 |
| Let the games begin! |
Nope, I wasn't in London (what a shame!), but I was one of the millions of people around the globe who watched the live telecast of the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony today, joining the countdown with BBC at 2:00 AM (Manila time), on to the wonderful opening ceremony itself on Solar Sports. And, boy, did I love it! :) Danny Boyle didn't disappoint.
The production featured so many things that are uniquely British. That piece of coolness where the Queen was escorted by James Bond (played by the beautiful Daniel Craig) from the Buckingham Palace to the Games, arriving in a helicopter, and (supposedly) parachuting to the stadium for a grand entrance was brilliant! And then I was laughing like crazy while watching Mr. Bean participate in playing the theme of the "Chariots of Fire" by the London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle conducting. Rowan Atkinson was hilarious - as usual. All that elaborate bedtime story segment with J. K. Rowling was fantastic, too. Made me feel nostalgic about the many, many books by English authors that I read as a child from my late mother's encouragement. I also particularly liked Boyle's "scan-through" of Brit pop music over the years because I am a big fan of Brit music, especially from the "Second British Invasion" era. Boyle also paid homage to the man who has given us "our other world", the www: Sir Tim Berners-Lee. I flipped happily, too, seeing David Beckham drive a speedboat up the Thames, carrying the Olympic torch, and passing it to Sir Steve Redgrave who brought it into the stadium. The torch was then passed by Sir Steve Redgrave and six other great British Olympians to seven GB promising youth athletes who ignited Thomas Heatherwick's masterpiece of Olympic cauldron - a gathering of 204 copper petals, each representing a participating country. And, of course, I sang with Sir Paul McCartney as he closed the ceremony. :)
Apart from being "added information", all the political implications of the Boyle-ian opening ceremonies that I imagined didn't mean much to me. I took what I can appreciate, and I'm leaving the rest to the Brits themselves.... and, uhm, to Mitt Romney! =) Hmm... actually, I'm leaving Romney to the Brits! ;)
Overall, the very casual but classy way by which the whole production went was very welcoming indeed. It didn't feel pretentious, overwhelming or overdone, nor was it intimidating even when British culture is known to be incomparable in depth, richness... and "coldness". It was honest and didn't feel consciously trying hard to impress... then again, what need is there for the Brits to impress anyone? I cannot imagine any. But, yeah, Boyle's Olympic piece was modern but warm with nostalgia. It was dramatic without being extremely theatrical. It was proud without being smug... would you believe it?! Yep, it was very cool! The use of familiar British and British-created figures and characters that millions of people in the world welcomed into their homes and embraced like their own was thoughtful, respectful, inclusive, and felt like an expression of gratefulness... a worthy theme for celebration, indeed, especially in the Games where peoples of the world converge to celebrate the best of human characters. The brilliant Boyle brought balance between traditionally grandiose Olympic opening ceremony and a uniqueness that can only come from an impressive depth in story telling... and, of course, a wonderful story to tell. He also brought a delightful mingling of drama and humor, new and ancient, history and pop culture, straight-as-arrow GB and the cool GB, the basic and the elaborate, information and entertainment... and it was fun - the witty British way. I felt like a part of the celebration, too, which was awesome!
Salute to the rockin' Brits!
***
Good luck to the Pinoy athletes competing in the London Games! Mabuhay kayo!
***
