The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Sorry UK guys but that was the worst summer Olympics Opening Ceremony yet. The Queen not smiling was the most thrilling part. I want a do over on my Friday night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
SHARKMAN

Well, as a lot of you may know, I'm fairly critical of my own country over a number of issues, but I have to say I don't totally agree with you here Sharkman.

As this thread shows - viewtopic.php?f=10&t=40545 - I was duly concerned by the plans for the ceremony, but I personally thought it was a lot better than I expected it to be. Certainly not great, but definitely better than it could've been. Now whether that's a product of my suitably lowly set expectations, I'm not sure, but there were parts that I genuinely thought weren't bad. I quite enjoyed the transition from the "green and pleasant land" to the chaos of the industrial revolution, and the creation of the Olympic rings......... although I wouldn't be surprised if there were many even in the UK who don't have any understanding of the history it was talking about, so what other countries made of it is anyone's guess!! But as a Brit who knows a bit of history I quite enjoyed it. That said, I thought the choice of highlighting the NHS and the children's literature seemed... err... "odd", to say the least. (I reckon they must've cleared every single NHS hospital in the land of it's beds to create that display, because there were a whole 100 beds there.....! )

And it was good to see the ENTIRE British armed forces brought home for the occasion : to see all 6 of our remaining soldiers carrying the flags was great..... (Just a little dig at the government over the appalling cuts to the armed forces there guys).

To be fair, we were never going to be able to top the "money no object" spectacle of Beijing, but Boyle did create something curiously British......... if a little messy and potentially incomprehensible to other nations at times. (Just like Britain then! )

So, as I said in the thread above, I'd be the first to tuck into a huge slice of humble pie if the ceremony was absolutely amazing - hmmm, well I think I'm safe to pass up that particular opportunity this time.......... but only just.

(Oh and the Queen not smiling - nothing new there...... but then I guess after 80 or so years of watching shows, seeing fireworks, attending ceremonies, opening hospital wings, inspecting troops, smelling new paint where-ever she goes, etc, I suppose EVERYTHING loses it's shine............)

_________________
Driver8

Site Moderator

As a rather 'disconnected Briton' I wasn't sure what I was going to make of it, and as I didn't get home from work until Romania was marching I've only seen highlights of most of it, but I thought that it was pretty good, a little goofy, but that's British eccentricity for you. I didn't quite get the boat thing with Beckham, but the whole show seemed to be quite good fun and worked for me. Can't claim to understand where all of the $42 million went, but don't feel that it reflected badly on my homeland.

Well I had it on the telly from start to finish (whilst reading, browsing etc) and whilst it was boring in parts I think that overall it was an impressive spectacle. It was uniquely British in parts and quirky but I enjoyed it. It may have been mystifying to the audiences of other countries but hey ho, much of what we do baffles the rest of the world. The actual lighting of the cauldron was magnificent and must have been a fantastic spectacle to those in the stadium. So not terrible for me, a good all round show as far as I'm concerned.

_________________
Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

I'll be damned, I missed it. Has it been 4 years already since Beijing Olympics?
Time flies when you're having fun.
I guess I'll have to look out for the knock off DVDs in Beijing

_________________
"It is just a matter of time!"

I actually liked it - I'm a bit of a history nerd so I really appreciated the "journey through British history" aspect. The forging of the Olympic rings was extremely well done and about as impressive as anything in Beijing. The rest of it kind of went down hill from there.... A bit too "eccentric" for me I suppose. The queen not smiling/all around not giving a hoot was hilarious.

All this makes me want to go buy an Olympic branded Omega!

_________________
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

I understood the history but it seemed to me disjointed and awkward. It seemed like they produced what is supposed a stadium sized spectacle on an off Broadway scale. Especially during the first half hour there were just folks roaming around in lovely period costumes and I felt like it was the opening scene of My Fair Lady or Brigadoon.

I appreciate some enjoyed it. For me, I had high expectations and it didn't come close.

Is there a rule that the Queen is not allowed to crack a smile?

Besides the issue mentioned above I got the impression that this was an effort to convey a uniquely British experience. Please explain to me what is unique about a simple life in a pastoral country-side giving way to dramatic changes in two industrial revolutions and then succumbing to a digitally dominated age?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
SHARKMAN

Totally agree with Tom here !

Two more points that I would like to add:

In a provocative omission by the organizers of the Olympic Games in London, during yesterday's opening ceremony of the institution, the Olympic Games anthem was only instrumental. They chose not to play the song because the lyrics are in Greek (composed by Greek poet Gregory Palamas). It is the first time this happens since 1896 and the modern Olympic Games.

Also, Jacques Rogge, IOC president, said during his allocation: "the Olympic Games are coming home tonight". Since this forum is family friendly, I will refrain from commenting such an ignominious statement but we all know where the Olympic Games' home is.

_________________


- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

Initially, this trip with the flame on Thames was to take place with a Greek trireme, a copy of which had been ordered. But, at the last minute, this was cancelled by the British on orders from David Cameron. The latter, as you (may or not) know, has publicly stated that he does not want anymore Greeks on British soil.

_________________


- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

_________________


- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.

I heard that and just knew that I would be reading a comment about it from you today.

I thought it was great. As to the queen, what a good sport for playing along with the Bond thing! It was quirky and British and fun. With all the $$$ spent in Beijing I'm not sure fun is a word that could have been applied there.

kind of a mixed bag for me. I liked the forging of the rings and since the brits are attributed with truly beginning the industrial revolution, I'll give them that. I was not watching the queen as much as I was the little corgi dogs. The trippy led light images in the stands were interesting if not always coherent. Any show that ends with the last cut from dark side of the moon has to have some redeeming qualities. my kids and I were going back and forth in the music sequence, that's a british band? for me, the big downer was the torch ceremony , very underwhelming. they need to keep that a secret? the gold standard remains for me the archer at barcelona in 1992. overall, okay, but that may have been because it's so hard to get my family to sit down for 1 thing and watch it together.

_________________
Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

Without a doubt, the archer was the best ever. Ali may be the most moving ever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
SHARKMAN

On both counts.

_________________


- This is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by. - Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.