The Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics 2012 the broadcast on Channel 2 Israel. By Moran Sharir. Haaretz 29/7/12

With a budget of more than 100 million dollars and totalitarian control over millions of citizens it was clear that the opening ceremony of Bejing 2008 was the climax that would only be equalled when N. Korea discovers oil. The Londoners, with only 40 million dollars and citizens who are free to think for themselves couldn’t compete with the exhibitionistic performance of the Chinese. So they used whatever means they had at their disposal. A story instead of mechanical acrobatics, originality instead of conformism, inspiration instead of ostentation and more than ever rebellion instead of blind obedience.

The opening ceremony of the London Games 2012 was sharp, biting, dark, not at all flattering, not commercial and didn’t lack a message. The ceremony, the most important creation of the producer Danny Boyle, wanted to tell the world that the British are different. They aren’t obedient like the Chinese, they’re not flattering like the Americans. They are what they are, a sick and strange nation – throughout most of the show children in pyjamas jumped on hospital beds – they like this. For many years now they aren’t an empire and they don’t care because it’s not control which is important to them.

Instead of smiling children on trapeziums, we had dirty workers going to work in factories that gave birth to the industrial revolution and the cylinder hated gents who had become wealthy on at their expense. The ceremony included central dance pieces that praised National Health. This isn’t the most sexy subject in the world – imagine showing gratitude to the “Kupat Holim” (Israeli medical aid societies) at the opening of the Maccabi Games – but it was important for Boyle to send a message about national health, especially considering that sitting in audience was Mit Romney who’s first act in the Purple Room will be to cancel Obama’s health plan. Also in the performance: a compliment to “Punk” and to the “Sex Pistols” who detest the royalty (while the queen was sitting in the auditorium). The anti-American song “Enola Gay”: homage to the ecstasy culture (dancers created smileys), a very doubtful compliment and very “undisney like” to British children’s literature, a clip with scenes of teenagers examining their budding sexual capabilities(dressed in Billy Elliot costumes), a performance of Tim Branners Lee – the man who more or less invented the internet – who types the words “This is for everyone” and declares, in fact that the internet should be free for all. The lighting of the Olympic Flame was carried out by a group of unknown sportsmen and women and made a joke out of the shining star that would be honoured.

There was also a lesson in British irony when on a background of the dramatical sound of Chariots of Fire, full of pathos the small clerk, Mister Bean to show off his face contortions. At the end of this specific item their was a distinct sound of a sigh of relief that resounded in the ears of a million spectators throughout the world.

Our announcers, of course didn’t catch this vibrating event. Uri Levi, who apparently didn’t connect, came out with dumb statements and Oren Nahari missed the point when he said that the ceremony was conducted according to all the rules of politically correct. Only Yoram Arbel caught the atmosphere of British understatement. When Uri Levi refused to close his mouth Arbel shut him up with “come let’s follow the events”.