The 2012 London Olympic Games were officially opened Friday night with a
spectacular ceremony which lasted nearly four hours and which covered
many aspects of the life, history and culture of the British Isles.
The
countdown to Danny Boyle's magnificent showpiece began with an
encounter with Ratty and Mole from the children's book "The Wind in the
Willows" on the Thames river and took people along the iconic London
waterway until they reached the Olympic Stadium, where the countdown
began, Xinhua reported.
The ringing of the giant Olympic bell by
cyclist Bradley Wiggins was the end of the introduction and the start of
the ceremony proper. It began in a 'Green and Pleasant Land', a
representation of the English landscape -- the land of sunshine, soft
grass and white clouds.
But the idyll was literally torn asunder
by 'Pandemonium', a section representing the arrival of the Industrial
Revolution to the islands. The arrival of industry was reflected in the
person of the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the man who built
railways, bridges and steamships.
Giant smoking chimneys rose out
of the ground and they and the workings of industry, the 'dark Satanic
Mills' of Blake's Jerusalem, replaced the green fields in minutes.
Boyle's show
did not just focus on the benefits of industry, he looked at the impact
of industry on ordinary lives. The growth of cities and the
industrialization of war which allowed young men to be mown down by
their millions in the battlefields of Europe.
The fallen from all
wars were represented by the names of the 'Accrington Pals', who lost
500 of their 700 members in the battle of the Somme in the First World
War.
That war led to social change -- votes for women, a rise of
the unions, all of which was enacted in the parade, which contained
traditional Cockney Pearly Kings and Queens, newspaper boys, Chelsea
Pensioners and a Colliery Band from Grimethorpe coalmine among others.
For
many Queen Elizabeth II's arrival in the stadium was the highlight of
the night as the monarch showed her sense of humour in a spoof sketch
with James Bond actor Daniel Craig, in which for a moment it appeared
she had parachuted out of a helicopter to reach her destination.
The
second segment of the show honoured two great British achievements, the
creation of children's literature, which includes so many characters
still loved today, such as Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, the Queen of Hearts
and more recently Harry Potter.
It seemed correct therefore when
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling read the opening lines of the story of
the boy who never grows up, while following a spectacular chase, the
most famous nanny of them all saved the day when the villains from our
childhood invaded a young girl's imagination.
The other great
achievement for Boyle is the creation of the National Health Service
(NHS) which assures free healthcare for all. That was celebrated with a
spectacular bed dance carried out by volunteers from the NHS.
It
would not be the Olympics without the film "Chariots of Fire", and that
British Oscar winning film was celebrated along with other greatly loved
British movies, including Gregory's Girl. Mr Bean also put in an
appearance.
The final segment moved people to the present, to a
typical British Saturday night, with mum and dad watching the TV, while
the kids go out dancing and having fun. Boyle celebrated Britain's rich
pop heritage, the internet and the triumph of true love.
David
Beckham was seen driving a speedboat down the Thames with the torch on
board, before it was time to remember those who were unable to be at the
Games because they had passed away.
They were honoured by a
heartfelt "Abide with me", before the athletes' parade, which as usual
was led by Greece and ended by the spectacular arrival of Team GB to the
applause of fans.
Rock group Arctic Monkeys injected some extra energy into the ceremony.
All
that was left then was for the official welcome with speeches from
Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Olympic Games Organizing Committee
(LOCOG) and IOC president Jacques Rogge, before the Olympic flag was
raised and the Olympic oaths were taken.
Then the final question was answered -- who would light the Olympic cauldron.
Fittingly
it was no single person, but a combination of seven young athletes who
had the honour after legendary Olympian Steve Redgrave brought the flame
into the Stadium.
Together they lit a cauldron formed of petals which came together to make a single flame.
The
ceremony ended with an emotional Paul McCartney singing "Hey Jude" with
just a little bit of help from the 80,000 people in the stands.
It
was a perfect ending to an exhilarating show with the audience becoming
part of the show, and Saturday morning, the action begins in earnest.
