Paris Opening Ceremony: How a LOT got lost in translation

Behold the Opening Ceremony that will keep them talking for a long time!

Bonjour, c’est Véro.

I am currently traveling around the United States on a well-deserved vacation. This means I got to watch the much-touted opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games with a short delay while on a road trip between Chicago and Minneapolis. I watched (and read) a lot early this morning after I woke up at the crack of dawn. Merci, le jetlag!

I found a story on Substack defending France’s creative yet controversial choices.

While referring to Céline Dion’s widely praised rendition of Edith Piaf’s iconic “Hymne à l’Amour” the author confesses he was deeply moved by Dion’s masterful performance, but adds: “the title of the song, the lyrics… I had no clue.”

This got me thinking.

Learning cultural codes involves a multi-layered approach

When exploring a foreign culture, first comes the obvious, the iconic, the stereotypical. That information is everywhere. Take France for example. How many articles or social media posts claim to understand French culture yet stick doggedly to soundbites and rehashed topics?

That first level could be named the Easy Level. Learning is enjoyable enough. Absorbing the information won’t give you a headache.

During the opening ceremony some international viewers (it’s rumored over 2 billion people watched the show worldwide) noticed commentators from their homeland appeared unprepared as the lengthy event unfolded. From long minutes of silence to obsessive “Wow’s!” journalists’ comments were no help when trying to understand some of the carefully orchestrated and choreographed “tableaux.”

They simply had no clue, those professionals. Maybe they hadn’t done their homework. Maybe they thought they didn’t need a local expert by their side. Maybe they were convinced they knew Paris (and France) well enough to pull it off.

Wow, indeed.

As it turns out they were thrown a big curve ball by Thomas Jolly, a French actor and stage director, who planned and directed the Olympic Games extravaganza.

The show surprised and dazzled. It was also filled with many French historical, cultural, political references some easier to grasp than others.

On July 26 the French kept the world on its toes for over three hours. Paris demanded our attention and never let us breathe. 

“Wink. Wink. Wink” she seemed to say as each of the 12 “tableaux” unfolded. — “Did you get this? Do you remember that?”

A lot was lost on international audiences (and foreign TV commentators!) A lot was lost on French natives too. My parents, both in their 80s, had no idea who some of the performers were and raised an eyebrow now and then I am certain.

In spite of the pelting rain the show went on. 

Not that viewers minded. Paris and its iconic landmarks provided a magical backdrop quand même. Not matter what.

Ah, Paris!

Should the opening ceremony have come with Cliff Notes?

Pourquoi pas? Why not?

24 hours have gone by. I’ve spotted several articles in French and international media analyzing (clarifying?) all the historical and cultural references in the ambitious show.

A necessary step, it would appear.

Example: Who was that man dressed as a ghost who appeared and disappeared through the evening? As it turns out he was a reference to Assassin’s Creed, a popular video game developed by a French studio in 2007. That’s not all. The ghost may also have been a reference to a beloved character in French fiction, the Phantom of the Opera. But who did all this? a stuntman? Several? Today we found out all rooftops scenes had been performed by Simon Nogueira, a parkour(*) star with a solid social media presence.

(*) Parkour: noun. The sport of traversing environmental obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly and efficiently (Merriam-Webster)

Multi-layered approach to that memorable Celine Dion performance

In a ceremony plagued with controversy (Welcome to the 21st century!) one part of the event seemed to inspire unanimous praise, Celine Dion’s vocal performance at the end of the evening.

“Epic.” “Show-stopping.” “Commanding.”

The world is aware Celine suffers from a rare condition, stiff-person syndrome. Until July 26 she hadn’t performed publicly in ages. No one knew if the artist would be able to pull this off.

We need not have worried. She did. Besides everyone loves a come-back story. 

While watching Celine’s performance, audiences focused on the music and her voice. Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’Amour” is a challenging song. Celine’s poignant delivery was flawless.

“But what was she saying?,” some might ask.

Let’s peel back another layer, a linguistic one. As it turns out, the song’s lyrics were the perfect fit.

Piaf wrote “l’Hymne à l’Amour” in 1949 as a tribute to her lover, Marcel Cerdan, a professional boxer and bona fide star. Cerdan had died tragically in a plane crash on his way to New York City a few months earlier. Edith, who loved being in love, had faced intense criticism during the affair. Cerdan was married and had three children.

The song is a moving, passionate love declaration where Edith ignores society’s judgement (“Je me fous du monde entier” — Damn the entire world! ) and looks forward to being reunited with her lover.

“Si un jour, la vie t'arrache à moi
Si tu meurs, que tu sois loin de moi
Peu m'importe si tu m'aimes
Car moi je mourrai aussi.”

“If life rips you away from me,
if you die, if you are far from me
It doesn’t matter as long as you love me
Because I will die too.”

The song ends with a wish (a promise?) The lovers will be reunited in Heaven.

“Dieu réunit ceux qui s'aiment.”

“God reunites those who love each other.”

It was moving to watch Celine Dion pause before she belted out that last verse.

To her, the song was personal.

She may have been thinking about her beloved late husband, René Angelil (1942-2016.)

She may also have meant this special moment as a tribute to her fans she was finally reunited with in Paris.

“Dieu réunit ceux qui s’aiment.”

Véro

Edith Piaf, "Hymne à l’Amour” (1950, English subtitles)