Oscar winner Danny Boyle's ambitious and majestic Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics incorporated both Queen Elizabeth II, as well as actor Rowan Atkinson (aka television's Mr. Bean). Boyle's $41 million performance told the history of Britain's rise through the industrial revolution to the technological age, and incorporated elements of literature, music and, almost as an afterthought, sports.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney sang, reclusive "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling read from "Peter Pan" and the Queen was introduced first in a video that showed her being escorted from Buckingham Palace by James Bond - Craig, Daniel Craig - and parachuting to the stadium, which of course, was a bit of camera trickery.
The greatest mystery was of who would light the Olympic cauldron. Sir Steven Redgrave was a leading candidate, as was Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile under four minutes. In a twist, Redgrave, a five-time rowing gold medalist, carried the torch into the stadium, but passed it off to seven young athletes, who represented the future of Britain. They each lit a copper rose petal at the center of the stadium, which grew to a circle made up of petals representing each country. Those, then, lifted up to form one giant flame.
Muhammad Ali, who lit the cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was one of nine bearers of the Olympic flag, before speeches from Coe and International Olympic Committee President Jacque Rogge.
It was certainly a go-big-or- go-home production, which it almost needed to be after the dazzling ceremony in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics.