Friday’s Olympic Opening Ceremony was perhaps the most deliriously audacious live spectacle of the Internet age. Devised by the Anglo-Irish Danny Boyle, it celebrated the uniquely English heritage of industrialization, socialized medicine, drug-inspired music trends, James Bond and fantasy literature. God, how did I even write that sentence? Anyway, it was a night of both triumph and tragedy for nerds—while the geek-friendly moments of the ceremony were copious and unashamed, there was still Twitter outrage over a rumored appearance by Doctor Who somehow being cut for time. As I tweeted at the time, this was somehow nerd privilege overrun. As some anxiously pointed out, there was a “Doctor Who Tardis sound” at the end of the pop music/social media segment, but that was not quite enough to drown out the other supremely nerd-centric moments that were viewed by a billion people worldwide:
Glastonbury Tor is a place renowned in Christian and pagan mythology and figures prominently in both Celtic and Arthurian lore. Its central place in the Olympic festivities gives it an even more modern allusions. The sacred tree around which the national flags are planted goes back to pagan tree lore. Go read The White Goddess if you need any more explanation.
The whole forging of the ring sequence — surrounded by belching smokestack towers — was overtly Tolkienian, even if it didn’t directly reference the professor. It echoes the “Scouring of Shire” chapter of Lord of the Rings—Tolkien’s own allegory of the destruction of agrarian Britain by the advent of industrialization— while the visuals seem to reference Peter Jackson’s take on Isengard. I would say there is also some Wagnerian/Norse Das Rheingold in there, but best not to bring up Germanic lore here.
Kenneth Brannagh appeared as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a cigar chomping engineer and architect, who designed railway grades and bridges. While he lived before the internet, Brunel seems the kind of guy who would today play D&D as an undergrad; he also designed the “train shed” where the Bristol Comic-Con is held.
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Since test cricket is played over 5 days (6 hours each day) I sincerely doubt its any less manly than baseball or Wrestling ! :)
Yes there now T20 (3 1/2 hours) and One Day Cricket (7 hours) but the real deal remains test cricket.
The doctors and baby stuff was a reference to the creation of the National Health Service.
GOSH is Great Ormond Street Hospital which still receives funds from Peter Pan but is also part of the NHS
Loved the music selection too. While in the USA, Meredith, Costas, and Lauer seemed to glom onto the boomer-friendly Stones, The Who, Beatles & McCartney, I liked that we got some OMD, Bowie, New Order, Clash, Sex Pistols, Frankie, and The Jam.
Rowan Atkinson was my favorite part though.
Have more respect and don’t use the lord’s name as a random exclamation. People need to quit the double standard and respect christianity like any other faith.
A little surprised they didn’t get a shot of David Tennant carrying the torch at some point.
so, no one else notice the bit lifted from the league of extraordinary gentlemen, 2009? danny boyle gets ideas off of alan moore?
@shark jumper – hate to tell ya, but bowie, new order, clash, the jam, frankie, and the sex pistols, while not on the scale of the stones and beatles, are pretty boomer-friendly in their own right. it’s all good.
@the beat – oh, and i loved that pic of the queen with the caption underneath, made me laugh out out. :)