It's France. If it weren't some weird avant-garde art statement, people would probably be disappointed.
Television
I've re-watched that Gojira performance like 10 times. The beheaded Marie Antionettes were <chef's kiss>.
I'm getting old and have watched a lot of opening ceremonies with all of this art that they have to explain the meaning to you.
In front of an in-person audience of hundreds of world leaders and live to the entire world, the French chose to depict their final monarch that they deposed and beheaded while playing death metal and opera. That's one of the most badass things I've ever seen. And the announcers didn't have to explain to you how badass it was.
Technically, they had a few more monarchs (Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis Philippe I) after Marie Antoinette's husband even if you don't count the two emperors. The fifth republic looks unlikely to lapse, though
The decapitated Mary Antoinettes singing operatic methal from a palace's windows were cool.
That wasn't just cool, it was badass! You can rewatch it here: https://youtu.be/cJowjYixfEs
If this is legit a thing that happened I'm kinda mad I missed it.
It was Gojira, a rather famous french metal band, with Marina Viotti, an also famous franco-swiss opera singer.
Ok, now with Celine Dion performing Edith Piaf on the Tour Eiffel I'm getting the peak France feeling I got for peak UK in London 2012, lol
Yep agree.
By far the best part. Celine was astounding and that balloon thingy is outrageously original. The light show too.
There was a metric shitload of what the actual hell going on in the run up to it. Not inherently bad in the main - but just not very well put together. Disjointed, way too drawn out, incoherent.
Thank goodness they had a decent ending.
Who was Parkour Bansky? Does anyone know? Was a tad worried they were going to skitter off a wet roof on live TV.
Edit: Seen Gojira on replay. Excellent.
I always find it strange when host nations choose performers from the non-host nation. Like why is Gaga there? She’s not French.
I wonder how many celebrated French singers are upset that she opened the performance while mangling the French language? Like, I don’t think she did terrible, but was also clearly not a native speaker
I wonder how many celebrated French singers are upset that she opened the performance while mangling the French language?
The answer is probably none. The Olympics is a celebration of multiculturalism not just the culture of the hosts. If anything, it speaks about the impact of colonialism and historical french cultural hegemony during the XIX century.
Oh, and she does speak french, with an accent, but she does speak it.
Honestly the people who care about this sort of thing are way more upset that a black gasp woman gasp sang rap gasp for the opening ceremony. I'm talking about aya Nakamura.
Gaga, ooh-la-la?
Welcome to the Olympics this happens every time. Mark my words when the Olympics come to the state we are going to do our damndest to out weird France.
It'll just be 500 people firing tracer filled machine guns into the air, fireworks being launched off the deck of an aircraft carrier, and a finale centered on an ICBM being detonated offshore to the tune of America, Fuck Yeah!
That's going to depend rather heavily on who wins the next election.
With the anchors telling viewers, "This flyover is of an F-35 squadron. The program has cost almost 2 trillion. The military has stated it will be using it less going forward. NOW HERE'S BEYONCÉ!"
The horse rider coming down the seine was quite spooky. I'm surprised there hasn't been any nudity
I've never understood the spectacle of the opening ceremonies, especially as they got more and more elaborate. Not for me.
You’ll never make it as a dictator. You’ve got to love the spectacles to make it as a dictator. Or so I’m told.
Ok, so now it's a revenge of the 90s technoparty.
And now it's a non-pg13 live action smurf (ok, it's supposed to be Dionisius)
And now it's Celine Dion singing imagine while riding a reefback on la Seine haha
And I forgot my X.
Yeah, the Smurf was not okay.
I'm pretty convinced at this point that whoever planned this pocketed most of the money.
Lots of people in this thread have never seen Les Miserables
I'm only slightly kidding when I say:
The Olympics are happening this year? I feel like I'm usually really in the loop for these things.
It got much better. The horse running down the river gave me chills. I was in Paris a couple of months ago, and this has become quite a feat. The rain made it even more surreal.
It was a little boring before, now it feels more like Eurovision haha
Clearly thou ART not like the French.
Celine Dion just did the performance of my lifetime. Everyone can go home now!
Why did the ghost just start doing parkour?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kvw2BPKjz0 new olympic sport lol it's french :D
This question is the most interesting thing I've ever heard about a sporting event.
No sport could ever be as exciting as a ghost doing parkour.