The XXX Olympic Games began in London on 27 July. According to a long-term tradition, they opened with an almost 4-hour spectacular performance, which began with a large-scale colorful theatrical performance and ended with a performance by eminent British stars.
London in 2012 became the first city to host the Olympics for the third time. In addition, it was in the capital of Great Britain that the modern Olympic Games were held for the first time, this was in 1908. The grand opening took place on July 27, 2012, it was watched by tens of thousands of viewers, and the number of TV viewers around the world is difficult to count. And thanks to unrelenting progress, the additional opportunity to see the spectacle has opened up to hundreds of millions of digital users.
The beginning of the celebration on the occasion of the opening of the Olympics was scheduled for 9 pm local time. An hour before it, spectators were allowed to enter the stadium. There were 75,000 of them, so it took a long time to fill the stands. In the huge arena, decorated with country-style decorations, early guests could already see actors dressed in 19th century costumes. Among them were commoners and aristocrats. Videos about the life of Great Britain were broadcast on giant screens. The mini-film with the participation of the actor Daniel Craig was especially attracted to the audience.
The man on the screen, walking through the halls of the royal mansion, interrupting the almost absolute silence with booming steps, turned out to be none other than agent 007. He entered the queen's office, waiting for the audience to begin. Hardly anyone could have imagined that the woman sitting with her back to the camera is the real Queen of Great Britain, but this was so. The elegant MI6 intelligence agent and the monarch proceeded to a helicopter that was to take them to the Olympic Stadium. Watching the "flight" of the queen over London on television, the audience saw with horror how she and Bond jumped with a parachute. Literally a couple of minutes after they "landed", Elizabeth II ascended to her podium. Her arrival marked the opening of the Olympics.
The colorful performance, directed by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008), transported viewers to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It began with a peasant life, gradually moving to the beginning of the industrial era. Former "peasants" took up picks and hammers and began to forge giant rings. With the solemn music, the circles gradually rose into the air and soon formed a combination of five elements - the world symbol of the Olympic Games.
The show was attended by nearly 20,000 actors and ordinary people, as well as several stars of the English screen and theater. Among them are Kenneth Branagh and Rowan Atkinson, better known as Mr. Bean. He performed a miniature in the spirit of his most famous movie hero, while at the same time "participating" in the work of an entire orchestra. A little later, other British celebrities took the stage, including the richest woman in the country, the writer J. K. Rowling. She read an excerpt from the popular fairy tale about Peter Pan. Meanwhile, the scenery was changing at an enviable speed on the huge arena of the stadium. In just a few minutes, the peasant buildings disappeared, and many beds appeared with children who did not want to go to bed. Only a few dozen Mary Poppins, who came down from above with the help of open umbrellas, were able to make them do this.
From fairy tales and history, the action smoothly passed into modern reality. Young people appeared on the stage, dancing in a disco. In the foreground, a love story was played out with the participation of a mobile phone, which helped the girl and the boy find each other in the whirlwind of life. Couples to participate in this dance program were chosen from ordinary British, and the main condition was true love between them.
After a bright performance, representatives of the IOC spoke, and then 204 Olympic teams marched through the stadium. The athletes of Greece were the first to appear, the British were at the rear. The Olympic flame arrived in London by various routes, including by speedboat driven by football star David Beckham. He perceived this mission as a consolation prize, because he could not participate in the competition due to injury.
The opening ceremony ended with a performance by the ageless Paul McCartney. He sang a song from his legendary band The Beatles called Hey, Jude. Delightful fireworks exploded in the sky under her words.
