Olympics Opening Ceremony

[fabrisse]

So. There's an obscure link between the flying Mary Poppins and J.M Barrie.

Foy Flying Equipment was invented for the flying illusions in "Peter Pan."

I noticed how no one mentioned that Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital had to fight to extend the copyright into perpetuity in the 1980s. While I disapprove of most copyright extensions, this one I wholeheartedly supported.

I'll admit I cried when I saw the Chelsea Pensioners. I used to go to church with Mom and Dad when I visited them in London at the chapel designed by Christopher Wren for the Chelsea Pensioners. Most of them had three or four medals, but as my Dad said, the British don't give them for just showing up.

I also admit I teared up when the Welsh choir went into harmony. I'd just been saying to myself, "how could they have the Welsh singing in unison?" when it happened.

Is it just me, or is this opening a huge thumb in the eye to the Conservative government? With the belching smoke and the workers stripping the bucolic landscape and the NHS tribute, that's certainly what it seems like.

ETA: I just found out that many of the women playing suffragettes were invited as descendants of the original suffragettes. The lump in my throat just got bigger (and I'm pretty sure it's not the strep).

Comments

[snopes-faith.livejournal.com]

Is it just me, or is this opening a huge thumb in the eye to the Conservative government? With the belching smoke and the workers stripping the bucolic landscape and the NHS tribute, that's certainly what it seems like.

Word is that this is exactly what it was intended as. We absolutely lost it with the Queen and Bond.

And weirdly, the latest issue of Moore's LoEG has an all powerful Mary Poppins descending from the skies to fight a JK Rowling creation. What are the odds?

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

*best Spock voice* Astronomical, Captain.

I'm quietly giggling. I love the idea that they my have deliberately put in an obscure Alan Moore reference, too.

[nebula99.livejournal.com]

The general feeling here is that it most definitely was a big two fingers to the current government and that was certainly my feeling when I watched it. I loved it and have never felt so proud to be British.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I've been following some of the reactions in The Observer and The Guardian as well as the American papers. It's quite a hodgepodge, but I'm on the side of "that was awesome."