The Closing Ceremony

[poliphilo]

 The closing ceremony was very much like the opening ceremony- with thousands of well drilled persons in sparkly costumes milling about like shards of glass in a kaleidoscope. The director, Zhang Yimou,  has said  the only other nation that could have put on this sort of show is North Korea. Westerners don't have the discipline, belong to unions and demand coffee breaks- to which all I can say is, "Thank God for that!"

I hate totalitarianism- and what Zhang Yimou has created here is totalitarian art- reminiscent of the Nuremburg rallies and May Day morning in Red Square. There is no human interest,  no humour, no self-awareness,  just spectacle and sloganeering and hubris- one ooh-ah moment after another. I defended myself against it with boredom. As Ailz said, "They're like children: they don't know when to stop."

London had eight minutes in the middle to give us a foretaste of 2012. What it offered was a reproach. Firstly the performance was small-scale, secondly, it didn't take itself too seriously.  We got a multi-ethnic choir in casual dress, a modern dance troupe with umbrellas- each member dressed as a different, stereotypical Londoner,  a big, red bus, a very ordinary small girl who had been chosen by the viewers of Blue Peter to be the Alice or Lyra of this dotty, parallel universe, and three world famous millionaires- David Beckham who kicked a ball into the crowd, Leona Lewis who sang and Jimmy Page who whopped his guitar and sweated copiously. It was witty and silly and fun. After the triumph of the will, the triumph of the individual!  And suddenly I understood how celebrity culture- which I've groaned over often enough- isn't merely crass, but can also be a force that sets us free. 

Comments

[nostoi.livejournal.com]

I watched a clip of the handover of the Olympic flag, starting with the Mayor of Beijing who had difficulty controlling it and who, at one point, threatened to be engulfed by the yards of material. So, not all perfect. :)

Boris grinned and waved and looked supremely eccentric even from a distance.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Moments like that are a joy.

I reckon Boris is a good person to have in charge. If the London games ever get too solemn and inflated he'll stick a pin in 'em. At least, I'm hoping he will. That's what we elected him for, innit?

[happydog.livejournal.com]

well put. The individual who chooses to put his or her shoulder to the wheel with others ,for the benefit of the greater good, is far different from those who are culturally and politically programmed to conform. This is not something that is understood generally in China, which is why in order for there to be Jackie Chans and Michelle Yeohs, they have to get OUT of China.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I thought the tower of writhing humans was creepy. If they were supposed to be a kaleidoscope I didn't see it.

The children's choir was lovely.

I see your point about the bus--it was actually a nice break from the regimentation of all those unison walkers and jumpers!

There was sometimes a very Ozlike feel to the Chinese finals--I thought more than once about the mad rulers, like General Ginger, but mostly I thought about Munchkins.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It speaks volumes that a small nation like Britain can field dozens of internationally recognised individuals- of whom Beckham, Lewis and Page are a random sample- while the vastness that is mainland China can't come up with a single one.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, the writhing human tower was like something out of a vision of hell.

The bus made me happy. And the way the dancers flaunted their umbrellas- as if making a virtue of our lousy English weather.

[(Anonymous)]

Britain's offering was so small scale that it was funny. It looked quite amateur too, but I liked it too that it was showing individuals instead of herds of psople like automatons.
An email with Ian's book attached is possibly sitting in your in-tray.
Jenny

[nostoi.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this? Thought it may interest you. :)

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news-and-features/chinese-ridicule-londons-part-in-closing-ceremony-909766.html

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen it. Thanks. It only goes to show how far apart our two cultures are.