# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Dublin11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dublin11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dublin11)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/121 "2012-07-28T22:59:58Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > Sorry, all you folks across the pond, the opening ceremony had to be the most dreadful hodge-podge I have ever seen. And what was with the Queen and her scowling face when all those sweet-faced children were singing to her? She’s scary! > > Kids on hospital beds, huge monsters and that enormous, bizarre baby with the churning innards, well- that’s what nightmares are made of! And all the while, the announcer telling us several times that those were REAL doctors pushing the hospital beds!! Even more horrifying! > > Hang your heads in embarrassment. Your announcer is down to your own country’s broadcasters, though, surely? No doubt all the broadcasters around the world got the press pack, explaining what the hell was going on. How they conveyed that to their viewing public was up to their own style/proscribed practices. I thought bits of it would be lost on an international audience. Bits of it were completely inspired lunacy - which there is far too little of, these days - bits of it were a bit boring and other bits of it were absolutely jaw-droppingly brilliant. It was an unforgettable spectacle, the like of which we don’t often see. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/122 "2012-07-28T23:05:30Z")
Loved the Queen as paratrooper . . . and I think she had that scowl on her face because she didn’t get this kind of production for her anniversary. I enjoyed it for the most part, and am glad they didn’t try to out-spectacle Beijing. But the NHS and “Frankie and June” segments were kinda WTF. And McCartney should have transposed a few notes lower; he should have known he couldn’t hit the high notes. And that huge baby . . . the less said, the better. ---
**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, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/123 "2012-07-28T23:11:27Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > “Britain! We scare the shit out your children, our Queen is a paratrooper, we invented music and sex and the internet and bicycles (_China_) and oh yeah - the Olympics, which, let’s be honest, are really kind of silly. And we did it as amateurs, because the unfettered drive of love is the greatest force on Earth, and we did it all while wearing funny hats.” _Hell_ yeah! > [@Peremensoe](#): > > I actually would have liked to see more of Britain’s history, even preceding the generic pastoral scene. The problem is a lot of our history would be either not in the spirit of the Olympics or difficult to get across. In fact most of most countries’ histories would certainly not in the spirit of the Olympics, because it’s mostly wars. In the end the things we’re proud of include (but are not limited to) things such as Agincourt, Trafalgar, Waterloo and the Second World War. Personally I know Britain has been responsible for huge scientific achievements. A lot of inventions and countless scientists who made massive contributions to science. Newton and Darwin are just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe that could have been featured more, but I’m not sure how it would make much of a show. Actually people in costumes that somehow “evolve” would look pretty awesome, but we might be accused of claiming to have “invented” evolution. Plus half the American team would have stormed off in a huff. 😃 > [@oxpictus](#): > > Sorry, all you folks across the pond, the opening ceremony had to be the most dreadful hodge-podge I have ever seen. And what was with the Queen and her scowling face when all those sweet-faced children were singing to her? She’s scary! > > Kids on hospital beds, huge monsters and that enormous, bizarre baby with the churning innards, well- that’s what nightmares are made of! And all the while, the announcer telling us several times that those were REAL doctors pushing the hospital beds!! Even more horrifying! That’s Danny Boyle for you. > [@Merneith](#): > > Not with people who wish the Olympics was still an all-amateur event. I think this is just right. The Olympics, more than anything, is supposed to be about being friends. It’s like families, you argue all year but (in theory) you all get together at Christmas (or something) and have a good time. To me, the opening ceremony is like something you show your friends. It doesn’t have to be 100% perfect. Of course you _try_, but you’re not supposed to be showing off - you’re supposed to be entertaining. And if you screw up here and there, you all laugh about it together. It’s not supposed to be a perfect show for strangers who bought tickets to see it (yes some people bought tickets to be there live but 1 billion people didn’t). For that reason I think that, while the Beijing ceremony was spectacular, London’s effort was far more in the spirit of the occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/124 "2012-07-28T23:42:15Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > I was expecting something classy and regal, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Maybe a tribute to the progress of athletic achievement. That is like me expecting a cowboy and priest shooting evolutionary biologists and brown people in turbans at the opening ceremony of the next US games. Countries aren’t there to be your personal ignorant steryotypes. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/125 "2012-07-28T23:47:26Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Canada was nearly beat out for shittiest uniforms by the African nation that had their athletes wearing electric blue galoshes, but they were off the screen so quickly that there wasn’t enough time to fully comprehend what we were seeing. You may be mixing up African nations with the Czech Republic, who did indeed turn out in blue rubber boots and umbrellas, which we took as a tongue-in-cheek reference to our climate. Or maybe they were just being sensible, but cleverly passed it off as a joke? Either way, hats off to them. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/126 "2012-07-29T00:28:59Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > …The problem is a lot of our history would be either not in the spirit of the Olympics or difficult to get across. In fact most of most countries’ histories would certainly not in the spirit of the Olympics, because it’s mostly wars… I wonder how the Germans would handle a large, flashy, opening ceremony. Berlin & Hamburg are both interested in bidding for the 2024 games. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/127 "2012-07-29T00:31:52Z")
> [@oxpictus](#): > > I was expecting something classy and regal, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Maybe a tribute to the progress of athletic achievement. Yawn. What we got was insane and much better. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/128 "2012-07-29T00:59:17Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > What we got was insane and much better. That sums it up for me! ---
**Author:** ![Gabing\_Gaboing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@Gabing\_Gaboing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gabing_Gaboing)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/129 "2012-07-29T01:32:54Z")
For the most part, I liked it. From what I can gather, the whole thing was to celebrate Britain’s offerings to the world. That, and a brief history up until the industrial revolution, when apparently everyone went insane and started wearing St Pepper’s outfits. I thought the whole “carnival” part was a bit…chaotic. I LOVED the focus of children’s literature. I wanted someone on a broomstick to fly in, but the ginormous Valdemort was cool too. The other villains I needed help identifying, and I still dunno who or what those little monkey critters were supposed to be. And yeah, the baby was creepy. I was impressed that Britain has such an awesome health care system that they included it like that. I was ashamed of ours, as I can only imagine a USA dramatization would include a child being unhooked from a machine by an insurance representative who is robbing the grieving parents at the same time. But I digress. The whole music part lost me. I like how they celebrated 3 decades of English music, but the teenage love story was silly. I just wanted to watch them dance! And where O where was the Duran Duran? Who was it that sang Come Together to the bicyling birds? That was beautiful. I was confused though why this young guy was singing a Beatles song when Paul was there himself. But then Paul sang. :eek: Anyway, well done IMO. You lot across the Pond should be proud. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/130 "2012-07-29T01:44:14Z")
More science history would have been nice, but the forging of the rings was utterly brilliant. It built to a crescendo so well and was visually stunning. And the cauldron lighting was also probably the most clever, imaginative and picturesque lighting of the Olympic flame ever. The music for both those segments was incredible - well done to the band Underworld for composing those bits. And if you thought the beginning part was a nod to Lord Of The Rings the Olympic cauldron looks exactly like Sauron’s eye from the camera sat underneath it looking up. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/131 "2012-07-29T01:47:18Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > CTV is covering the Olympics, but their web layout is challenging. > > Here is the [World Feed 1 of the Opening Ceremonies](http://www.ctvolympics.ca/videos/channel/obs1/watch/opening-ceremony.html)on the CTV website. There is about nine minutes of pre-roll. [TSN - Canada's Source for Sports News, Scores & Live Games](http://www.ctvolympics.ca/videos/channel/obs1/watch/opening-ceremony.html) > > The “Full Event Replay” section has another version of the Opening Ceremonies that included Brian William’s ongoing comments. > > It requires Silverlight. You might wish to right click, and then set the playback to use hardware acceleration. Thanks Muffin, that worked a charm. Declan ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/132 "2012-07-29T01:54:18Z")
> [@Gabing\_Gaboing](#): > > Who was it that sang Come Together to the bicyling birds? That was beautiful. I was confused though why this young guy was singing a Beatles song when Paul was there himself. But then Paul sang. :eek: That was the Arctic Monkeys, an indie band from Sheffield. It made more sense without the cuts that NBC made. They were announced to the crowd, so everyone knew who they were, and they then did one of their own songs before launching into the “Come Together” cover. The way NBC edited it, it made it look like they were some kind of weird Beatles cover band. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/133 "2012-07-29T01:55:53Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > Fwiw, there’s already been a Royal Wedding and a Golden Jubilee this year. It’s enough already. Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/134 "2012-07-29T01:57:34Z")
> [@](#): > > That was the Arctic Monkeys, an indie band from Sheffield. It made more sense without the cuts that NBC made. They were announced to the crowd, so everyone knew who they were, and they then did one of their own songs before launching into the “Come Together” cover. > > The way NBC edited it, it made it look like they were some kind of weird Beatles cover band. On the other hand, it seemed a bit out of place to have the Arctic Monkeys suddenly come on and play one of their songs, which I guess wasn’t a hit in the US. So I can’t really blame NBC for editing that bit out. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/135 "2012-07-29T02:01:33Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > On the other hand, it seemed a bit out of place to have the Arctic Monkeys suddenly come on and play one of their songs, which I guess wasn’t a hit in the US. So I can’t really blame NBC for editing that bit out. I can, considering that they instead decided to devote plenty of time to a boring and pointless interview between Ryan Seacrest and Michael Phelps. That song wasn’t really a big top 40 hit here, by the way, but it got heavy play on the alternative stations. I was pretty familiar with it already. ---
**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 29, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/136 "2012-07-29T02:29:54Z")
Peta is [up in arms](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18425201)over twelve horses, three cows, two goats, ten chickens, ten ducks, nine geese, seventy sheep and three sheep dogs being part of the Opening Ceremonies, but they have conveniently ignored the violence done to Mole and Ratty in front of the horror stricken Mr. Toad during the first sequence. Shame on PETA for being so biased. I bet McCartney never even knew. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/137 "2012-07-29T03:03:08Z")
The more I thought about it today the more I liked it. Well, done, London. I feel like we almost have a special relationship or something. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/138 "2012-07-29T05:48:02Z")
For all the ones noticing the similarities with The Lord of the Rings, via Reddit, someone did a comparison with the movies and the Olympic opening: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/hnCS5.jpeg "I") ](https://imgur.com/hnCS5) (scroll down to see all images) I smiled at the Gollum and Rowan Atkinson comparison. ---
**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 29, 2012, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/139 "2012-07-29T08:47:11Z")
> [@Gabing\_Gaboing](#): > > The other villains I needed help identifying, and I still dunno who or what those little monkey critters were supposed to be. And yeah, the baby was creepy. Can’t remember all of them, but one was _The Child Catcher_ from _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_. I interpreted the creatures menacing the children to be nightmares, both imagined (from the literature theme) and real (most of the children were actual hospital patients). Appropriately, they were driven off by an air-drop of Mary Poppinses and the NHS staff. > [@Ximenean](#): > > On the other hand, it seemed a bit out of place to have the Arctic Monkeys suddenly come on and play one of their songs, which I guess wasn’t a hit in the US. So I can’t really blame NBC for editing that bit out. I’m not a big fan of either _The Arctic Monkeys_ or _Dizzee Rascal_, but I applaud the organisers for giving them a stage to perform their music, instead of sticking to the tried and familiar. I thought it worked well. I’m hearing nothing good about the NBC commentary. The BBC team had the sense to keep their mouths shut most of the time. ---
**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 29, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613/140 "2012-07-29T12:28:06Z")
Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and Captain Hook from Peter Pan were two others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-ceremony-impressions-outside-uk/629613.md?page=8)