# Olympic Ceremony - Impressions Outside UK **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613 "2012-07-27T22:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/41 "2012-07-28T07:09:56Z")
[http://www.nbcolympics.com/](http://www.nbcolympics.com/) has at least pieces of it. I think the whole thing might be there, but broken up into chunks. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/42 "2012-07-28T07:11:29Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > [http://www.nbcolympics.com/](http://www.nbcolympics.com/) has at least pieces of it. I think the whole thing might be there, but broken up into chunks. Thanks , but that is US only Declan ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/43 "2012-07-28T07:15:02Z")
I liked the bit with the Queen and Daniel Craig; she was a good sport for participating in that. And I looooooved the Rowan Atkinson bit. That is one of my favorite theme songs and his behavior reminded me of every cellist I’ve ever played with who has to slog through the Pachelbel Canon. Very funny. And the way they did the torch was very clever. The British history show was good until they started with the Peter Pan/NHS/'70s-'80s video weirdness in the second part. At that point I got confused and kind of zoned out until they started with the speakers and the parade. Overall, I thought it was pretty good, though. Olympic opening ceremonies are always weird and have trippy/cringeworthy segments. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/44 "2012-07-28T07:25:51Z")
Try this [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI) at the Youtube official channel. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/45 "2012-07-28T07:46:19Z")
I think it was a mixed bag. The whole beginning/Industrial Revolution thing was meh. The Frankie & June or whoever they were went on way too long and made no sense. The nurse/kid thing was ok; I liked the dancing. I can’t believe they highlighted their socialized medicine of all things … I mean, REALLY? A billion things to love about Britain and years to plan and they came up with _that_?? I thought the music through the years thing was pretty cool (despite the Frankie and June stuff); I liked the rapper and absolutely loved the Queen/Bond thing … and I totally love how they worked in the Corgis. MrBean was awesome and the orchestra was flawless. And the deaf childrens’ choir was fantastic. I thought Paul McCartney sounded terrible, but then I might be a little biased since I think he’s a dick. I’m really not understanding why Elton John didn’t sing and where the hell was Adele? And no Dr. Who? Srsly? The cauldron … pure genius and just beautiful, by far the prettiest I’ve ever seen. The royal family looked bored to tears the entire time. If I’d been one of them, I’d have been yelling when my countrymen walked in, none of this standing around clapping politely stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/46 "2012-07-28T07:46:31Z")
Meh. The flying rings coming together in the air and then raining sparks was pretty good. And the dancing doctors had cool shoes. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > …and in addition to that I thought that the way the cauldron was lit was very beautiful and moving. Really, really first-rate. I wish everybody wouldn’t keep trying to have some super-cool, never-seen-before, awesome way of setting something on fire. Screw the “these young people were hand picked to represent youth and the potential olympians of tomorrow” stuff. They’ll have their chance tomorrow. Pick some famous former olympian and let him, or her, just light a big torch. That moment doesn’t need symbolism and whiz-bang special effects to make it work. And can’t we leave Muhammad Ali in peace? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/47 "2012-07-28T08:03:23Z")
As an Anglicised Yank I loved it. It was very Danny Boyle and he wisely went with a historical/cultural theme rather than trying to compete with Beijing’s spectacle. Things I liked: The beginning from the source of the Thames, to Pink Floyd over Battersea, and the Eastenders map homage. The choirs singing “A New Jerusalem.” The Daniel Craig/HRH skit, during which I rolled my eyes and said, “How cheesy, that’s got to be the worst QE2 impersonato - OMG it’s really her!” Rowan bloody Atkinson. Hilarious! Little cultural references, like the West Indians on the pork pie hats from the Windrush. My granddad came from Jamaica not long after that, so that had personal significance to me. The Frankie & June bit was very Boylesque. We loved the musical references, especially The Specials, New Order and Blue Monday, The Prodigy (Keith scared my kids), and Amy Winehouse. I do like the parade of nations but I admit I was quite tired, so I nodded off. Will be watching more tomorrow. But I did like the vibe. It reminded me of Boyle’s film Millions, which was lovely. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/48 "2012-07-28T08:29:07Z")
It did not match up to Beijing. Or even Sydney. It was an amusing little look at a stereotyped Britain (NHS? Seriously?) and while there were some excellent bits in it, the forging of the rings for instance and the lighting ceremony actually managed to top Beijings, generally not that good. BTW, what the hell is it with the US’s uniforms and the berets? Is it another example of Support our Troops ™? ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/49 "2012-07-28T10:03:02Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Am I the only one who was seeing visions of Mordor and Isengard and the Scouring of the Shire during the whole forging of the rings set-up? I’m pretty sure the rings reference was deliberate. > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I think she just doesn’t have a face that automatically makes her look happy. It’s unfortunate for a person in her position, but some people just have naturally grumpy faces (I’m one of them too). You’re right, I’m probably reading too much into it. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I meant to mention that. There was no way they were going to out-spectacular Beijing, short of Her Majesty _actually_ skydiving into the royal box, so not trying was a very good idea. Yes, the British Olympic Committee acknowledged they couldn’t compete with the spectacle of Beijing way back in 2008, and that they weren’t going to try. It gave them license to do something different. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/50 "2012-07-28T10:37:35Z")
Delightful! I particulalry liked the pouring of the rings, the Olympic cauldron, and the fireworks. The history and culture came through very well. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/51 "2012-07-28T10:51:49Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I thought it was fabulous, start to finish. It was uniquely British and didn’t try to mimic the look or feel of any other opening ceremonies. The Beijing ceremony had more “shock and awe” but there was no humor in it. This ceremony had tons, and in addition to that I thought that the way the cauldron was lit was very beautiful and moving. Really, really first-rate. I thought, simply, it had personality. You don’t see many ceremonies with personality! I liked it a lot! I thought the cauldron lighting was wonderful! ETA: frankly, an opening ceremony that celebrated children’s literature? I swoon. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/52 "2012-07-28T11:25:41Z")
It was different. Good in places, dragged in others. I’ve watched some of it on rebroadcast on the 3D channel and it did look pretty. It’s also much more pleasant to watch without idiot talking heads. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/53 "2012-07-28T12:07:25Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I don’t normally comment on fashion. But those stupid berets are worse than I thought. Kobe Bryant looked like he should have had a baguette under his arm. Yep..they look like the berets sported by the Griswold family in “European Vacation”😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/54 "2012-07-28T12:18:27Z")
I had to mute my TV during the five solid minutes of “na na na na … na na na na …hey juuuude”. What an irritating song choice. And, man, the Queen could not have looked more annoyed and bored. Couldn’t even crack a smile when declaring the Games open? Although [this](http://i.imgur.com/ExG6B.jpg) puts it in perspective. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/55 "2012-07-28T12:40:21Z")
This is based solely on the NBC broadcast but there was TOO…MUCH…TALKING. It’s the Commentators Who Can’t Stop Commentating (_sic_) Show. It was as if they couldn’t help themselves. I mean, you have a random cut to the queen and one of them has to pipe in with “Oooh, look there’s the queen!” Like, no freakin’ duh. Especially bad was Costas who remarkably manages to be both understated and verbose at the same time. In light of the 40 year anniversary of the ’72 games and the should- they-/shouldn’t-they do something during the opening ceremony issue, word was that Costas was going to go rogue for a moment and had something in store as a means of a silent protest. What does he do? Blather incessantly as the Israeli athletes march by providing a wholly unoriginal commentary on what happened at the Munich games. God, a moment of silence couldn’t have been more welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/56 "2012-07-28T12:52:27Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > The Daniel Craig/HRH skit HM (Her/His Majesty) not HRH (Her/His Royal Highness)! HRH is for princes and princesses. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/57 "2012-07-28T12:56:33Z")
Was the NBC coverage all that was available in the states? If so, they cut out the section which was basically a tribute to the 7/7 victims to interview Michael Phelps. In case you didn’t know, the bombs went off a day after it was announced that London was awarded the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/58 "2012-07-28T13:21:54Z")
> [@Confused dart cum](#): > > lets just say it will make sense if you watch to the end… I did. It was the best part of the ceremony. Beautiful. > [@AK84](#): > > It did not match up to Beijing. Or even Sydney. It was an amusing little look at a stereotyped Britain (NHS? Seriously?) and while there were some excellent bits in it, the forging of the rings for instance and the lighting ceremony actually managed to top Beijings, generally not that good. > > BTW, what the hell is it with the US’s uniforms and the berets? Is it another example of Support our Troops ™? Do not equate those flour sacks with army berets. A soldier takes great pride and goes through a lot of effort to make sure their beret looks nothing like it. Do you think army berets look like they do right out of the store? This was just a stupid fashion choice by Ralph Lauren. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/59 "2012-07-28T13:31:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > That was awesome. Completely bizarre and unexpected. I kept hoping for a _Doctor Who_ shout-out, but it was not to be… ☹ There was a Tardis sound briefly during Bohemian Rhapsody. It was very brief and easy to miss. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/60 "2012-07-28T13:49:38Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Am I the only one who was seeing visions of Mordor and Isengard and the Scouring of the Shire during the whole forging of the rings set-up? Husband and I were all like OK, when the giant eye pops up and starts frying people, we’ve got to turn this thing off. That’s probably because Lord of the Rings is pretty much set in the Britain, Yorkshire = the Shire, etc. And the industrial revolution was a direct inspiration for Tolkein. Whenever I read the books or watch the movies it’s the other way round for me - I see visions of Britain’s history in Mordor and Isengard. I like to think it was a nod to LotR though. > [@PandaBear77](#): > > I can’t believe they highlighted their socialized medicine of all things … I mean, REALLY? A billion things to love about Britain and years to plan and they came up with _that_?? Um, it has nothing to do with ‘socialised’ medicine (christ, are people still on about that?). The NHS is one of our most prized possessions. And it’s one of the most important things that came out of the aftermath of the second world war. It may baffle Americans who have a peculiar relationship with their healthcare system from my perspective, but it makes absolute perfect sense when the whole ceremony was basically a series of important landmarks that changed British society. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=4)