Written By Xinqi Zhou（33837441）

Music videos have evolved into a powerful platform for countries to reflect their political ideologies and cultural identities, while also constantly interpreting the political and cultural meanings of music in new forms. At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, a controversial and visually striking performance was based on the French historical figure Marie Antoinette. The event combined heavy metal music performances by the band Gojira and opera singer Marina Viotti.

The performance depicted several “decapitated” Marie Antoinette holding her head and singing the revolutionary song Ah! Ça Ira!. The scene was staged in the conciergerie, a historical site where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned and later executed during the French Revolution. The performance was intended to tell the history of the French Revolution and the fall of the monarchy.

The music performance was live streaming on a television platform. It was watched by more than 28.6 million people, which has reignited discussions on the representation of historical narratives in modern cultural events and how music videos can participate in politics and culture as an artistic medium. The performance combined the cinematic aesthetics of a music video with live television production, the use of cinematic visuals, music and narrative resembled elements commonly seen in music videos, and it was streaming globally as part of a live television event, demonstrating how MV can be extended to a larger audience while retaining the stylization of music video art.

The event represented an advancement of the MV format, embedding it within a live performance to create a hybrid experience. It used multimedia elements, including heavy metal and opera, historical reenactments and theatrical staging, reflecting the evolution of the music video from traditional to new forms.

The juxtaposition of genres, contemporary music with revolutionary themes and the grandeur of opera demonstrated the ability of MV to innovate by fusing multiple art forms. The use of such a performance at the Olympics reflected an attempt to combine historical narratives with contemporary artistic mediums, highlighting how music videos transcend traditional boundaries and influence live television performances, while continuing to evolve as a platform for socio-political commentary.

From October 25 to October 27, 2024, a city opera was staged in the center of Toulouse: Le Gardien du Temple – La Porte des Ténèbres. This landmark show was organized by the Metropolitan City of Toulouse and conceived by François Delarozière and Compagnie La Machine.

This public performance attracted more than 1.2 million audience. The story revolves around mythological creatures: Astérion, the Minotaur; Ariane, the Spider; and a new addition, Lilith, the Guardian of Darkness. Crafted with intricate detail, these mechanical marvels transform urban spaces into narrative spaces, blending traditional mythology with contemporary art. Toulouse’s city opera transforms the urban landscape into a performance space, combining traditional opera elements with street art and local stories.

On social media, the performance sparked widespread attention and discussion for its stunning visuals, traditional culture and urban background. This allows musical storytelling to move beyond the stage or studio into larger and more complex environments. This form provides more creative possibilities for music, breaking the single-space limitation of traditional MV and enabling narratives to make full use of the city’s landmarks, buildings and public spaces. The success of the city opera demonstrates the high degree of integration of music, architecture, lighting and film language, and pushes MV closer to multimedia art. Through cross-media expression, MV can create more artistic experiences.

Reference List:

1,Staff, T. (2024) Olympics opening ceremony features headless Marie Antoinettes in gruesome skit, TMZ. Available at: https://www.tmz.com/2024/07/26/olympics-opening-ceremony-beheaded-marie-antoinette-gojira-heavy-metal-mash-up/ (Accessed: 24 November 2024).

2,Epic gojira live performance at the #PARIS2024 Olympic Games | #Olympics (2024) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_OOOkVJK7o (Accessed: 24 November 2024).

3, Le gardien du Temple – La Porte des ténèbres (2024) Compagnie La Machine. Available at: https://www.lamachine.fr/le-gardien-du-temple-la-porte-des-tenebres/ (Accessed: 24 November 2024).

4, Bover, J. (2024) Cinq raisons d’aller voir le spectacle le Gardien du Temple – La Porte des ténèbres CE week-end – france bleu, ici par France Bleu et France 3. Available at: https://www.francebleu.fr/evenements/5-raisons-d-aller-voir-le-spectacle-le-gardien-du-temple-la-porte-des-tenebres-ce-week-end-5439912 (Accessed: 24 November 2024).