On Friday 27th July 2012 the world witnessed the Olympic opening ceremony. The whole event had built up suspense and anticipation for months, especially after it was stated that Danny Boyle was the man behind the action. And personally, I think that the opening ceremony was a great success!
Being a huge fan of all things Danny Boyle, from his films to the plays, we all had an idea that the opening ceremony was going to be quirky and out there. Boyle definitely lived up to his style. It was theatrical, slightly crazy and quirky - quintessentially British of course. I remember when we were told that Boyle had decided to have fields and sheep in the ceremony, people thought it was just absurd and that we'd be the laughing stock of the world.
However, I think he pulled it off magnificently. The scenes of fields reminded me not only of the beautiful countryside that the UK has, but also of Lord of the Rings! I kept expecting Frodo to turn up with the ring, alas he did not.
If you didn't happen to see it, I would recommend that you find it on Youtube or somewhere, as it's definitely one not to be missed!
The way in which the important historical events within the UK were portrayed were almost elegantly done in my personal opinion.
I loved the way in which the Industrial Revolution was portrayed. It was made even better when the legend that is Kenneth Branagh took part. It was fantastic that Boyle didn't just aim for an amazing spectacle but aimed to show the heritage of the UK.
My ultimate favourite part had to be the section with Rowan Atkinson playing Mr Bean. It definitely portrayed the typical tongue-in-cheek humour that us Brits have. Having grown up watching Mr Bean all my life it meant that I was able to be drawn into the ceremony even more.
If you don't know who Mr Bean is click on the following Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfx6AdOZc7w - this clip has to be one of my favourites!
I think it has to be said though that most people's favourite part was indeed the part with our Queen and Mr Bond! At home we found it hysterical that she was presented as falling out of the helicopter! What a grand entrance. However, what happened to Mr Bond afterwards? We were a little disappointed that they didn't have him within the stadium, but it was certainly all very entertaining!
Overall I found the whole ceremony captivating, theatrical and phenomenal! As I watched with my family we found that we were constantly on the edge of our seats wondering what and who would happen next. A fantastic start to the Olympics in my mind!
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