Best. Bond girl. Ever. Or, What I Thought of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games

[miss_s_b]

In case anyone was wondering, I bloody loved it. From Isembard Kingdom Brannagh spouting the Tempest and chewing on a stogie to Paul McCartney going off key like we knew he would, and it not really mattering, I loved it.

Highlights for me included:

• The inflatable pig over Battersea power station


• London Calling seamlessly blending into the Pomp and Circumstance march


• Brannagh's sideburns, and him joyously doing The Actor's Stance from Blackadder


• SuffragISTS! THANK YOU DANNY BOYLE!


• The Windrush, and the Jarrow marchers


• The fact that there were several people in wheelchairs in several of the segments, and they were just there, taking part, being a normal part of things, which is how it should be


• Similarly, non-white people in all segments of the history bit, no whitewashing.


• Yes, Rowan Atkinson was silly, but dammit, we're British, and we do silly so well


• 86 year old Bond Girl in debut parachute jump


• Headbanging to Bo Rhap around the Tardis, followed immediately by pogoing punks


• TIM BERNERS-LEE!!!


• 86 year old Bond Girl picking her fingernails and looking bored during the interminable parade of athletes (although whoever decided to have Fiji come out to The BeeGees needs congratulating) and Phil falling asleep.


• Heroes


• The cauldron - what a triumph of both symbolism and engineering

Comments

[magister]

Except Branagh's actually quoting Caliban, rather than Prospero. Not quite sure of the significance of that.