Aug 21, 2012

Olympic Opening Ceremony Highlights Coming to DVD and Blu-ray; Will 007 Cameo Be Included?

While NBC's upcoming Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray of coverage from the London Olympics doesn't include the opening ceremony (and can probably be expected to be as lackluster overall as the network's coverage of the events was), the Region 2/Region B DVD and Blu-ray coming October 29 from BBC promise "highlights from Danny Boyle’s unforgettable opening ceremony and the [David Arnold-produced] musical extravaganza of the closing ceremony." Since most people seemed to consider Daniel Craig's appearance as James Bond escorting the Queen herself to skydive into the stadium as the highlight of the that opening ceremony, does that mean we can expect it to be included? Hopefully, but I'm sure the rights issues involved are complex. Personally, I'm really, really hoping that Sony negotiated the rights to include the excerpt on the eventual Skyfall Blu-ray, but if not, maybe this release will preserve the moment for posterity. The IOC has been very diligent about removing any clips from YouTube. And Bond completists like myself will need to own this on some format. Let's hope we don't have to resort to bootlegs!

Speaking of all things Bond and Olympics, there are two original David Arnold tracks available for individual download now as part of the MP3 album A Symphony Of British Music: Music For The Closing Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympic Games: the chorale number "Spirit Of The Flame," and the very Bondian-sounding "Medal Ceremony." (Seriously, if you like Arnold's 007 music, definitely give that one a listen!) The physical album will be available in the U.S. in September, and is available now in the UK.

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