With its "barrage of traditional imagery set to strains of 'Swan Lake,'" Friday's Opening Ceremony for the Sochi Games "could not have been more Russian," according to David Wharton of the L.A. TIMES. The nearly three-hour production "relied heavily on history" and what Creative Dir Konstantin Ernst called "plain metaphors." Producers of the ceremony "broke from tradition, placing the Parade of Nations near the beginning of the program." Athletes entered through a ramp "in the center of the floor and followed a quick route into the stands, which shortened the often tedious procession." That allowed the show to "proceed with electric horses that galloped through the air and, in the liveliest sequence of the night, helium balloons that inflated to re-create the colorful domes of St. Basil's Cathedral" (L.A. TIMES, 2/8). In N.Y., David Herszenhorn wrote the ceremony "provided a majestic spectacle that included a glowing troika of horses made of light streaking through a snowbound sky, the multicolor onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral bobbing in the air; literary references to Gogol, Tolstoy and Nabokov; images of Stalinist skyscrapers; and performances by Russia’s storied ballerinas, musicians and singers." If there were "any traces of national self-consciousness lingering nearly a quarter-century after the collapse of communism and the loss of superpower status, they were put aside for the evening" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8). In DC, Lally & Englund wrote the ceremony "gathered the world into the great, chaotic, provocative embrace of Russian history Friday and wouldn’t let go." History was "imparted in a feat of light, 132 projectors and 2.64 million lumens turning the floor of Fisht Olympic Stadium into a raging sea, bearing a boat where Peter the Great was striding through history." Every part of the program "was written in the superlative" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/8).
SPECTACULAR SHOW: In N.Y., Alessandra Stanley wrote even the "most Russia-centered pageantry and over-the-top Slavic spectacle -- reindeer herders, ballet dancers, Tchaikovsky, Sputnik -- were presented in a slick, Disneyesque package, including an introductory video with a little girl in a white dress, Lyubov, who floated on a cloud of dreams through an alphabet of Russian history" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8). In Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan wrote the ceremony was "an artistic triumph, a celebration of Russia's history and culture and the Olympic dream" (BUFFALO NEWS, 2/8). In Detroit, Jeff Seidel wrote under the header, "Russia Puts On Spectacular Show To Open Sochi Olympics" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/8). In Toronto, Rosie DiManno wrote, "We didn’t necessarily get all the cultural references and the jokes ... but it sure looked impressive" (TORONTO STAR, 2/8). The FINANCIAL TIMES' Courtney Weaver wrote the ceremony "may help Russia reclaim the Sochi narrative from critics who have highlighted the event's shortcomings" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/9).
GETTING TECHNICAL: In Chicago, Philip Hersh wrote the "attempts to explain Russia visually and musically" in the ceremony were a "stunning if occasionally confusing collage of images created by a wide gamut of human movement and technological wizardry." There have been "few theatrical moments as beautiful as the whirling dancers in white, their headdresses festooned in electroluminescent streamers, creating an ethereal tableau against a dark background as they danced to Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake.'" Hersh: "Up close, it was overwhelming, big and bold, with a flying volcano and athlete marshals in red, white and blue lights forming the Russian flag across the length of the stadium floor. A Peter the Great trotted in on his horse. Traditional ballet merged with Busby Berkeley kaleidoscope. Techno met Tchaikovsky" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/8). The N.Y. TIMES' Herszenhorn wrote the festivities were "painstakingly choreographed yet oddly unpredictable, with a few surprises -- not all of them good." At the beginning, one of the "five gigantic snowflakes intended to burst into Olympic rings failed to open." In a "buzz-stirring departure from the emphasis on the classics," Ernst "chose the girl duo tATu for the final act of the preshow and used the duo’s song 'Not Gonna Get Us' to accompany the arrival of Russia’s athletes during the parade of nations" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8). In L.A., Bill Plaschke wrote the ceremony was "equal parts elegant, awkward and Putin." It "highlighted the beauty of the Russian culture and strength of the Russian spirit." But it did "little to lift the cloud of uneasiness hanging over a Games that began amid protests over Russian anti-gay laws and fear over terrorism" (L.A. TIMES, 2/8).
HISTORY LESSON: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sonne, Catton & White wrote the ceremony was a "spectacular if at certain moments scrubbed tour through Russia's history, heavily emphasizing the country's deep contributions to classical music, ballet and visual art." A "cartoonish take on the era of Ivan the Terrible and other early czars kicked off the historical narrative." A "mashup of recognizable Russian melodies from the greatest of the country's music glued the ceremony together and kept up the performance's energy." The ceremony "largely skipped the four wars -- including the Cold War -- that Russia experienced in the last century, as well as the crimes of the Stalin era and the harrowing post-Soviet collapse." Instead, Ernst "put Russia's most flattering foot forward" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/8). The 1917 Russian Revolution was shown against a backdrop of jarring music as some 450 cast members rolled enormous red wheels around. The Soviet era that followed featured an enormous sickle and hammer that rode into the stadium suspended from the ceiling (Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer). In N.Y., Sarah Lyall wrote, "We were wondering how the people who wrote the history segment would handle Stalin: They disappeared him" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8).
WELCOME TO THE STAGE: In N.Y., Juliet Macur wrote Thomas Bach gave the "most refreshing speech by an IOC President in decades" and he did not "kowtow to the host country." He said that the Olympics should "set an example for 'human diversity and great unity.'” Bach: “To the athletes, you have come here with your Olympic dream. You are welcome, no matter where you come from or your background. Yes, it’s possible even as competitors to live together and to live in harmony with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason.” He did "not have to come out and say it, but many people who heard him knew exactly what he meant" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/8). NBC has come under fire by some for editing out part of Bach's speech from its Opening Ceremony broadcast.
CEREMONIAL CONTROVERSY: In Chicago, Mark Lazerus noted former USSR hockey player Vladislav Tretiak "raced out of Fisht Stadium to light the Olympic flame with three-time figure-skating gold medalist Irina Rodnina to cap the three-hour ceremony." Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who lived in Sochi for part of her childhood, "brought the torch out to begin the final leg of its 40,000-mile journey across Russia." While "much of the ceremony was simply eye-popping, there were a few eyebrow-raising moments, too." Rodnina, who is a member of the Russian parliament, came under fire last September for "tweeting out a doctored photo of Barack and Michelle Obama staring at a banana" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/8). USA TODAY's Dan Wolken noted SOCOG President & CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko "dismissed any controversy about the choice" of Rodnina to light the Olympic torch. He said, "She is a three-time Olympic champion, one of the most respected in the world of Olympic athletes. I want to stress that Olympics is not about politics, and any political talks about discussions are inappropriate" (USATODAY.com, 2/8). In San Jose, Mark Purdy wrote the decision of "appointing Rodnina to light the torch might be considered a between-the-lines rebuke to Obama." Purdy: "I’m not sure how many average Russian citizens were aware of Rodnina’s loathsome tweet. But you can bet that Putin was -- and that he at least had sign-off duties on the Sochi torch bearers." But was Rodnina "picked for that reason?" At a post-ceremony media conference, Russian officials said that it was "only because of her Olympic feats." Purdy: "We’ll probably never get the whole story" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 2/8).
