Paris 2024

[TallPaul]

Note to future organising committees - don't hold a 6 kilometre long opening ceremony, on a river, in the torrential rain. 🚤🌧

[Jon]

Jul 27, 2024 11:10:46 GMT TallPaul said:

Note to future organising committees - don't hold a 6 kilometre long opening ceremony, on a river, in the torrential rain. 🚤🌧

Luckily LA and Brisbane are fairly dry places in July. 

[amyja89]

La pluie truly was relentless! I've seen lots of criticism for various elements online, but I thought it was all pretty fun. The Marie Antoinette leading into Carmen sequence was camp chaos. Didn't think much of Lady Gaga, but Celine Dion at the end was an amazing moment (especially for anyone, like myself, who was traumatised by her documentary!).

The BBC are usually great with their Olympic ceremony coverage, but I found myself annoyed last night with how many people they were skipping in terms of identifying key players in the procession. Unless I misheard and they did say, I had to look up that it was Nadia Comaneci on the boat with Nadal, Serena and Carl Lewis. And they definitely gave up on naming each of the torch bearers in that last sequence leading up to the lighting of the balloon.

[jojo]

I liked the idea of using the ceremony to showcase Paris. After all, cities spend a fortune hosting the Games and the main benefit is future tourism. Approaching the opening ceremony as an advert for Paris seems sensible, and also gave something back to locals who might otherwise be frustrated by the disruption.

The down-side was the setting meant they couldn't do a proper dress/technical rehearsal and it showed. The commentators are normally given notes for what is happening when and get to watch the dress rehearsal so they can plan their commentary, but it looks like they only got basic notes and were as confused as the rest of us. I saw some behind the scenes with Danny Boyle and London 2012, and that ceremony was rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed to get the timings and camera cues right. Too often the cameras were boring, and I feel the French version of the BBC are not as skilled at big outside broadcasts. The advantage of not chopping the heads off all of our monarchs so we could have Jubilee events to practice big outside broadcasts! I can't blame them for the rain, but it seemed like they'd assumed it would be nice weather and didn't make any contingencies for it.

I read a comment that the CanCan dancers were on strike until two days before the ceremony, so they hadn't much rehearsal time. That would be deliciously French if true, but as they were apparently professionals from the actual Moulin Rouge, I think they could have learned the routine in half an hour. It seems more likely they couldn't hear the music and the cameras were in the wrong places.

I liked the horse and Celine and the Eiffel Tower were fantastic. The woman with the flag on top of the building was amazing, and the metal band with Marie Antoinette were decent, but should have been incredible with better sound and camera placements. Quite a few fun bits, but it lacked the cohesion to incorporate them effectively. It needed a better start with some kind of introduction to the Liberte, Egalite ... theme.

I saw a comment on social media long the lines of the ceremony being like a series of terrible TikTok videos, and with some notable exceptions, it was hard to disagree. It was a good showcase of Paris, and many will say the mad bits reflected French sensibilities, but having a section of Europop, much of which wasn't French, was odd. Celine not being French didn't matter, but didn't see the point of importing Gaga.

[amyja89]

Jul 27, 2024 12:27:37 GMT jojo said:

The advantage of not chopping the heads off all of our monarchs so we could have Jubilee events to practice big outside broadcasts!

Not to be the pedantic history twerp that I am at heart, but we've chopped the heads off exactly the same number of monarchs. One more even, if you want to count Jane Grey. 😉

[justfran]

Jul 27, 2024 11:24:43 GMT amyja89 said:

The BBC are usually great with their Olympic ceremony coverage, but I found myself annoyed last night with how many people they were skipping in terms of identifying key players in the procession. Unless I misheard and they did say, I had to look up that it was Nadia Comaneci on the boat with Nadal, Serena and Carl Lewis. And they definitely gave up on naming each of the torch bearers in that last sequence leading up to the lighting of the balloon.

I think I heard them say that they weren't given a list of names in advance so were relying on having to recognise people on the spot. Overall I think the commentators did a really good job - Andrew Cotter and Hazel Irvine I believe. The parade with all of the boats felt loooong, the Eiffel Tower lights were fab and some bits felt quite emotional such as seeing the 100 year old French Olympian with the flame. As a big tennis fan it was a nice surprise to see king of Roland Garros - Nadal involved 

[n1david]

I think the creative team behind it forgot that it's a TV event first and foremost - yes, they want to give a decent show to the people who purchased tickets or were able to watch for free, but the global audience is on TV and there seemed to be not much thought behind how to showcase some of the performances for a TV audience.

[amyja89]

Jul 27, 2024 13:03:15 GMT n1david said:

I think the creative team behind it forgot that it's a TV event first and foremost - yes, they want to give a decent show to the people who purchased tickets or were able to watch for free, but the global audience is on TV and there seemed to be not much thought behind how to showcase some of the performances for a TV audience.

Funnily enough, I had the exact opposite thought! Hardly any of what was going on on the river banks/barges/bridges looked that visible to anyone who was actually there. The boats with athletes on were best viewed on camera, Gaga looked like she was positioned to be on her to way to some mudlarking, and Celine would only have been visible on the big screens to those present. All good fun from the sofa, but I'd imagine for those who went it would have been like being at the Formula 1 and only seeing what was directly passing you and then finis.

[theatreian]

It was poorly organised and not really a spectacle, particularly for those there who only saw fleeting moments. For the torch to eb carried to the Eiffel Tower only then to be turned round and sent back up the river did seem a bit odd. I guess the idea was to show as much of Paris as possible. The rain and poor camera shots and lack of rehearsal showed though and it only got saved by the light show of the Eiffel Tower and the balloon and Celine, who was the highlight.

[BVM]

I rather enjoyed it all! The constant to-ing and fro-ing to the main stage of Rupaul's Drag Race France (aka the models runway on that bridge) and them recreating the tableaux from The Last Supper by Timothy Sheader was brilliant. Nicky Doll et al stomping up and down in the torrential rain!

The Euro pop section and EU celebration was also fab.

Loved Gaga and Mother Celine. (What a triumphant comeback/return for the latter!)

Was it all perfect? God no. But good on them for doing something different and giving it a go! Bonkersly fun.

[alece10]

I thought it was pretty dire all round to be honest. The lit up Blackpool Tower and Celine Dion was good but we had to wait hours for that.
People are saying some of the issues were because there were no rehearsals which isn't exactly true as all the elements were rehearsed, even the metal horse thingie. The only bit they didn't do in advance was the boats with the athletes.
Gaga's routine had awful sound and, as someone said, looked like it had been filmed on a Samsung phone, can can was amateur, not sure what was going on with the medals number and dancing Bell boys. The masked torch bearer never took his mask off so didn't see the point of that. Why did we have to share a boat with other countries when other big entry countries had their own. Cameras put behind fountains so we couldn't see athletes properly, only the water. The cat walk sequence seemed to go on forever.
There was just not the atmosphere you get when in a stadium with the applause for the athletes as they enter and cameras showing the various heads of state applauding their country. Raising the Olympic flag upside down! The rain was such a shame but even if it was glorious sunshine it wouldn't have been much better.
As someone mentioned above the London ceremony was rehearsed and rehearsed (I was at the last dress rehearsal). We got the full show apart from The Queens skyfall, athletes parade and final fireworks.
But, at least Twitter kept me amused during the show.

[Phantom of London]

It was so boring, he turned over to Sky and started watching the cricket.

[blamerobots]

I was so not bothered by it that I didn't even remember that the Olympics were on this year. Are we reporting on it less and less or am I that out the loop?

[Jon]

Olympic tennis was fun. Nadal and Alcaraz were a good pairing considering it's not something they do regularly.

[oxfordsimon]

I just sat through the entire opening ceremony as I was out on Friday night.

Such a huge effort for so little reward.

I get what they were trying to do.

But it failed on just so many levels.

No humour. No pace. No lasting impact.

Gaga was great but wasted that early in the schedule

Great to see the 100 year old Olympian

And Celine was incredible. I would buy a CD of her doing Piaf.

But they should never do an opening ceremony outside of the stadium again. It just doesn't work.

[d'James]

The outrage over the drag queens etc. is making me appreciate the Opening Ceremony more. Haha.

[theglenbucklaird]

Jul 27, 2024 12:34:40 GMT amyja89 said:

Jul 27, 2024 12:27:37 GMT jojo said:

The advantage of not chopping the heads off all of our monarchs so we could have Jubilee events to practice big outside broadcasts!

Not to be the pedantic history twerp that I am at heart, but we've chopped the heads off exactly the same number of monarchs. One more even, if you want to count Jane Grey. 😉

Still, the original comment made me smile….

[kit66]

The opening ceremony reminded me of those arty farty snippets you have between the songs on Eurovision.Here is Helga wrapped in a fur up a mountain.Here is Francesco dancing round a fountain.Here is Davina and David walking round an art gallery.

[simon]

Jul 28, 2024 7:32:16 GMT kit66 said:

The whole thing reminded me of those arty farty snippets you have between the songs on Eurovision.Here is Helga wrapped in a fur up a mountain.Here is Francesco dancing round a fountain.Here is Davina and David walking round an art gallery.

I agree. Much more Eurovision than Olympic!
With regards to the Da Vinci tableaux this all seemed a bit lazy artistically and rather dated.

[justfran]

Jul 27, 2024 22:32:53 GMT Jon said:

Olympic tennis was fun. Nadal and Alcaraz were a good pairing considering it's not something they do regularly.

With how much success they have both had at the Olympics - and Roland Garros for Nadal - it would be amazing to see Andy Murray and Nadal on opposite sides of the net for the doubles final. I can but dream!

Let's hope they get through more matches today after all the rain delays yesterday. 

[amyja89]

I'm praying for a good Murray showing but even at his absolute peak clay was never really his thing. Such a cruel irony that his last ever career match will take place on his worst surface!

[theglenbucklaird]

Jul 28, 2024 9:46:22 GMT amyja89 said:

I'm praying for a good Murray showing but even at his absolute peak clay was never really his thing. Such a cruel irony that his last ever career match will take place on his worst surface!

And in France. Should have jibbed it at Wimbledon

[theglenbucklaird]

Great to see Simone Biles smiling

[vdcni]

Incredible from Murray and Evans today. Five match points saved to keep Murrays career alive for at least one more match.

[sfsusan]

Jul 27, 2024 13:12:34 GMT amyja89 said:

Funnily enough, I had the exact opposite thought! Hardly any of what was going on on the river banks/barges/bridges looked that visible to anyone who was actually there.

I felt sorry for those people seeing it in person. It was hard enough to follow on tv... the parade of athletes would have been interminable for those along the river, and everything else would have been invisible to them.

Jul 28, 2024 8:36:50 GMT simon said:

With regards to the Da Vinci tableaux this all seemed a bit lazy artistically and rather dated.

Unless the organizers are being disingenuous, it wasn't a Last Supper/Da Vinci tableau, it was a bacchanalia. The American religious right is having conniption fits, however, so whatever it was meant to be is fine with me.

Jul 27, 2024 22:59:29 GMT oxfordsimon said:

And Celine was incredible. I would buy a CD of her doing Piaf.

I agree, and searched for such a thing without success. She has done Piaf songs on various albums, but not one exclusively of them (as far as I could find).