The London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony – A Review

I loved it!  I thought it was quirky, funny, touching and very British.

Can we put on a show?!

Some of the highlights:

• Changing the stage setting from rural to industrial Britain, with Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel quoting from The Tempest in the middle of it all.
• Dizzy Rascal singing Bonkers.
• The tributes to those who died in both World Wars, and the 7/7 victims.
• Mr Bean playing with the London Symphony Orchestra.
• Music through the decades that have passed since London last hosted the Olympics.
• Moths on bikes.
• David Beckham having the time of his life driving a speed boat up a canal.
• The Hill of Flags.
• The Queen parachuting from a helicopter with James Bond, into the Olympic Stadium.

Only in Britain could such an eclectic mix work so brilliantly.

My favourite part, however, was the amazing cauldron.  Each child mascot who accompanied one of the 204 participating countries carried a copper (I think) bowl.  When the flame was lit, the bowls lifted into the air to make one giant flame.  Absolutely fabulous.

It was inspired not to use a famous athlete to light the final flame; but seven future Olympians: young people who show promise and who were nominated by older athletes such as Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Steve Redgrave.  It embodied the spirit of the intended legacy of these games: to nurture the young people of our country who hope to become athletes.

It made me proud and I might have wept a little if I hadn’t been so British. Fortunately, my disgust at the chavvy Team GB outfits with their gold collars overcame any uncharacteristic sensibility I might have had.

Here is a slideshow of scenes snapped from my television.  I didn’t think of taking pictures until two and a half hours into the ceremony.  If there was an Olympic event for Great Ideas At The Last Minute, I’d have taken Gold and Silver yesterday; and Bronze for the Having The Brass Neck To Share Bad Photographs On A Blog event:

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I’ve Had An Idea But You Need To Read This Post In The Next Five Hours If You Want To Join In

 

I will be watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.  I have prepared a post about it, in which I invite you to tell me what you are eating and drinking while you watch it around the world. (Apologies in advance to my subscribers, who will receive four posts from me today.)

If you intend to watch it, take a photograph of yourself and your family while doing so, email it to me at thelaughinghousewife@googlemail.com or the email address attached to my comments on your blog, and I will combine them in a post next week.  

We can be together even though we’re not together!

And if you’re not watching it, send me a photograph of what you were doing instead.