The opening of the Olympics in Paris in all its colorfulness is a celebration of freedom for which there is a constant struggle, unlike the landings at some of the earlier ceremonies, because they are always a mirror of totalitarianism
One of the most important television events this year is certainly the broadcast of the opening of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. In the live program, which lasted more than four hours, director Tom Joly presented his vision of France today in an original, creative and provocative way. The result is a spectacle that had a huge viewership and has been a source of polemics on an artistic, political and religious level for days.
But let's start with the form. The authors faced an unusually difficult challenge, primarily in the field of security. The script was kept secret, the protocol on the arrival of the guests as well, and an additional problem appeared, because during the entire opening day in Paris it rained, as in Prever's "Barbara" over Brest. All the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games are at the level of the Eurovision Song Contest in terms of complexity, because the mandatory elements are the parade of the national teams of all countries (except Russia and Belarus), the lighting of the torch, the Olympic oath and speeches by officials of the IOC and the host country. This time, the program was moved from the stadium to the streets of Paris, and especially to the river Seine, where boats with athletes sailed. Since the director is a theater performer, we practically had several plays and displays that made the Olympic Games part of the image of France and Paris through the messages of equality, fraternity and freedom.
Special credit must be given to the producers of the broadcast, because it is almost unbelievable that the hourly schedule of the four-hour program was respected exactly to the minute. Imagine, our delegation was on the program for two hours and 39 minutes from the start, in the rain, on the river, among thousands of participants, and appeared without delay. Imagine having to realize all BITEF performances live, with perfect TV coverage and transmission, with extreme security measures that included an almost total ban on the use of drones over Paris. For the sake of comparison, our TV crew in the show "Gates of Triumph" on RTS failed to solve the problems with the tone, the order of broadcasting the program and the communication with the journalist on the spot.
In contrast to the form, which has been praised everywhere for its uniqueness, the content and messages have caused stormy reactions, primarily among conservative Christians. However, if we consistently accept the director's vision that the Olympics become a part of all citizens with universal messages, then it seems to me that there is no reason for petty-bourgeois outrage at the breaking down of prejudices and taboos. With this ceremony, France presented itself as a kind of leader of the "free-thinking world". It was pointed out that in art, culture and love, France has been a place where borders are being pushed for centuries. We have also seen examples of the redefinition of tradition, as in the case of the heavy metal band "Gojira" in the scene with the decapitated figures of Marie Antoinette or the performance of the dark-skinned Aya Nakamura with the Guard Orchestra.
Today, the Eiffel Tower is a beacon of freedom, which is symbolically shown, just like the most provocative part of the program in which the singer Philip Katrin, painted as the Great Smurf and dressed as Bacchus, sang about how people are the same when they are naked. This scene caused the anger and protest of Catholics, who were bothered by the association with Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper". The program was dominated by women, such as Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, but top athletes from France and other countries also carried the torch. Although we know that in reality it is not like that, France has shown its intention, especially after the elections, to present itself as a country where everyone will be accepted and free.
This trend is certainly contrary to the global development of conservatism and intolerance, and that is why I think it is extremely important to show it precisely through the promotion of secularism, republicanism and the three mentioned universal values - fraternity, freedom and equality.
By way of comparison, in America, the prohibition of abortion at the federal level is being talked about more loudly and openly, so part of Trump's campaign may resemble the vision of "The Handmaid's Tale", which is based on conservative Protestant ideology.
On the other side of the world, criticism is coming from Moscow about the opening of the Olympics due to, in their opinion, "pedophile messages". Today, Russians and Belarusians could more justifiably criticize the hypocritical decisions of the IOC, which prohibit them from participating under national symbols. The Olympics could thus be a place from which messages of peace are launched and during which war conflicts are suspended, no matter how utopian it sounds. Today, in the Olympic Games, in addition to new sports (like breakdancing), you also have participants who perform as individual competitors or in a refugee team, which gives the opportunity to compete to athletes who had to leave their home countries. Even at the opening ceremony, and later during the awarding of medals, the official announcers will call everyone to stand during the singing of the national anthem with the addition - "if you are able".
It seems to me that the opening in Paris, in all its colorfulness, is still a celebration of freedom for which there is a constant struggle, unlike the monumental landings at some of the earlier ceremonies, because they are always a mirror of totalitarianism.
You don't have to wear a beret and eat a baguette to show the spirit of France, it can be better shown by pushing the boundaries of freedom - just like the pictures of nudity in the Louvre, the descriptions of forbidden and unacceptable love in the books in the National Library, but also the demonstrations and revolutions that part of the French identity, from the Revolution in 1789, through 1968, to the Yellow Vests. Rebellion and defense of freedom are stronger than stereotypes about a country, you just need to have the courage to dare and constantly question.
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The opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympics in Paris, the first not to take place in a stadium, will be remembered for an explosion of creativity, rain and a misunderstanding of pop culture references by Maria Zakharova and Elon Musk via Christian and right-wing circles around the world to works, conspiracy theories inclined, domestic public
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