Friday 27 July 2012

London Olympics 2012 - The Opening Ceremony

They wheeled McCartney out, and if we've learned anything in recent years, it's that they always wheel McCartney out to sing a tune. Aside from that, everything was fantastic.

Britain isn't perfect. The education system is messed up, the government's a joke and too many people are going through hard times. But we know how to put on a show. And we have so many things to be proud of.

Tonight was a reminder of the cultural significance of our film, our music, our sense of humour. It sets the tone that influences artists the world over. From Chaplin, through Punk rock, to Danny Boyle; we have artists who are class acts, innovators, game changers.

What a spectacle! Don't you think London is beautiful at night? It's one of the greatest cities in the world. You can remain cynical if you want, but you'll be missing out -- because the whole world is here. How often do people truly come together to do something? We looked out of the window tonight and saw London lit up with fireworks -- it was a sight to remember. The world is here.

I loved the section about the NHS and Great Ormond Street. The NHS isn't perfect, and with government's like the current one, there's always the worry they'll dismantle it. That's why tonight's ceremony was so important. It put the doctors, patients and children on the centre stage. The health service is a huge privilege. Sure, sometimes you have to wait nine hours for a blood test and six months for an operation, but it's free! Our money is going to good use.

It's a time of austerity and we spent billions on the Olympics, so I'm aware of the hypocrisy, I don't disagree there were other ways we could have spent the money. But we're here now, we did it, and The Queen can ACT!

And Rowan Atkinson stole the show. Wonderful.

And thousands of volunteers danced their asses off for free. But that experience is so much more valuable than anything money can buy. They put on a hell of a show. And the music was great. And the intro video captured so much of the magic of London.

Danny Boyle did a great job. It's impossible to measure the value of art on a society, but it has an impact. The good feeling that people get inside when art is done right is unlike anything else. Make no mistake -- tonight was a piece of art. A work of incredible vision. Could I have done what Danny Boyle did? Not in a million years. It was like twenty films and thirty theatre shows rolled into one. Not only that, but everything WORKED!

A great night, I'm proud to be British. Now let's mute old McCartney (I love him, but it's over), and let's elect a real government, then we could really be on to something here.

Care to share?

8 comments:

  1. I've been searching all over the net for an answer and haven't found it, but came across your blog and thought I'd ask if you might know ... what are the brownish funnel thingies that the kids were carrying alongside the flag-bearers of each country? My kids keep asking and I just can't find an answer LOL! Thanks!

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    1. Hey, Kate answered correctly below -- they were all the pieces that made up the cauldron at the end, for the flame :)

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  2. Kid: I wondered what your thoughts would be on it... It was a fantastic show. And London is SO beautiful at night.

    Jennifer: I heard that they were the parts that made up the cauldron (according to the Canadian broadcast). I could be wrong though.

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  3. You always manage to put things so succinctly. I thought it was a wonderful spectacle, and people will be savouring and discussing all the references for a while to come.
    So what if international (and home) audiences didn't 'get' all the references,tis a chance to explore something new. Hurrah for us! We're here now so let's enjoy this, and engage with politics to better challenge our elected leaders to shape the country and infrastructure we want.

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  4. Amazing opening ceremony but also - have you seen the whole town - remarkable how it looks all set up to be one huge Olympic city with 32 venues in total.

    Great diagram showing how it is all organised on LondonTown.com http://www.LondonTown.com/London/London-Olympic-Venues-Map

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  5. It was truly spectacular! Can't imagine seeing it "live" or the fireworks real time. I agree with you on McCartney. Loved the cover of "Come Together" by the Artic Monkeys. Bummed Chicago didn't get the bid. Enjoy the mania in your beautiful city. London at night is gorgeous!

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  6. Hello there! I was wondering if you'd be willing to do a guest post on my blogger blog? I'm doing a weekly segment called 'movie mondays' and I'm looking for movie fanatics to talk about movies, film reviews or maybe something completely different. Would you be interested? If so, please contact me at whimsicalmumblings@ymail.com Thank you. Sarah xox

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  7. Beautiful post, Kid! I didn't get to see the Opening Ceremony (I was at work), but I've downloaded it and will be enjoying it later today :)

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