It has been over a week since the opening Olympic ceremony. As team GB collected bronze, silver and gold medals, London emptied out and various views were expressed about Danny Boyle's extravaganza, I have been busy with work and a decorated flat.
That is my excuse for a lack of posting and coming rather late to the opening ceremony. Then again, distance gives time for reflection.
A lot has been written about Boyle's vision of Britain. As it rushed through the history of these isles, the one thing that struck me was its pop version of history. We saw Winston Churchill as a statue that morphed into a sort of cartoon that waved to James Bond as he escorted the Queen to the Games in a helicopter. Vangelis's Olympic theme could not be played without the appearance of Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean. Shakespeare was spoken by the classical actor, turned film star, Kenneth Branagh dressed as Kingdom Isambard Brunel.
Forget the political interpretations of this show. What Boyle said, deliberately or not, is that people can only deal with history, or ideas, through pop references.
