I agree with you loobiloo !
I recorded the whole event – (the entertainment part lasted about one & a half hours) and thought it was pretty chaotic !!!
But then I watched it through & through again from beginning to the end
It showed the "Green and pleasant" rural land of Britain probably around the 18th century being replaced by the Satanic Mills of the British industrial revolution with the enormous migration of poor folk from the villages of the countryside to the smoking chimneys of the large towns.
It was due to the brilliance of British scientists and inventors in the early 19th century which made Britain the first country in the world to be heavily industrialized.
This caused incredible hardships and poverty to many people and children and great wealth to others – and fruitless attempts to resist the inevitable changes !!
On the other hand it was the birth of the British Empire which at one stage ruled & governed about one sixth of the whole world.
This period of British colonialism lasted roughly from 1815 to 1914.
It managed to stumble on, near bankrupt, until the cost of WW-II finished it off completely and Britain was forced to free its colonies, Dependencies, Mandated Territories, etc and ceased to be the main world power – or really ANY serious power for better or for worse.
Of course after this at the opening Olympics came multicultural UK (with some rather contradictory aspects) and modern Great Britain & London.
On the whole, on second viewing, IMHO it was a **VERY WORTHY** body of work, something to be remembered, and AFAIK VERY different from previous Olympic openings – and quite a unique performance IMO ! ! !
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The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:-
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Last edited by Len Green : 31 JUL 2012 5:20pm
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