Olympic Opening Ceremony

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

I had no problem with the history aspect of it. I agree, that's exactly what it should be about. However, the way it was put together was strange, many things needed too much of an explanation, and things like the texting portion of it has nothing to do with the country's history.

I agree the texting thing was weird. I liked the rural-industrial storyline, though, especially with everything transforming right before our eyes.

I remember thinking the Salt Lake City OC was reeeeeally hokey. Covered wagons and prairie dresses. "Waltzing Matilda." The 1980 men's hockey team that beat the USSR. The U.S. flag from the top of the World Trade Center being carried into the arena. Now, I don't find all of that hokey, but imagine what people in other countries were thinking. Now imagine what the U.S. reaction would have been if we heard that the BBC cut out the flag memorial bit from its broadcast - that is what NBC did at this OC in London.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

I remember thinking the Salt Lake City OC was reeeeeally hokey. Covered wagons and prairie dresses. "Waltzing Matilda." The 1980 men's hockey team that beat the USSR. The U.S. flag from the top of the World Trade Center being carried into the arena. Now, I don't find all of that hokey, but imagine what people in other countries were thinking. Now imagine what the U.S. reaction would have been if we heard that the BBC cut out the flag memorial bit from its broadcast - that is what NBC did at this OC in London.

We're not discussing Salt Lake's opening ceremonies. I'm not even sure I remember them.

And I didn't even know any of it was cut out until now. But I'm not sure what this has to do with liking the ceremony anyway.

Again, I agree that they should show their history.. I just didn't care for the way they did it. Too many things needed to be interpreted, and giant babies and texting teenagers aren't what I think of when I think of London.

[AXOmom]

Like MysticCat I have to say that I don't remember much of the opening ceremonies for most Olympics and about the only thing I remember from Beijing is the drums. Must be something about drums. I remembered the arrow lighting the torch in Barcelona only after someone on here mentioned it - that was a cool moment.

As for this one - pretty much what's been said. I liked some parts (LOVED Rowan Atkinson, always like Kenneth Brannagh reading Shakespeare and liked the music, particlarly the kids' choirs), but a lot of it - didn't really get. It wasn't quite as confusing as the French opening many, many years back, but I expected weird semi-existentionalist stuff from the French - I guess I expected the English to be a little more... hmm...straightforward about the whole thing. It seemed to me like there were too many ideas and somebody needed to edit it a bit, but I apparently won't remember it in two months anyway, so whatever.


I was reminded of two things while watching:

1) I consider myself pretty good at geography, but despite having seen many, many Olympic parade of nations there are still at least 15 countries I've never heard of that march through.

2) During the opening ceremonies is the one time every four years (because I don't watch the winter Olympics as much) that it sucks to live in a country that starts with a U.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

1) I consider myself pretty good at geography, but despite having seen many, many Olympic parade of nations there are still at least 15 countries I've never heard of that march through.

This! I was talking to my mom last night, and she asked me if I had heard of all the countries named. There were definitely some where I thought, "That's a country? Where the hell is it?"