded...even Celine and Gaga?

Lady Gaga did not perform live. In fact she wasn’t even there during the opening

 

[Olympics2028]

1 hour ago, guilherme b said:

Lady Gaga did not perform live. In fact she wasn’t even there during the opening

 

That really annoys me about what should be a totally live presentation. Everyone is already glued to their cell phones watching vids and graphics, and, compared with years ago, being in front of a widescreen HDTV (even at home) is no big deal. 

Gaga is also American, Dion is a Canadian and using entertainers like that in France is the opposite extreme of provincialism.

Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2020/2021 and now Paris have totally changed the meaning of "Olympics." However, Japan got really screwed by spending way too much on their games and, then, being ruined by the pandemic.

Other than attendance and security, a host city's only main goal left is preventing spending from going wild.

 

[Olympics2028]

3 hours ago, Rob2012 said:

First in Summer history. We've had plenty of very good indoor Winter ceremonies. And the EFTE covering of SoFi is transparent, so the sky will be seen. So hardly the same. This aspect doesn't worry me in the slightest.

 

Yea, I meant summer games, as winter Olympics often take place in enclosed areas. But that roof at SoFi is not clear enough to be really transparent. In a way, the 2028 planners probably would be forced to do a better job if they had only the Coliseum to use.

Look at how Tokyo ripped down their stadium used for the 1964 Olympics, mainly because city officials and IOC dignitaries, even supposedly under a sustainability rule, demand a games have a clean, shiny new car smell. For what? For 2 weeks?

[Citius Altius Fortius]

2 hours ago, hektor said:

 

i was at both Albertville 1992 ceremonies. I remain a big fan of what Decouflé did.

 

Albertville 1992 opening ceremony is one of my all time Winter ceremonies - it was something really special!!!

[mr.bernham]

6 hours ago, FYI said:

The weather was beyond the organizer's control, though. Can't fault them for that.

Not New York, Toronto or Singapore. The very tall skyscrapers alone in those cities, would block all the views for everyone, on the ground & on TV.

Paris is notoriously raining this time of year. 

Having an outdoor ceremony was a super risky gamble. It was more likely than not they’d have rain. 

In that sense, I think you can absolutely blame the organizers.

[mr.bernham]

2 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Maybe. Rio 2016 remains the only modern Olympics not to have published an official report.

Wait really? I already considered Rio 2016 one of the worst editions of the post-1984 era. But this fact cements it as truly the worst. 

1 hour ago, guilherme b said:

Lady Gaga did not perform live. In fact she wasn’t even there during the opening

 

This really angers me. 

The more I think about this ceremony, the more I feel it was designed to primarily appeal to an American/NBC audience rather than anyone else or the world: pre-recorded “live” performances, constant ads and product placement, tons of American celebrities. As I sit w this ceremony the more disappointed I am. Paris and France deserved better. 

I also take issue w the notion the French loved it. My friends in Paris and Lyon hated it and I’m not seeing much positive said about in the French press or social media this morning.

[Olympics2028]

1 hour ago, mr.bernham said:

Paris and France deserved better. 

 

 

Yep. However, the IOC and the worldwide entertainment industry have become like another version of what's known as the greedy, faceless military-industrial complex. So everyone sticks to generally one template and shuffles it throughout the globe.

Paris 2024, however, apparently will oversee the most well attended Olympics in history, and their budget, unlike 2020/2021, 2016, 2012, 2008, supposedly is being kept under control.

But whoever in the 2014 committee, including Tony Estanguet, greenlit things like this deserve a "HUH?" award:

https://x.com/_/status/1817205654748074217

[Athensfan]

My detailed analysis: 

I think using the Seine was inspired. A signature gesture. Wonderful for the athletes and unforgettable. 

They got through the logistical challenges, but there was a lot of awkward dead time. This was probably unavoidable due to the complexity, but pacing was definitely the biggest problem for this ceremony. Very disjointed, a lot of waiting, no momentum. 

The quality of the entertainment portions was fragmented and uneven. Some parts were terrific, some parts came off as cheap. 

The Gojira segment with the Marie Antoinettes and fire and streamers was an absolute highlight for me. It worked because there was a strong idea communicated clearly on a grand scale that was well lighted. 

By contrast, other segments were just too small to feel “Olympic.” And in cloudy daylight, they didn’t pack much theatrical punch. 

The can-can was obviously under rehearsed and was a big miss. But even the Lady Gaga staging just wasn’t big enough to pack a punch. The literary ménage a trois fell flat for me. Not sexy or romantic. Blah. By the time we got to the sports section it was raining too hard for them to do much and again the scale was small. The fashion show was only remarkable for its strong statement of inclusion, but the clothes and the choreography were a hot mess. Again the scale wasn’t big enough to impress.

I loved the idea of the escaped artwork peering out of the river to watch the athletes, but the story wasn’t told clearly enough and the faces in the River weren’t lit well enough. 

Many of the effects were strong. Loved the early smoke effect. Fountains were joyful. Lasers were next level. And, overall, I thought the musical direction was strong.

The mysterious figure that was sort of a cross between Joan of Arc and the Phantom of the Opera wearing a fencing mask did nothing for me. “Euro-weird.” And there was no payoff with a reveal of that person’s identity.  

The horse galloping on the water was cool for about a minute, but when it was still galloping 15 minutes later (in the live broadcast) I became bored and impatient. Bringing in the Olympic flag like folded laundry felt woefully anti-climactic. Plus, they raised it upside down. Fortunately it was so wet that the flag hung straight down and was hard to tell. 

I liked expanding the torchbearers beyond the host nation and I thought the idea of torchbearers staying together instead of dropping out after they took their turn was a beautiful choice. 

Also, loved the choice of cauldron and its location. The resonance with French ingenuity, history, etc. was thoughtful and original. Too bad it’s only in the air a few hours each night. 

Celine closed out the night like the diva she is. Her performance was all the more moving for her personal story. 

Clearly the creative team imagined the show for the tv audience. I suspect it would’ve been a bit of a let down in person with heavy reliance on Jumbotrons. 

The rain was unfortunate. I’m sure the creators were disappointed and there were probably a number of things that had to be cut at the last minute due to weather. 

But Olympic goodwill is a real phenomenon. And I think all the spectators and participants were determined to have a great time no matter how wet they got. 

On balance, I think it was successful despite the prevailing sense of fragmentation. There were some hits and some misses. And everyone knows you can’t control the weather. I take my hat off to them for really using the city as the backdrop for the ceremony. It was a big risk and it (mostly) paid off. People will remember the boats forever. 

####

NBC

NBC’s prime time edit was much tighter than the live broadcast. There was a lot of tedious waiting in the live version. But that’s also what Paris 2024 gave them to work with. 

The telecast reminded me of amateurish Rose Parade coverage at times. Kelly Clarkson may be a sweet person, but she’s not a brilliant commentator. In the live broadcast she just kept saying, “That’s so cool!” They trimmed a lot of that for prime time — mercifully. Peyton Manning was sharper. He is clearly better able to think on his feet than Kelly and he said things that were semi-relevant. Somebody should’ve taught Mike Tirico some basic French pronunciation. He has gravitas, but didn’t seem particularly well-informed or engaged. 

The chemistry with this trio didn’t work at all. It was a random group without prior history chosen for various demographic/marketing reasons. They never gelled as a unit.

By contrast, Hoda and Savannah were far better. But they have established chemistry and experience covering live events. 

NBC’s sound was also very glitchy. Perhaps this was rain related, but I found it distracting. 

I hope they make improvements for LA. 

[sebastien1214]

I didn't have time to watch the entire ceremony as I thought I would, but I think it's interesting to come back to some elements in particular and some of your messages to provide some clarifications/opinions.

17 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

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.

On the unhealthy obsession of some commentators here about Islam, which seems to me to betray more nauseating innuendos than we think for some people (not all), I say it again but I find this trial of intent made against France on the fact that we "would never dare" deeply cheeky. In addition to our recent history which totally proves the opposite, I would still like to remind you that in terms of blasphemy, attacks on religions, look at what we did between 1789 and 1793 about a certain religion that was practiced by 99% of French people in a very, very devout manner. If you open a minimum of history books (some people should before launching into historical-political opinions, it helps), you will quickly understand that if the majority religion of our country was Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or I don't know what else... we would have done exactly the same thing.

For Da Vinci: yes, he is a Tuscan. But he is also someone who worked for Francis I, King of France. I even believe that it was in France that he finished the Mona Lisa. I don't want to go into a kind of cultural appropriation so as not to offend the Italians, but there is still a common history between France and Da Vinci.

Afterwards, where for the Mona Lisa there is a real logic in putting it in a French ceremony (probably finished in France, has always belonged to the French State, iconic painting of the Louvre), I am more doubtful concerning the parody of the Last Supper. In the sense that I don't really see its link with France: the painting was finished well before its arrival in France and has always been exhibited in Italy.

In my opinion, the reflection that was made was the following: on the bridge, we make a catwalk but the podium can also represent a banquet table. And since we want to add humor to the ceremony, what if we parodied the Last Supper? After all, it's on a banquet too. But I don't think they tried to make the connection with France on that.

17 hours ago, Olympics2028 said:

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

Too easy. And it could even be perceived in an arrogant and pretentious way, one could very well think that if LA seeks to celebrate the world, it is because they claim that they are the heart of the world and that they are legitimate to speak of the whole world.

Personally, for LA 2028, I would especially like to discover a new Los Angeles, which I do not suspect. Yes, there is Hollywood but I know that. Offer me something from LA that I do not know in France. Clichés, ease, it can be nice, but I like discovery too.

16 hours ago, venuedesignlover said:

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. 

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

One of the things that for me explains the big gap between the international reception of this ceremony and the reception in France is the fact that in my opinion, you did not have the impression that this ceremony told the story of France... when in reality it told almost only the story of France. But not the one you know in the clichés.

I think that the international public expected to see very well-known and overused references: baguette, mimes, Revolution, etc. etc. But the choice that was made by the ceremony team was not to lock themselves into the clichés (that you were perhaps expecting), and not to be pretentious by wanting to give a lesson in superiority and arrogance. For me, it was successful.

For example, during the parade-dance show on the bridge, at one point there was the dance of "La chenille". For a non-French person, it is not even noticeable. For a French person, it's just the emblematic dance of all the popular country balls that everyone has already danced several times in their life. That's the real France, the one that all French people have experienced, that's my France. Whereas for example, if we had put someone with a beret, yes okay everyone would immediately think of France but me and millions of French people have never worn a beret in our lives. That's the France of the cliché.

On your last sentence, I am delighted to finally see someone pointing out that everything went perfectly in terms of security. It's funny, it was the number 1 topic of discussion before the ceremony, and since then it has been completely forgotten, while we had been told of catastrophic forecasts in terms of security.

16 hours ago, mr.bernham said:

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). 

The LVMH scene was so embarrassing. Now I'm not objective about it, I basically deeply hate Bernard Arnault.

The American torchbearers... that bothered me deeply too. I loved the Zidane - Nadal segment, because Nadal has a special history with Paris, it makes sense and it was even moving (even though I don't particularly like Nadal). But how is Carl Lewis legitimate for Paris? I almost wonder if NBC wouldn't have imposed that, especially since there were also a lot of American stars for the last torch relay in Saint-Denis earlier in the day.

The Minions, I was very disappointed too. I mean, the sequence taken individually made me laugh but... it absolutely had no place here. After that, the Minions are French (the big news of the evening for a good part of the planet I think). In my opinion, the logic of the ceremonies team was to pay tribute to French animation and they said to themselves Minions is known internationally so let's go for it. Except that the collective perception of people internationally about the Minions is that they are not French characters... but probably American. So it didn't work. This sequence should have been replaced by something on Asterix; I don't understand why we didn't do it.

16 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

I might start a separate thread for the music in the next day or so. I’;d love to talk more about it and hope people post clips of the various songs. The whole soundtrack of the ceremony was one of my highlights.

Well I had already answered that, but not only was the soundtrack exceptional, but also almost all the songs used for the athletes' parade are really the most popular songs in French parties. To support the reflection I made earlier on the fact that this ceremony described the France of reality and not the France of the cliché.

4 hours ago, mr.bernham said:

Paris is notoriously raining this time of year. 

This is totally false. In 3 hours, the equivalent of 10-12 days of usual July precipitation fell in Paris. That's enough for you to understand that last night's rain was totally abnormal.

4 hours ago, mr.bernham said:

My friends in Paris and Lyon hated it and I’m not seeing much positive said about in the French press or social media this morning.

Well, I'm going to disappoint you... but the French press generally loved it.

https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/jo-paris-2024/article/la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-etait-pleine-de-moments-geniaux-que-seuls-les-francais-ont-pu-apprecier_237525.html

https://www.liberation.fr/politique/ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-de-paris-la-france-reconcilie-le-wokisme-et-luniversalisme-20240727_HOO2DRR2ERES7E4YC5VWJJZOV4/

https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-de-paris-2024-de-la-tension-securitaire-a-une-fete-grandiose-le-recit-d-une-ceremonie-d-ouverture-historique_6259275_3242.html

(and I could add many more, if it wasn't too late in France and I had to go to bed soon)

++++++++++++++

Otherwise, I generally agree that the big problem was the pace and the transitions.

Either there were really long moments, or moments where it happened so quickly that we had the impression that it was a bit messy (especially in the first hour of the ceremony). The problem was mainly the scenes that blatantly betrayed their filler function.

As for the transitions, it was also uneven. There were either nice transitions (for example, with the delegations in B, the alternation between the parade of boats and the sort of pink carnival, I found it well managed) or even absolutely iconic ones like the transition between Les Misérables and the scene at the Conciergerie; it blew me away. But on the other hand, there were also really amateurish or even embarrassing transitions. The transition from the "Minions scene - Mona Lisa on the Seine - Marseillaise"... in less than a second we went from a moment that was supposed to be funny to the most solemn moment of the ceremony.

I'm still glad that we messed things up and shook up the concept of opening ceremonies like never before. I don't think anyone will do these kinds of ceremonies in the city again for a very, very long time. But at some point, there had to be a sudden break. Too bad if for some people it wasn't good; on the other hand, maybe it made you appreciate the concept of ceremonies in a stadium again if you were starting to get bored of that. In a way, you still gain from it in terms of your future expectations for the next ceremonies.

And there were still a lot of new things that would be worth keeping. For example, I thought having the Olympic flame with this masked character as the central theme of the ceremony was really cool. I would like to see that again in the next ceremonies. Even if it remains exclusively in a stadium, we must be able to do something with it.

This ceremony was very radical; too radical. I still think it was necessary. In any case, no one will forget this ceremony.

[Alexjc]

Maybe because I'm over 50 now...

but that was far too much and too long to watch. This beats my humble opinion of Sydney2000's opening (and closing).

The French just took it to far IMHO.

For me though, the Last Supper bridge act was over the top offensive.

The upside-down raising of the flag is inexcusable!

So sad as there were good bits and using the Eiffle Tower as a backdrop was brilliant, a pity the whole opening ceremony could have happened here.

Sorry...not a fan of the LED flames for the cauldron. Understandable but some traditions should never be tampered with.

No doubt LA28 will be thinking about the good and bads of this Opening...and so will the IOC.

Defiantly not my favourite Opening Ceremony celebrations in my Olympic lifetime.

 

[olimpicgamer]

Of course the left leaning french press loved it. 

[sebastien1214]

7 minutes ago, olimpicgamer said:

Of course the left leaning french press loved it. 

https://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/jeux-olympiques/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024-des-couleurs-et-des-sourires-entre-les-gouttes-20240727

But i guess Le Figaro (most known right leaning press in France, like ABC in Spain for exemple) is too leftist for you ?

[mr.bernham]

All I’m gonna add is that:

1. Paris is notorious for intense and random rainfalls. They aren’t frequent but they aren’t abnormal.

2. Some of the heaviest rainfall occurs in May, July, and August. 

3. Rain is one of those factors that can be incredibly destructive and unpredictable… combine that with Paris’ unpredictable climate… boom bam bing bong you get last night. 

But alas. C’est la Vie. It’s all done now. Paris has given us some memories, some lessons, and some tears (Have watched Celine 7xs now). And really, isn’t that all we want at the end of the day?

[sebastien1214]

7 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

https://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/jeux-olympiques/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024-des-couleurs-et-des-sourires-entre-les-gouttes-20240727

But i guess Le Figaro (most known right leaning press in France, like ABC in Spain for exemple) is too leftist for you ?

Oh yes, still on the famous controversial scene of the Last Supper. I had completely forgotten that, but in fact it is obvious: in French the painting is called "La Cène". It is pronounced exactly the same as the word Seine and the word "scène" (which means stage or scene in French). It is a play on words. La Cène on the scene of the opening ceremony which took place on the Seine. Quite simply.

[Taylor Swift]

Haters gonna hate...

 

Loved the ceremony

Kisses, Taylor xxx

[Sir Rols]

For those of us who wondered if the hooded man was an Assassin’s Creed reference, yes, it absolutely was!

Yes, Assassin's Creed really did make an appearance at the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

 

 

 

[Quaker2001]

4 hours ago, Athensfan said:

NBC

NBC’s prime time edit was much tighter than the live broadcast. There was a lot of tedious waiting in the live version. But that’s also what Paris 2024 gave them to work with. 

The telecast reminded me of amateurish Rose Parade coverage at times. Kelly Clarkson may be a sweet person, but she’s not a brilliant commentator. In the live broadcast she just kept saying, “That’s so cool!” They trimmed a lot of that for prime time — mercifully. Peyton Manning was sharper. He is clearly better able to think on his feet than Kelly and he said things that were semi-relevant. Somebody should’ve taught Mike Tirico some basic French pronunciation. He has gravitas, but didn’t seem particularly well-informed or engaged. 

The chemistry with this trio didn’t work at all. It was a random group without prior history chosen for various demographic/marketing reasons. They never gelled as a unit.

By contrast, Hoda and Savannah were far better. But they have established chemistry and experience covering live events. 

NBC’s sound was also very glitchy. Perhaps this was rain related, but I found it distracting. 

I hope they make improvements for LA. 

I said the same thing about Peyton and Kelly.  They didn't add anything.  The days where the host was tasked with giving nuggets of information about each country are gone, but that's fine.  I thought Tirico was fairly restrained rather than trying to talk too much.  And I agree.. Savannah and Hoda are not everyone's cup of tea, but they appeal to the kind of audience that normally watches the Olympics, so they would have made sense to be hosts rather than reporters.  I know NBC is leading hard into the celebrity realm, but I think they over-did it on this one.

[venuedesignlover]

3 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

But not the one you know in the clichés.

I don’t want to argue with someone who’s actually French! If you as a French person feel that it represented the story of France, I really cannot say anything about that especially as someone not from France! What my qualm was the execution. By that I mean not using Paris  to its full potential and not using it as a force and character in the ceremony in its own right enough (this criticism is not in regard to the whole Trocadero or Grand Palais section. I’ll just copy and paste some things from my last post because I’m a bit lazy:

“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”

 

I want to be clear. By this I do not mean displaying French stereotypes. In fact I mean really looking deeper into the character and force of Paris, while also creating the proper execution that can speak to a global audience, not just a French one. The key to success is execution, not the actual content which definitely does not need to be stereotypical to appeal to a global audience.

 

Also I mean this post with the greatest respect to Paris 2024 and France as a whole, just trying to add to the discussion. I rlly do applaud OCOG for what they did, it’s just the execution and not using Paris as a character and force in its own right apart from the Grand Palais and Trocadero section.
 

P.S the Celine Dion performance and the Olympic flag being carried on horseback w the flags of the world following it in procession almost made me cry. There’s something so beautiful about the world coming together under one Olympic flag and the Eiffel Tower. 
 

Also the literal legends together carrying the Olympic flame on the seine. So iconic and is what I mean by using Paris to its full advantage and as its own force (see my signature for an image).

I absolutely adore the official Olympic theme music. So moving and beautiful,  and fitting. 

Finally, @Sir Rols, the look of the games is really starting to grow on me once I’m seeing it in the gymnastics arena and throughout the various sites. It’s very unique to Paris and impactful on you. I’ll still keep fighting for more Tokyo 2020 look of the games recognition!

[Athensfan]

3 hours ago, venuedesignlover said:

“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”

I sort of see what you are after, but I respectfully disagree. 

As I wrote elsewhere, I thought the Marie Antoinette section was one of the most successful. For one thing, backdrops are functional and necessary. In this case it really set off the performance. But I also disagree that the building was only a backdrop. It was taken over completely with Marie Antoinettes in the windows. Plus they built custom balcony platforms for the musicians. To me, that's really using the architecture. The light colored stone perfectly set off the red streamers and the ship. I'm really not sure what more you could ask from that segment. 

Personally, I wouldn't have been interested in an architectural tour of Paris (well, I WOULD, but in in an opening ceremony). I liked Paris as scenery, but I wish the artistic portions had matched it's scale and grandeur. 

 

[PikyoK]

On 7/27/2024 at 2:30 PM, Olympics2028 said:

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?

Exactly! Thank you!

[PikyoK]

On 7/27/2024 at 3:08 PM, Olympics2028 said:

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?

Yes but instead of drag queens, it's with actual well known famous French models.