Roger Ebert reflects on the opening ceremonies, and China at large
Roger Ebert reflects on the opening ceremonies, and China at large:
It is little hard to imagine Chicago (or Rio and our other competitors) finding 2,016 unpaid volunteers to rehearse endlessly for an opening performance. But we wouldn’t expect it. The closest America comes to a production like this is probably the halftime show at the Super Bowl. Although our universities have marching bands, our emphasis at the Super Bowl is more often on individuals, even if they are Janet Jackson. We are just not inclined to present thousands of painstakingly drilled performers. The closest sight I have seen to Friday night’s spectacle, and I mean this objectively, not with disrespect, is the sight of all those Germans marching wave upon wave before Hitler in “Triumph of the Will.”