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The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: What Did It All Mean?

Published 28 July 2024 by Leyla Alyanak — Parisian by birth, Lyonnaise by adoption, historian by passion

If you were one of the 300,000 live attendees or the millions of TV spectators worldwide, you may have loved or hated the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – but you probably scratched your head at some of the performances, especially if you're not French. Here’s what they were about.

Around the world, reviews were a bit mixed but overwhelmingly positive.

The mixed or negative reviews came from religious or conservative quarters uncomfortable with diversity or with certain French values, but the overwhelming tone was one of awe and amazement – at pulling off such a complex event, the first-ever opening ceremony not held in a stadium, all in a highly volatile environment of political instability and potential violence.

But none of that happened. On the contrary, other than the sabotage of the railway system the day before, the ceremony went off without a hitch, even though it rained abundantly.

Most of us were awed, but with a dollop of confusion about some of the performances.

What were those women's heads? What was the horsewoman supposed to represent? What about the hooded figure?

If you didn’t watch the opening ceremony, this video contains a quick overview of the highlights, which I'll be explaining in greater detail below.

First, a practical note: You'll notice there are no photographs in this article. I wasn’t in Paris in person (I watched on television) and the images of the many excellent photographers who did attend are copyrighted.

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Love it or hate it, this memorable ceremony won’t be forgotten, whether for performance or for symbolism.

It was a departure from tradition, with boats carrying athletes along the Seine River, whereas traditional Olympic opening ceremonies are held in a stadium.

But Paris wanted something different – and boy did it get it!

From beautiful to eyebrow raising to questionable moments, this was an opening like no other.

It even rained on our parade, but the athletes and performers grinned throughout, so taken by the moment most forgot they were getting soaked.

Many of us watched from beginning to end, and for those of you who aren't French (and for many of us who are), you may have asked yourselves questions about what you were seeing.

I know I certainly did.

So the day after, I started researching to find out about the symbols behind each performance, and while this isn't a complete list, it may help answer some of your own questions.

The 12 tableaux

The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony featured a series of 12 tableaux, each representing different themes that highlight aspects of French culture, history, and values.

These are the tableaux:

1. Enchanté – A warm welcome, setting the tone for the ceremony.

2. Synchronicity – Showcasing harmony and unity among the participating nations and cultures.

3. Liberty – For the French value of liberty, inspired by historical events like the French Revolution.

4. Equality – Another of the key French values, including gender equality (a first in the Games) and the celebration of significant women in French history.

5. Fraternity – Brotherhood and solidarity among nations and people.

6. Sisterhood – For the role and achievements of women in various aspects of life and history.

7. Sportsmanship – For the spirit of fair play, respect, and camaraderie in sports.

8. Festivity – The celebratory and joyous aspects of French culture, including music and dance.

9. Darkness – Reflecting on the challenging and darker periods in history, such as wars and revolutions.

10. Solidarity – Unity and mutual support, especially during crisis or hardship.

11. Solemnity – Reflection and remembrance.

12. Eternity – Concluding with the timelessness of cultural heritage and values. 

These tableaux were designed to provide some flow to the ceremony, blending art with cultural references.

Here are some of the high points or most amazing segments.

Enchanté and Floating Parade

Even before things got underway, the prologue to the ceremony showed a video of Zinedine Zidane, the greatest French soccer player of all time, ferrying the Olympic flame from the Stade de France to the Seine.

And then things went crazy with the explosion of tricolor (the French flag colors) fountains off the Austerlitz bridge, with the boats filled with athletes  floating below it.

In French, "enchanté" means "nice to meet you", a note of welcome for all the delegations, spectators and viewers from around the world. Paris is the host city, after all, and it wanted to showcase its embrace of diversity and celebration of global unity through sport.

By using the Seine as its highway, the ceremony drove home the fact that the river has been central to the city’s life and culture for centuries, a connection of sorts between past and present. The Seine has been closed to swimming for nearly a century and its use here signalled the many efforts made recently to revitalize it. And it may open to swimming yet@

The beginning and the end

Two of the most talked-about performances were the opening and closing.

The spectacular opening number was performed by Lady Gaga, who sang "Mon truc en plume," a classic French cabaret song. In French.

She performed under a Guimard-style Paris Métro entrance, paid homage to French music-hall traditions, and celebrated Parisian cabaret culture, including a wink to the iconic "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf.

The dancers with her? From the Moulin Rouge, bien sûr.

Also at the start (pointed out by my friend Philippe − I somehow missed this!) was a happy threesome, a wink at the 1962 François Truffaut masterpiece, "Jules et Jim".

Set before and after World War I, it describes a tragic love triangle involving French Bohemian Jim (Henri Serre), his shy Austrian friend Jules (Oskar Werner), and Jules's girlfriend and later wife Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). The lovely song "Le Tourbillon" sung by Jeanne Moreau and later by Vanessa Paradis is iconic to this movie. But it didn't well, so here's hoping our modern young threesome fare better.

At the end of the ceremony, the surprise guest Céline Dion brought the audience to tears as she belted out “L’Hymne à l’Amour” from below the Olympic Rings at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It was her first live performance since being diagnosed with an illness several years ago, and she stole the show.

Caricatures on the Seine

As the athletes floated by, they encountered giant figures of famous French personalities, including Joan of Arc, Joséphine Baker, Marie Curie, and Arsène Lupin. 

These figures, with exaggerated heads, were designed to showcase France's tradition of caricaturing well-known people. The presence of Arsène Lupin, a fictional "gentleman thief," also referenced the popular French Netflix series "Lupin."

Tribute to Notre-Dame

This segment featured an amazing choreographed performance around the Notre Dame Cathedral's scaffolding, mixing music with the sound of construction tools, a tribute to the artisans and craftsmen involved in its restoration following the 2019 fire. (The cathedral is scheduled to reopen at the end of 2024.)

The inclusion of Quasimodo, the hunchback character from Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," symbolized the enduring and resilient spirit of Paris and its people, a theme that kept recurring throughout the ceremony.

Liberty and "Les Misérables"

The "Liberty" tableau highlighted a torchbearer leading through scenes inspired by the musical "Les Misérables," based on Victor Hugo's novel.

It included the song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" which is associated with the French Revolution and the fight for freedom and justice, central themes in French history.

Artistic homage and the Louvre

The torchbearer guided viewers through the Louvre Museum, where iconic paintings like "The Raft of the Medusa" and "The Coronation of Napoleon" were brought to life.

This part of the ceremony celebrated France's rich artistic tradition and the Louvre's significance as a global cultural landmark. Giant heads inspired by a number of paintings held in the museum faced the athletes, a reference to the athletes' prominence in the Games. They seem to be "floating" in the river and you can read more about them on Claudine Hemingway's blog.

Mona Lisa theft and Minions

In a playful twist, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting housed in the Louvre, was "stolen" by Minions, characters from the "Despicable Me" franchise. This reference to the painting's real-life theft in 1911 was a fun nod to modern pop culture and the ongoing intrigue that surrounds da Vinci’s masterpiece.

I admit I was taken aback by the appearance of the Minions…

Plenty of tributes were made to French filmmaking, including the Lumière Brothers and their first ever film, “Arrival of a Train to La Ciotat Train Station”. But the Minions? They may be produced in the US, but a French filmmaker has been at the helm.

Crocodile in the sewers

A crocodile? Seriously? Yes, and it’s not the first time. A crocodile once swam up the Rhône from Marseille, but that’s another story… 

This particular crocodile, called Éléonore, once lived in the Paris sewers, and her story is a nod to the mix of history and legend you’ll often find in Parisian folklore.

French Revolution and other historical references

At the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution, the French heavy metal band Gojira performed the revolutionary song "Ah! ça ira."

You might have noticed the scene of Marie Antoinette holding her own head (you either had to love or hate this one), a reminder of her fate during the French Revolution.

The performance referenced the phrase "Fluctuat nec mergitur," Paris's motto, meaning "Tossed by the waves but does not sink." Yes, resilience.

The musicians stood on platforms anchored to the outside of the Conciergerie, quite a feat, as was the performance of acrobats tethered to a long stilt along the bridge, weaving high in the air. I’m sure they were properly anchored, but…

Versailles and French heritage

Along the Seine, fountains and gardens evoked the grandeur of Versailles, the famous French palace.

Historical figures like Napoleon and Louis XIV were depicted on BMX bikes, mixing history with modern elements to illustrate yet again how past and present coexist in French culture.

Montgolfier Brothers and the hot air balloon

The Montgolfier brothers are credited with the first hot air balloon, which took a historic flight over the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.

Leading the path to the balloon was a parade of celebrity torchbearers: tennis player Amélie Mauresmo handed it to basketball player Tony Parker and so it went, from athlete to athlete, the procession getting longer each time as new athletes joined, until the grand finale, the lighting of the cauldron.

The world watched it float upwards, where it will stay anchored throughout the Games. I admit I was holding my breath by now.

Aya Nakamura belts it out

She’s the world’s most popular contemporary French-singing artist and wowed the crowds by singing her hits – with a twist: she included lyrics from such classics as Charles Aznavour’s “La Bohème” and “For Me Formidable”.

In another example of France’s love of blend, she was accompanied by the orchestra of the French Republican Guard and a French army choir.

Who’s under the hood? And the horsewoman?

French culture is filled with masked or hooded characters – the Man in the Iron Mask, the Phanthom of the Opera, Fantomas (the fictional crime character)... and Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, if you’ve ever played the game.

As the hooded man hopped across rooftops, shimmied down into a scene from “Les Miserables”, ran over the Musée d’Orsay and past the Louvre, he carried the lit Olympic torch with him.

And then there was the woman on horseback galloping atop the Seine, like a floating mirage. She represented Sequana, Gallo-Roman goddess of the river. 

The rider is an engineer who co-created the horse, a year in the making in a Brittany workshop. Her mechanical steed was attached to an electric trimaran skimming the water's surface, following the same route as the athletes.

At the end, she brought the Olympic flag she was carrying onto the stage – this time riding a real horse. As for the mechanical horse, it will be exhibited in Paris after the Games.

Yes, the Blue Naked Man

Indeed, art is a very personal thing.

This was French singer/actor Philippe Katherine, author of the song “Nu”, or naked. There he was, lounging about semi-clad in a few leaves, representing, it seems Dionysus, the god of wine of festivity.

In an interview I heard with him afterwards, he said wearing fewer (if any) clothes was more economical and environmentally conscious. I’m not sure all that blue paint would confirm his words… A day later he was still trying to clean it off.

There was so much more!

I can’t list everything – you’ll have to find a replay. If you do, look for…

  • The dancers from the show Drag Race France, whose appearance was meant to highlight the spirit of diversity of these Games but who also angered religious authorities − they saw in it a depiction of "The Last Supper" (it was described by organizers as a Greek bacchanalia... a party, or orgy, in honor of the Roman god of wine, Bacchus (also known as the Greek god Dyonisus).
  • The mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel singing our national anthem, “La Marseillaise”, from the roof of the Grand Palais. Amazing!
  • The can-can dancers from the Moulin Rouge, braving the rain on a narrow and slippery ledge right next to the river.
  • The many illuminations, which you have to see to believe.
  • The staging of the melting of the medals, carried away in Louis Vuitton (a sponsor of the event) trunks.
  • The shimmering gold of the Maison de la Monnaie.
  • The pink heart drawn in the skies of Paris by the elite Patrouille de France aircraft.

And, as I said, so much more.

The first time around, I enjoyed the performance and was in turn surprised, confused, and amazed by it all. But I didn't really understand it, at least not well.

Now, my second (and researched) time around, if anything I'm enjoying it twice as much, because I understand what I'm seeing.

I wish you the same.

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