The Paris Olympics held their opening ceremony on Friday, to mostly rave reviews. Even French people were like “WTF” at some parts of it, so you can imagine what Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning – NBC’s special Olympic commentators – had to say about it. I will say this, it was a great idea to have Kelly doing the opening ceremony because she was nerding out about all of the music. Kelly was such a cheerleader for Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and the French musical acts who were featured in the very long-winded and rain-soaked ceremony.
For the Americans (I think these videos are geoblocked), you can see Celine Dion’s performance on the Eiffel Tower here, and you can see Lady Gaga’s performance here (NBC is blocking the videos from being embedded too). Celine overcame significant health issues to be able to perform at the Olympics, and almost everyone who watched that was moved to tears. Her performance of Édith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour” was so special. The French fans and all of the tourists in Paris have been giving Celine flowers and just showering her with love all week.
One of the craziest moments – and something which is still being discussed – is the whole “singing beheaded Marie Antoinette” thing. They really did that. Not only that, they had the “Marie Antoinette” thing staged at the Conciergerie, the real prison where she was held before she was beheaded. Apparently, Republicans are trying to turn “Marie Antoinette being sent to the guillotine” into some kind of culture war in 2024. They’re all online, calling it disrespectful to Christians? Hm. People might need to step back and think about all of this.
Give the singing beheaded Marie Antoinette all the medals #Olympics #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/4LAtKRsAaa
— SHANE REACTION (@imshanereaction) July 26, 2024
Personally, my favorite moments of the rainy opening ceremony were all of the parts using real Olympians. I loved that Rafael Nadal – a 14-time French Open champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed king of clay – got to carry the torch in some of the final moments on stage. I loved the boat ride with Rafa, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comaneci. I loved seeing Zinedine Zidane, one of the most attractive Frenchmen ever, of all time. Honestly, there were so many cool parts of the opening ceremony.
Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comǎneci all helped carry the Olympic torch in Paris 🔥 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/paGVugjMQh
— ESPN (@espn) July 26, 2024
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 26, 2024
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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- Paris, FRANCE – Singer Lady Gaga performs during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the Seine River in Paris, France, on July 26, 2024. Pictured: Lady Gaga BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Singer Lady Gaga performs during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the Seine River in Paris, France, on July 26, 2024. Pictured: Lady Gaga BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – USA Olympians during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pictured: LeBron James, Coco Gauff, USA Olympic Team BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Views of the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, France. Pictured: Zinadine Zidane BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Views of the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, France. Pictured: Atmosphere BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, the last torchbearers of the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, France. Pictured: Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Music icon Celine Dion captivates audiences with a stunning performance of Edith Piaf’s ‘Hymn to Love’ from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pictured: Celine Dion BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Music icon Celine Dion captivates audiences with a stunning performance of Edith Piaf’s ‘Hymn to Love’ from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pictured: Celine Dion BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Music icon Celine Dion captivates audiences with a stunning performance of Edith Piaf’s ‘Hymn to Love’ from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pictured: Celine Dion BACKGRID USA 26 JULY 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Celine STOLE that opening ceremony – she was the highlight and like everyone else I was so moved by her performance, esp after watching her documentary. We all know how hard it was for her to get up there and sing.
While using the city itself as part of the ceremony was an interesting concept, the whole river and flotilla thing reminded me of QE2 Diamond Jubilee event where everyone sailed down the Thames with performers at certain locations – including the rain. There were parts that were great and others that were not – it was too long winded and didn’t really flow as well as it could have from a narrative/story telling PoV.
Am still traumatised by the almost naked blue signing man with this plastic fruit. That was some weird Papa Smurf kink.
Also I want to know who the amazing mysterious torch bearer was – the Assassins Creed reference was fitting as the gaming studio who makes it is based in Paris (its a French company).
The blue guy was a scene of Apollos feast with the gods (but I agree it was insane but also … expected?). I found the ceremony wacko but quintessentially french. Of COURSE there was a beheaded Marie Antoinette. Of course Joan of Ark was there. The people complaining that it was against “christian values” and other nonsense know nothing about the olympics, french history or anything else really. And yes I agree, Céline was perfection.
Oh yes – it was VERY French and they couldn’t have not mentioned the French Revolution. Like the UK France has a LOOOOOONG history and how do you fit that into a few hours.
My fave comment was about how only the French could out Eurotrash Eurotrash – you will only get this if you are a child of the 90s and remember the TV show.
I see a lot of MAGA very upset on twitter and of course the French extreme right wing 🙂 Just for this i am f**** happy.
@justine – Yes!! The French right are SO MAD that Aya Nakamura sang with the republican guards (by all accounts they loved her and they all partied together afterwards). Perfection
I loved Aya Nakamura with the guards. That was v cool.
I was sure it was Kylian Mbappé and that we will see his face at the end but I was wrong 🙂
Apparently there were around 12 professional acrobats/free runners playing the part of that character at different points in the ceremony – one of them, Simon Nogueira, outed himself on Instagram but later removed the posts. It was a fitting tribute to parkour (aka free running) as it was founded in France in the 80s.
I was curious so googled it – hope we seem him (the character) at the closing ceremony.
I think a lot of people watched just to see if or when Celine would sing and she was worth the wait. Probably an iconic and historic performance to the level of Whitney doing the anthem in 91.
Overall I thought mixing up the performances in between the boat arrivals made the ceremony more interesting than usual because in the past the parade of nations just happens in one section and it’s long and boring.
And I really want to know who that guy with the torch running around Paris was. He just left at the end while I was hoping for some kind of reveal.
There is a documentary of how they set up the opening ceremonies and it’s very interesting. They included a lot of the city of Paris in this opening which was very smart.
And the irreverence was great. People getting upset about a beheaded monarch or claiming that a drag queen pose is offending Christianity are just right wing trolls.
The level of what they did here, even with the pouring rain, really showed a higher level of creativity.
Yeah they built him up only to disappoint us 🙁 Also what happened to those 3 kids – they disappeared. Are they hiding in the catacombs until the closing ceremony? So many questions.
Also seeing Zidane show up at the end wearing pure white trainers after supposedly being on the Paris Metro – I was like WFT, no way they’d still be white.
Killing a queen during the révolution is part of who we are as French. Our Anthem sing « May impure blood Soak our fields’ furrows! » what blood do you think it was?😂
With heavy métal, it was a perfect segment !
id love to see the documentary. was it one by peacock or cbc or 9aus?
Papa smurf?😂🤣😂 it was Philippe Katherine. A very very exentric French singer.😂 so cringe to see him like that 😅! But very French too. I was a little embarrased that international viewers see that! Like being embarrassed by a weird uncle in public!😂
This ceremony was cool. Gotta point out that Assassin’s Creed – and Celine Dion of course- are actually Canadian.
As a French, who was againt hosting the OG in our country, I am SO proud of this opening.
It was a call for diversity, for inclusivity. It showed our past and a glimpse of an ideal future where we stand together. Yes a lot of us are pretty republican even if with our political system we have a president powerful as a king, so I was very happy with the Marie-Antoinette and the cene’s act !
And the playlist was everything !!!
I quite enjoyed the 80/90s euro dance section – ah the clubbing memories.
Same 🙂 When I heard Free from desire of Gala I just jumped from my bed and danced alone
is there a playlist somewhere? id love to read it!
The whole ceremony was amazing. Quintessentially French and I loved all of it.
I remember seeing Zidane headbutt that Italian guy in the World Cup in real time. That was wild.
Same, it was absolutely bonkers in the best possible way! I’m usually not a fan of those ceremonies, find them pompous and boring, but I was home cooking and turned on the TV around the Les Misérables/Delacroix portrait and beheaded Marie-Antoinette singing Ça ira made me scream of amazement! Gojira playing and the blood splattering from la Conciergerie: everything in this scene was on point and the transition to the literature lovers threesome?! I was hooked!
I loved that it wasn’t thought with US TV networks in mind, that it could give Jean-Marie Le Pen a heart attack (if he has one, that hasn’t been proven), and that it was so unabashedly modern French! I was roaring with laughter when Katerine showed up to sing Nu, loved seeing Aya sing with la Garde Républicaine knowing how pissed the FN would be… They did not give a damn about shocking those who’d have wanted a sepia béret/marinière/baguette/accordéon repeat of the Rugby World Cup ceremony and I loved it. It was ballsy and tongue in cheek and still made sure to make room for the athletes. Can’t believe we went from Arielle Dombalse to this in the span of a week
I pity whoever is planning the LA ceremony, they won’t be able to beat this.
@Arpeggi every words you said 🙂
I love your take on it. I loved all of it, I loved seeing Paris as a key character in the ceremony (loved the use of the bridges), loved Celine, loved all the irreverent and saucy parts, and especially love the Olympic flame.
So my ex is French, my grown children are half-French and the ceremony is fully in line with my experience of French culture for 25 years. Namely brilliant aesthetics and a propensity to shock.
It was fine except for the Marie Antoinette visual. Let’s see, paean to political violence, and particularly violence against a woman (it was her husband who was the ruler, not her). And then to make it comical. Big no from me. Will just note it was a male director.
And yes Celine Dion was brilliant❤️ best part of the show. She and the Eiffel Tower were awesome !
Yeah, Marie Antoinette pics were weird to me too. Her husband was the sole ruler. Why are people still sh*tting on the woman, who didn’t have any authority politically? It feels like celebration not against a cruel governance, but for violence against a woman.
a story old as Genesis….
@sevenblue, totally agree! Was disgusted that yet again a woman was being blamed when it was her husband who held all the power. But in addition, one tableau of Marie Antoinette, with bloody neck and holding her severed head in her hands would have made a point, but dozens of them in every single window of that huge building was, in my opinion, obscene and unnessessary.
Whoo hoo, let’s celebrate violence against a woman! How amusing, how entertaining!
At least we got to see Joan of Arc riding her horse & not tied to a stake with flames leaping about.
No one was sh-tting on her? It’s part of French history and makes for a compelling revolutionary image with the metal song sung.
@Lemons, why is it always her image though? Her husband was the ruler, why don’t they use him instead? He was also beheaded, right? It would fit the image of freedom against one-man ruling. What does this represent? She didn’t even have the power to choose whom to marry at those times.
@sevenblue because this was la Conciergerie. Louis was jailed at la Prison du Temple which Napoleon had destroyed to stop pilgrimages by the royalists, but the Conciergerie remains. It’d make no sense to depict Louis XVI there.
The hatred for Marie-Antionette had started before she had set foot in the country because France had been at war with Austria for a long time and she was seen as planted there by the enemies. Was she used as a scapegoat of everything that had been wrong with the French monarchy for a good century? Absolutely, but some of the criticism was valid. The tentative to flee the country and get the Austrian and Prussian armies to invade the country and reinstate the king as absolute ruler rightfully pissed people off. There was no coming back from such treason
Agree. It didn’t land with me. She didn’t get to make the decisions, she merely got the consequences.
I was already in tears from the torch relay and the 100-year old athlete, and then the Jules Verne balloon cauldron and then hearing Celine’s voice before we even saw her…
I have to say that my TikTok brain was a bit impatient at first, but I decided to just relax and let it be an experience. And I loved all the little flashes, like the nod to The Trip to the Moon and The Little Prince and I think Moebius was in there somewhere.
The “disrespectful to Christians” thing wasn’t about Marie Antoinette. It’s about a tableau of drag performers who were staged to look like The Last Supper. It really did look like that, but whether or not people should be outraged by it is another thing.
The internets found a painting of Dionysus at a feast that resembled the pose, especially when the blue guy was on the table.
The artistic director didn’t say anything about a painting of Dionysus, just that the blue guy on the table was Dionysus. And there was a lot of blah, blah, blah about everybody worshipping however they want, etc., etc. For me, a Greek with a healthy respect for the ancient gods, that’s perfectly fine. In any case, the images went by so fast I wonder how people found the opportunity to be offended.
I was very impressed with those drag performers who kept strutting along despite the pouring rain and a very wet carpet – am surprised they were able to keep on their feet, it looked slippy and a bit dangerous. They were all soaked but loving it.
As others have said above – the ceremony was a real reflection of French culture and by most accounts it was well received by the country, except the right wing crazies.
The city of light shone even in the torrential rain.
Same. I just kept seeing the rain on the table and holding my breath. The performers were phenomenal.
I enjoyed the ceremony. I thought it was an interesting way to showcase the city and let Paris be the star. I liked the boats with the athletes somewhat – I thought it lacked the energy of the entrance at a stadium. But visually the whole thing was stunning.
Agreed – having lived in France and had a French Partner – this ceremony was VERY French, but in very different ways. It had something for every one in France and I loved that.
It was a fantastic way to show off the games which will only further drive tourism.
I especially loved Axelle Saint-Cirel’s rendition of La Marseillaise – wow just goosebumps. I fell in love with Paris all over again !!!
I think Axelle was my favorite part of the opening. Her voice and the overall visual was just so majestic and beautiful. It took my breath away!
During the parade of nations on their boats, the main NBC feed was showing the king/queen/monarchy for each country. I loved seeing Jill Biden around at various events being enthusiastic and awesome yesterday. She really made the rounds.
I noticed Fred and Mary of Denmark, Albert and Charlene of Monoco, Felipe and Letizia of Spain and Phillipe and Matilde of Belgium. I didn’t notice if anyone was wearing anything notable, but I’m sure Maxima brought it if she was there and I missed her.
I don’t know if that was due to the BBC feed but the sound was crap and the footage kept jumping all over the place, esp at weird times. Not sure if the BBC had any control over that or if they were just going with the main French broadcasters feed.
As usual, no representation from the BRF. It’s not as if Peggy has anything else going on to attend and support our team.
I was flipping between CBC and NBC footage and it was the local broadcaster footage that was the issue, likely because the heavy rain was blurring the cameras.
That said NBC had an extra shot of the Eiffel Tower and caught more of Celine than I saw elsewhere.
Maxima and Willem-Alexander were there, dressed in plastic raincoats. The cameras caught a glimpse of them cheering on the Dutch athletes’ boat.
So no reps from the BRF? Huh, and it’s just a short hop across the Channel.
Hadn’t even thought about BRFCo–. Loved the London Olympics opening when Bond parachuted QEII into the ceremony 😉, and was wowed by Beijing 2008nopening. But the French and Paris have truly outdone themselves. This is my favorite by far. Everyone was ecstatic coming in on those boats, despite the pouring rain, and it really opened it up to a lot more observers. The sheer quantity of dancers was amazing, even if they had to curtail routines for rain. Way better than a stadium entrance. All of it. The shrouded Parkour Guy with Torch 😘. Loved all of it.
I loved the Opening Ceremonies, and seeing Celine sing again was the crowning jewel of the show. Also it’s time to put civics, world history and mythology back into basic education again our ignorance is showing and it is just embarrassing at this point.
Really! I was reading about the opening ceremonies–I think on the BBC news app–and they listed everything they saw, including ‘a woman riding a horse across the Seine’; scrolling down, I saw that was Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc! Zero recognition by the writer!
100% agree!!!
I was also a bit shocked by the beheaded Marie-Antoinettes and the Last Supper tableau. But, as one commenter in other site aptly put ‘bizarre’ and ‘avant-garde’ are terms we owe to the French. They had to be present in spirit throughout the whole ceremony.
Marie-Antoinette is a symbol of an elitist lifestyle that, at the end, was the visual reference that prompted masses to support French revolution. The Last Supper is many things at once, one of them an emblem for the need to unite in love to go forward, despite obstacles and differences. I think it applies perfectly to lgqbt+ community and the defense of an inclusive message.
At least for me, it was easier to understand the ceremony once I realized it was more about France’s nowadays vibe and aspirations, instead of a high-tech beret-acordion-cancan postcard.
Regarding the Last Supper, I am borrowing this from Reddit:
The Last Supper was the last painting completed by Leonardo da Vinci in Italy before he left for France. He died in France and is buried there, by his choice.
There are several reasons why he left his homeland permanently, not the least of which include difficult Italian politics, rumors of his homosexuality, and other restrictions imposed by the Catholic Church on his work. In France, he was widely beloved, fully supported by King Francis I, and lived out his remaining years doing whatever he wanted.
So when the French re-imagine the Last Supper (the painting, not the actual event) with a group of queers, this is not primarily intended to be a dig at Christianity.
Instead, this reference communicates a layered commentary about France’s cultural history, its respect for art, its strong secularism, and French laissez-faire attitudes toward sexuality and creative expression.
It’s a limited view of the painting to think of it as “belonging” to Christianity, rather than primarily as a Renaissance masterpiece by a brilliant (likely homosexual) artist, philosopher, and inventor, whose genius may have never been fully appreciated had he not relocated to a country with more progressive cultural values.
In french, la Cène (the last supper), la scène (the stage) and la Seine (the river) sound the same.
I absolutely loved the beheaded Marie Antoinette but then I’m French. I found it audacious and a little bit provocative. I’ve seen in the comments above that it should have been her husband the king yet who (supposedly) said let them eat cake? Besides costume wise I think having a woman is more interesting. From a french point of view, we make no difference, both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded.
Unlike the English who seem to forget that they beheaded Charles I, the French have not been ashamed of removing their monarchy the way they did. They have had many revolutions, which is why many think Les miz was set during the French Revolution instead of the one in 1832. So showing beheaded monarchs or their consorts is not something they shy away from in their national culture.
The French people have no fear in reminding their gov of the power of ‘we the people’ – it has ended the career of many a politician.
The French hate change but love the revolution. It’s in our DNA lol.
…but it was that, too!
Seeing Céline made us all cry, including kids and partners, as Mr Nanea is a neurologist who told us everything we didn’t even need to know about SPS, back when Céline went public.
I love how they accommodated her by transposing the song for her lower register to make it easier for C to sing it, as she simply isn’t able (right now ?) to breathe in in a way that she gets the amount of air into her lungs that she needs to be able to hit the high soprano notes.
It was wild to see the reactions of the right and far right people, mostly male, on social media.
Not only didn’t they like Aya Nakamura and the Garde Républicane, they also complained about Axelle Saint-Cirel singing La Marseillaise atop the Grand Palais.
The semi-educated misogynistic males like Andrew Tate complaining about a Satanic Ritual, making sure to let the world know they had never heard of Marie-Antoinette, or those complaining about Jeanne d’Arc or Olympe de Gouges because the don’t want to deal with Herstory.
Or those people screaming about the Last Supper, when Leonardo da Vinci was gay and a fierce critic of the Catholic church. A few minutes out of 4 hours.
And those extra special snowflakes who couldn’t deal with the first Black and Muslim German flag bearer, Dennis Schröder, calling the team woke, while forgetting that *he* captained the national basketball team to win the world championship, something that eluded Dirk Nowitzki way back when.
How could they not love Axelle’s version of La Marseillaise.
IKR? That was perfection!
You know why. Has nothing to do with her singing, but racists gonna racism
@Arpeggi agreed re the racism but the feedback from die hard classical music fans has been incredible – check Axel, classic FM and Dior Insta pages – just so positive the French loved it and are raving about it.
Going to guess it’s the usual Anglo right wing nut jobs complaining.
Celine has been singing since she was very young. It is incredible she still has her perfect voice after decades of singing. Knowing her illness, it was a really touching performance. Honestly she was just perfect as always.
Without a doubt one of her best performances. The song and the vulnerability showed were PERFECT.
There’s a moment before the final line where she just gazes at Paris and soaks it all in and it’s just beautiful and heartbreaking all in the same moment.
The dress was also fabulous.
Just fabulous all of it.
You could see on her face just how affected she was by the reaction of the city – she had them in her palm and you could hear them cheering her on. To sing a song written by a French musical icon in the heart of Paris – thats the kind of thing dreams are made of.
It was just beautiful – an iconic song for an iconic woman in a beautiful iconic city.
Let the games begin <3
Well I thought it was one of the most interesting opening ceremonies I’ve ever seen. The right wing wants everything to be like a Hallmark movie, look into some of their plans for the movie industry when they “take over”. Celine was amazing, so good to see her back. But my favorite part was the lighting of the Olympic flame. Reimagining it as a hot air balloon was so unexpected. Vive la France!
The hot air ballon was reference to Jules Verne (a frenchman) and his book ‘Around the world in 80 days’ which is fitting to the journey the Olympic flame takes as part of the games.
It’s also because la montgolfière (the air balloon) is a French invention developed by the Montgolfier brothers
I loved every second of it! Such a creative homage to French and Olympic history, culture, tradition, & innovation. And I was beyond stoked to see Gojira play a part!
It really made me put getting back to Paris as a priority on my travel list
I was watching the Canadian broadcast, and the commentators kept wondering when and if she was going to appear. I had watched the documentary about her illness just a few weeks ago. When you just suddenly heard and recognized her voice in the first few notes, it brought a tear to my eye. OMG, it’s Celine!!! It was such a moving and powerful performance. Just stunning.
The hot air balloon was invented by the Mongolfier brothers, not Jules Verne.
I too noticed Celine looking out over the city – that indeed choked me up.
Did anyone say the hot air balloon was invented by Jules Verne? It’s such an iconic form of transportation in Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days” and the movies adapted from it, that I’m not surprised people associate one with the other.
Honestly I was so pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. I hated the part with the Minions and I feel like I’m the only French person who hates those little guys. Very glad we got to make right-wing bigots from all around the world cry. The tears from the French right-wingers were particularly salty because I have no doubt that they thought that if they would have won the last elections they would have been able to gut this entire ceremony and turn it into something as bland and boring as possible.
I thought I’d watch a bit and stayed right to the end with multiple text conversations happening as my (French) mother and various friends watched it too. Overall I cried four times that I can recall, it was weird, it was wet, it was long and it was amazing. In no particular order:
I thought the cauldron balloon taking off was the ultimate finale then the singing started and I suddenly realised I recognised the voice, spectacular.
I did NOT have ‘threesome’ on my opening ceremony bingo card.
If I was part of a small team I’d absolutely want our own boat, not to share with other countries.
Great night for hot french men in trainers – did you see the guy who organised it?? Then Zidane.
I realised I’m old enough to remember those songs coming our (SANDSTORM!) while also being concerned that someone may fall in the water.
Seeing that amazing woman singing the Marseillaise on the roof of the Grand Palais, with the flag? I’m crying again now and loved the F you to all the racists (our family is sadly far right and they hated it, perfection).
I hope they didn’t leave the 100 year old man in the rain for too long.
Oh and there’s a great video on Architectural Digest IG with the designer of the torch if you’re into that sort of thing.
It was very French ,amazing and spectacular. I loved it. And then Celine. I literally heard about a half a second of a breath and I knew it was her. The only thing that even came close to rivaling her in magnificence was the Eiffel tower.
Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning were terrible. They made inane comments or else were completely silent. They had no information or context—dunno whose fault that was. For the most part I felt like the ceremony was painfully long and disjointed. Certain segments were better than others but overall very haphazard. The athletes should have been featured more with video from onboard the boats. Also I couldn’t help but wonder why some countries had their own small boat and others shared?? And the French can keep their selective inclusivity. They don’t allow an athlete to participate in the opening ceremony because she wears hijab. Hypocrisy
So there’s some religious right wing dude on YouTube yammering on about “celebrating the return of the anti christ” “offensive” blah blah blah and he is getting absolutely TORCHED. My comment was “I bet you’re fun at parties”
MerlinsDad was thoroughly confused with some of it (he’s science and math based, his own admission is “history class put me to sleep”) so i, the history buff, had to explain to him this that and the other. He said that parts of the show now made sense to him
His favorite part? The lighting of the torch.
We both agreed Celine was incredible!