London Olympics Opening Ceremony, Worst ever ?

sky

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Danny Boyle the man behind slumdog millionaire was given the task of putting on the show so all what you saw was his responsibility not Tony Blair or any one else . As i said i thought it was great but i wouldn't expect all to agree with me, what i would really like to know is now many of you actually saw the opening ceremony rather then highlights.


The show stated at 9pm GMT so it's very early in India, i'm guessing quite a few people are expressing opinions on something they haven't seen,so don't be so quick to judge.

Ray Your correct the beijing games had a fantastic opening ceremony but ,that was china's big moment in the sun when you consider it's past. Don't forget China also had it's fair share of complaint's ,my mind goes back to journalist's being followed and watched where they went and not being allowed to interview local people .China's big paranoia about freedom ,human right's . Britian is a open country ,where you can go where you like and i for one wouldn't have wanted to go to china,no matter how good a show they can put on .
 

Scalieback

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same story... :rolleyes:
As I said, smell isn't the same as pollution. Open toilets, deary me.

I don't think either London or Paris fare particularly well personally: Pollution Comparison Between London, United Kingdom And Paris, France

Luckily, Bradley Wiggins didn't have to cycle there for too long :cool:

I heard Scotland wanted to leave because English streets run with piss. :cool:
Guffaw, guffaw. :rolleyes:

Seeing as the streets of Paris actually do run with piss ...........
 

john70

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A nice review written In Daily telegraph Uk, where the author also puts candidly that the expectations in any Olympic events are too high, specially after a spectacular Beijing Olympics, as a viewer even I was waiting for a great time, but to tell you the truth one by one all the family members fell asleep after the boring first hour, I continued to wait for something worth watching and finally me too .... good great sleep.

The link to the review :
London 2012 Opening Ceremony, first review - Telegraph

Some highlights :
Artistically, Olympic ceremonies are strange beasts. Taking years to produce, they are performed only once, with an enormous cast of non-professionals. They are simultaneously theatrical productions – performed in the technically awkward, cavernous round of a sports stadium – and global TV spectaculars. They must invent a script that translates the abstract gobbledy gook of Olympic philosophies and the host nation's idealised image into a largely wordless dramatic narrative using music, dance, mime and circus skills combined with an earth-shaking Bonfire night firework display and in the modern age, a megawatt flashing light show. They are creative and technical nightmares and by their very nature, utterly surreal.
Building on Leni Riefenstahl's marching blueprint and getting souped up by the Americans in 1984 with the pizzazz of stadium rock, ceremonies have evolved a kind of universal language and aesthetic: bright, neon colours; tightly choreographed, synchronised bodies creating geometric shapes; futuristic set designs with tiered central stages; doves, flames, catsuits, pom poms and cute children. Their drama lies in their gloss and shine, their inhuman scale and shape and clean perfection, artistically transcending mundane reality.
After watching the final rehearsal on Wednesday night I can say this was certainly not a conventional show. Director Danny Boyle might have kept the flames and cute children and there were plenty of showpiece bangs but in every other respect his opening gambit ripped up the ceremonies rule book. This was about punk rather than pomp
Compared to the usually banal platitudes of global togetherness and national pride that goes on at an Olympics ceremony, this seemed breathtakingly politically charged. However, I don't think Boyle was trying to make some agit-prop point, although there were echoes of his formative late Seventies years in the boundary pushing Joint Stock theatre company.
The point is that for viewers it has to be "SPECTACULAR" "AWESOME", this are shows to show and people wait for them. That was lacking. Boyle tried to be different but in my point of view didn't understand the "EXPECTATIONS", and thats all. We all were waiting for the "show" while this was more of a atypical Boyle Movie theme.
 

Scalieback

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And the Olympics is all about Competition to be one better!
Oneupmanship is not always showmanship and it's definitely not sportsmanship. Just because bright lights and gew gaws impress some, with others a little understatement is all that is needed. For me, James Bond escorting Her Maj beats anything anyone else can even contemplate :cool:
 
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john70

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As i said i thought it was great but i wouldn't expect all to agree with me, what i would really like to know is now many of you actually saw the opening ceremony rather then highlights.


The show stated at 9pm GMT so it's very early in India, i'm guessing quite a few people are expressing opinions on something they haven't seen,so don't be so quick to judge.
Sky As I said above I was awake and fell asleep wanting something really worthwatching. And I tell you it was boring too because of the commentators too, they were not synced with the show at all.

The "show" was showing the side of Britain; like NHS, their national health services which didn't ring excitement bells to the viewers, the factories in those days of dark and hazzy due to gas.... didn't feel great at all. He may have meant to show something but didn't click with the 'EVENT' -- the Opening Ceremony of world's greatest sporting event.
 

Ray

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Danny Boyle the man behind slumdog millionaire was given the task of putting on the show so all what you saw was his responsibility not Tony Blair or any one else . As i said i thought it was great but i wouldn't expect all to agree with me, what i would really like to know is now many of you actually saw the opening ceremony rather then highlights.


The show stated at 9pm GMT so it's very early in India, i'm guessing quite a few people are expressing opinions on something they haven't seen,so don't be so quick to judge.

Ray Your correct the beijing games had a fantastic opening ceremony but ,that was china's big moment in the sun when you consider it's past. Don't forget China also had it's fair share of complaint's ,my mind goes back to journalist's being followed and watched where they went and not being allowed to interview local people .China's big paranoia about freedom ,human right's . Britian is a open country ,where you can go where you like and i for one wouldn't have wanted to go to china,no matter how good a show they can put on .
True that it was rather late/ early for viewing the Olympics in India.

However, even though we are not great on the sporting field, we are a sports crazy nation and very few miss Sports extravaganza. You may not believe it, but there is a great fan following for European Football, the Wimbledon and every such event.

The world wanted China to fail in hosting the Olympics, but they were scintillating! Of course, they were paranoid, but then the Games went off fabulously and the Ceremonies were so well crafted and choreographed. One did not have to go to China to see the Olympics, they saw it on TV as we are seeing the London Olympics on the TV. One has to be gracious to give the dog its due and China did a rather spot on job, if you ask me or anyone else.

Given the criticisms that were made on the Beijing Olympics by the western media and rightly so, it was hoped that Britain would do something that would best the Chinese.

I am afraid that hope has not materialised and, to be frank, the Ceremony did not really come out to the expectations inspite the the pre Olympic hype that was there raising expectation that it would best the Beijing Olympics.

However, one also understand that the economic climate has played a dampener.

Slumdog Millionaire may have created waves in the western world, but it was no great shakes.
 
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Ray

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Oneupmanship is not always showmanship and it's definitely not sportsmanship. Just because bright lights and gew gaws impress some, with others a little understatement is all that is needed. For me, James Bond escorting Her Maj beats anything anyone else can even contemplate :cool:
I concede that grapes can be sour.

I agree with you that the British PM Blair doing a jig after UK won the rights to host the Olympics defeating France is indeed and definitely not sportsmanship and Olympics, after all, is all about sportsmanship!

For me, James Bond escorting Her Maj beats anything anyone else can even contemplate
Whatever for?

The London Olympics is MI 5 stuff?

Horrors from Russia, China and the underworld are participating?
 

sky

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True that it was rather late/ early for viewing the Olympics in India.

However, even though we are not great on the sporting field, we are a sports crazy nation and very few miss Sports extravaganza. You may not believe it, but there is a great fan following for European Football, the Wimbledon and every such event.

The world wanted China to fail in hosting the Olympics, but they were scintillating! Of course, they were paranoid, but then the Games went off fabulously and the Ceremonies were so well crafted and choreographed. One did not have to go to China to see the Olympics, they saw it on TV as we are seeing the London Olympics on the TV. One has to be gracious to give the dog its due and China did a rather spot on job, if you ask me or anyone else.

Given the criticisms that were made on the Beijing Olympics by the western media and rightly so, it was hoped that Britain would do something that would best the Chinese.

I am afraid that hope has not materialised and, to be frank, the Ceremony did not really come out to the expectations inspite the the pre Olympic hype that was there raising expectation that it would best the Beijing Olympics.

However, one also understand that the economic climate has played a dampener.

Slumdog Millionaire may have created waves in the western world, but it was no great shakes.

Ray

The Chinese ran a state run games rather then one hosted by a group of people ,the british olympic organisation runs our games ,as i said it was there big sporting moment and chance to have the world's attention. Boris johnson ,the major of london said we would put on a understated games and not blow our defence budget on firework,s .

As a Brit i agree with him, who give's a shit about the opening ceremony when it's about the athletes and the sports themselves . Most of us think it's a huge waste of money and can see no benefit for the country as a whole. i live in birmingham and the games will only benefit londoners so why waste my tax ££££££ on something i don't much care for.
 

Scalieback

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I concede that grapes can be sour.

I agree with you that the British PM Blair doing a jig after UK won the rights to host the Olympics defeating France is indeed and definitely not sportsmanship and Olympics, after all, is all about sportsmanship!
I thought it was about whose drug masking agents are better than others? good luck to all in any case and I hope we do as well as we did in Beijing. NZ seems to be the country that has the most medals per capita.

Anyway, the only jig I want to see Blair on used to be at Tyburn: Tyburn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for beating the French, c'est la vie ;)

Whatever for?

The London Olympics is MI 5 stuff?

Horrors from Russia, China and the underworld are participating?
Bond is 6 not 5. The most famous agent in the world and the most famous head of state in the world :cool:
 

Ray

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Indian TV channels find the Opening Ceremony OK, even if it was not as spectacular as the Beijing one!
 

sky

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Young German's are ashamed of there past so it's strange seeing German v.i.p's behaving as they did.
 

Sakal Gharelu Ustad

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Oneupmanship is not always showmanship and it's definitely not sportsmanship. Just because bright lights and gew gaws impress some, with others a little understatement is all that is needed. For me, James Bond escorting Her Maj beats anything anyone else can even contemplate :cool:
Typical British kid harvested on Bond steroid!!
 

sky

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Typical British kid harvested on Bond steroid!!
I've just bought a omega planet ocean watch 45.5mm coaxial chronometer . There is a strong connection between omega ,the official time sponsor and james bond. 007 is very cool , can't wait for the skyfall to be realised .

I almost bought the omega james bond limited edition watch £3150 ,but the diameter was too small for me . anything under 44mm is no good and looks small.
 

Scalieback

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I've just bought a omega planet ocean watch 45.5mm coaxial chronometer . There is a strong connection between omega ,the official time sponsor and james bond. 007 is very cool , can't wait for the skyfall to be realised .

I almost bought the omega james bond limited edition watch £3150 ,but the diameter was too small for me . anything under 44mm is no good and looks small.



I had the larger version and sold it on flea bay for more than I bought it for :cool:
 

Hari Sud

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My apologies for referring to New Delhi games in 2010 as Asian Games in my post # 10. In fact these were Commonwealth Games.

My error does not change the fact that the London Olympic games opening ceremony was a drag.

They at London have to learn from Chinese and Indians on how to make the opening ceremonies more spectacular.
 

sky

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I had the larger version and sold it on flea bay for more than I bought it for :cool:


I won't be selling mine as it's my grail watch,i will give it to my son one day .But till then it's mine to enjoy,it's losing 1second every 2 day's which is incredible . Beaver brooks had 30% nocked off the mrsp plus gave me 3 years 0% finance . I will be wearing it when i watch skyfall,later this year. Bond is wearing the omega aqua terra in skyfall which could be my next target ,the one i won't is currently just a little over £5k..
 

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