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I really liked it. In my opinion it was much better than china's. Not as spectacluar but more was done with a lot less.

Loved the Rowan Atkinson, bit but there are too many countries. I hadn't even heard of some of them.

The lighting effects were really well done. Whoever thought of putting LED pack on every seat and then turning it into a screen is a genius.

I really like how they managed to keep the cauldron secret but still hinted at it with the petals.

Yes, a lot of the history of britan was missed, a huge part in fact, it was the opening of a sports event not a history lesson so I think we can let them off.

Corpsesarefun wrote:To be fair we didn't do a vast amount of worth as a nation before the empire...

Industrialisation is a good period into our imperial history, mind... they already slapped the Yankees by honouring the NHS, why not show the colonisation of the Americas and other exploits against simplistic natives?

It's a celebration of positivity, not a martial parade.

Henners91 wrote:
...why not show the colonisation of the Americas and other exploits against simplistic natives?

There were some Scots represented in the opening ceremony so we covered that base

Jihadin wrote:He looks quite old enough to have been in the Wermacht though....

If he had been he'd have known that a Nazi salute is performed with your right arm, not your left.

Who else noticed the very brief nod to Dr Who?

It was two or three TARDIS take-off "groans" during the music and dance sequence.

Orlanth wrote:
Automatically Appended Next Post:

Corpsesarefun wrote:To be fair we didn't do a vast amount of worth as a nation before the empire...

You kidding right.

Chaucer, Shakespeare (briefly mentioned), Arthurian Myth, Robin Hood etc.

Plenty of old heritage and folklore to draw on, an observer might be led to believe what you say is true, even worse that we have very little real culture prior to modern music.

Bolded the key part of my statement, admittedly they could have referenced what you mentioned above in the literature section but our actions as a nation prior to the empire were mostly uninteresting.

I wasn't sure at first, but then it really grew on me. By the end, I loved it. I mean, I WAS pissed...

Even so, I thought it was a brilliantly unique production - and let's face it, who else would have the balls to put Isambard Kingdom Brunel reading Shakespeare, Mr Bean playing a synth and HM the Queen jumping out of a helicopter with James Bond in their opening ceremony? It was bonkers and brilliantly British.

As for everyone saying that huge parts of our history were missed out, I think the intention was to provide cultural reference points that people from around the world could understand and relate to as being British, such as the Industrial Revolution, the NHS, our awesome contribution to pop music, the internet, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, James Bond etc. Things like this shouldn't be an exercise in in national navel-gazing (would the Arubans really be interested in Agincourt? Do the Tajiks dig Pepys?), it should be more along the lines of 'here's a bunch of stuff you like - it happens to be British'. It was outward-looking in that respect and I applaud the organisers for that. I'd rather that than some fascist display of triumphalism like the Chinese did, for example.

At least our over-worked and oppressed peasants were actors, and not the real thing.

For me I was pleasently surprised, some bits lacked in the impressive-ness of the Industrial revolution, like the whole music section and Paul at the end.

But over all I liked it, I hope our closing ceremony is just as good

@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

Albatross wrote:Boudicca

I don't know what including the woman who burnt the city of London to the ground and killed a third of it's populace would do for the London 2012 opening ceremony. That's kind of like your murderer showing up at your funeral.

Albatross wrote:@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

The first and fifth I'll give you, the second was done first by a German, the third was mostly due to weather and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

I read about one of the guys shot whilst trying to watch Batman having a two million dollar medical bill. I couldn't help but think of him when the nurses and patients were jumping up and down on hospital beds. I'm so happy to have been born British!

Also, did Muhammad Ali depress anyone else? It was so sad to see such a flamboyant and elegant boxer reduced to being held up for us to gawk at. Still, I bet he wanted to do it. Great man!

Oh mother...

CT GAMER wrote:
Oh mother...

I said exactly that yesterday whilst I was watching it.

She didn't use to 'own' any of the countries that where part of the Empire prior to 1953, and she's actually still Queen of many of the ones who left after that... Just saying.

Albatross wrote:She didn't use to 'own' any of the countries that where part of the Empire prior to 1953, and she's actually still Queen of many of the ones who left after that... Just saying.

This is Dakka OT: facts are irrelevant.

Just saying...

Corpsesarefun wrote: the second was done first by a German,

Fair point, but the printing of books in English was a momentous event in world history, even if you only consider the impact it had on religion.

the third was mostly due to weather

Oh, behave! You sound like a fething Spaniard!

and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

Why not? She was a British hero! I would have thought that Londoners would have gotten over the sacking of the city after 2000 years.

Was a bit crap really.

And as for the gold hoodies...

And where the hell is Micronesia? Sounds made up. Like a Japanese compact model of Indonesia.

Albatross wrote:

Corpsesarefun wrote: the second was done first by a German,

Fair point, but the printing of books in English was a momentous event in world history, even if you only consider the impact it had on religion.

the third was mostly due to weather

Oh, behave! You sound like a fething Spaniard!

and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

Why not? She was a British hero! I would have thought that Londoners would have gotten over the sacking of the city after 2000 years.

Right, hey maybe the 4012 New York Olympics opening ceremony will feature Al Qaeda hijackers.

Davylove21 wrote:
Also, did Muhammad Ali depress anyone else?

No. He broke heavyweight boxing. And by "broke" I mean "Made it his bitch."

My only wish is that he could fight Lennox Lewis.

Corpsesarefun wrote:

Albatross wrote:@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

The first and fifth I'll give you, the second was done first by a German, the third was mostly due to weather and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

The printing press was invented in China well before Gutenberg. Just sayin'.

Kilkrazy wrote:Who else noticed the very brief nod to Dr Who?

It was two or three TARDIS take-off "groans" during the music and dance sequence.

Yes. There was supposed to be a montage of the eleven Doctors in there as well, but like other things, it was cut for time.

Corpsesarefun wrote:

Albatross wrote:@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

The first and fifth I'll give you, the second was done first by a German, the third was mostly due to weather and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

I didn't say that.
Glorioski has appropriated my avatar.

purplefood wrote:

Corpsesarefun wrote:

Albatross wrote:@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

The first and fifth I'll give you, the second was done first by a German, the third was mostly due to weather and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

I didn't say that.
Glorioski has appropriated my avatar.

No I did not. I think you'll find my avatar to be the exact opposite of yours.

Glorioski wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Corpsesarefun wrote:

Albatross wrote:@corpses - The Magna Carta/Common Law, the printing press, defeat of the Armada, Boudicca, Parliamentary democracy...

The first and fifth I'll give you, the second was done first by a German, the third was mostly due to weather and the fourth as purps said is hardly appropriate for the opening ceremony.

I didn't say that.
Glorioski has appropriated my avatar.

No I did not. I think you'll find my avatar to be the exact opposite of yours.

You scoundrel you!

This is rapidly turning into a total mindfeth.

You're both spavined turtles.

MrDwhitey wrote:You're both spavined turtles.

Someone's jealous

The Olympics? Oh yeah, I've heard of that. That's the ring thing, right? I'd likely have heard of it even more if Canada won more gold medals. I missed the opening ceremony though, didn't watch it. I was watching Batman.