I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed the opening ceremonies. I saw most of it, but would like to ask about a few things I might have missed. First, was the ferris wheel a reference to the Great Exhibition? Was there a reference to the Crystal Palace? Also, I began watching when the spectacular display of the Industrial Revolution took place. Prior to that was there a tribute to Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre? I was hoping that there would be a celebration of Keats, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Tennyson too.
I thought that bringing the torch up the Thames was a wonderful sight too.
I agree with you on Ali. While he is an iconic figure, his presence was too uncomfortable.
I was also surprised that Roger Bannister didn't light the torch. Was he included in the ceremonies? i know he must be in his 80s, but last I had seen him on the news, he seemed fit as a fiddle.
Bannister turned down the opportunity when asked.
Save for the Industrial Revolution* bit, which like Babe I thought was a questionabl artistic choice (yes celebrate utter poverty and human suffering!), I kinda enjoyed the ceremonies too? Like the Oscars they're alwyas overlong and overproduced (Danny Boyle spent reportedly $40 million), but they're pure propaganda spectacles. It's to be expected, so I got what I could from it. The best bits were the James Bond and Mr. Bean sketches. I did enjoy Branagh's brief Bard recitation.
How the torch was lit was pretty cool.
The most surreal moment was the how and why Boyle wanted to bind together both a celebration of British children's literature and the NHS. (I wished NBC could've cut to Mitt Romney's face when the NHS sketch happened.)
*=When those 5 rings were being "crafted," I only kept thing of LTOR. "5 Rings to rule them all!"
