All the Best Videos have Sewing Machines
 

Definitely the best bit of the Olympics opening ceremony...

Search on Youtube for "James Bond escorts the Queen" so you can enjoy the first 11 seconds as often as you like.

I tried to put a link here but it wouldn't work.

I hope you enjoy it!

Oh well, good old BBC. The video was online this morning and now they have taken it down.

So did anyone see it apart from me?

My wife and I watched it too. Loved it.

Joe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5abat5NEU

Try again - does this link work?

Hooray - success! They took the video down earlier.

Now you can have a look at the hand machine in the background. It's either a 27K or 66K... the former I think, it's hard to tell, but it seems to have the slide plates for a long bobbin machine.

What I want to know is, why isn't it in a base, and why is the handle not in position for sewing. Must dash off furious enquiries to the BBC.

Love the Queen's and Daniel Craig's expressions when she stands up.

Muv, I loved it! The Queen is an awesome sport! :)

The link you posted isn't available here in the States.

Oh no, what a shame!

Try google "James Bond escorts the Queen I got to see it www.sheknows.com

I Think the sewing machine was at the very beginning of the video. But I also think this video has been trimmed a bit because I didn't see it at all so far. Being on dial up I'll have to let it load completely then watch it.

Joe

Thanks Joe - now I don't feel so blind. :p

Yes, the knot heads edited it. In the TV version it shows Bond driving up in a little black car and some kids in a tour bus, just before he gets to the palace.

Joe

Trust video editors to wreck it. Killjoys.

The beginning sequence is a misty romantic sequence of a sewing room table - threads, little tins of pins, scissors, material, cutting shears, sewing machine in background, all very old fashioned and ethereal - and then a close up of a needlewoman's hands as she embroiders a few stitches of a shoulder badge for a ceremonial military uniform, and finally another close up of the badge as it is stitched to the jacket. The badge bears the title of the film.

What is the title on the version you have seen? Obviously the title here was for home consumption only.

Joe, the "little black car" you refer to is a London Hackney cab. They have acres of room inside. There is no footage on the version we have of children in a bus. We see children on a guided tour of the Palace sneaking to the window when they see the cab arriving in the courtyard.

This all just goes to show that there are fifteen versions of everything. Perhaps I should do an alternative version of this post in half an hour's time.

I don't whether to feel sorry you missed out on a truly wonderful original bit of video, or to feel special that the treat was just for us.

Muv,

I saw the original version as you did. But only once and I only got a glimpse of the very beginning. I was doing something else and wasn't paying full attention. That's why I thought the children at the beginning were on a bus.

I'd love to see the whole video as it was broadcast in the UK again.

And thanks for the info on the cab. I've seen photos of them a zillion times, seen them on TV and in movies but didn't know what they were called.

We had something similar in the US years ago. A car company called The Checker Car company sold big cars mostly to cab companies. They like your London Hackney cabs had acres of room inside. Then the manufactured gas shortage of the 70s hit and they were killed off. They used the old straight 6 Chevy engine and although they had tons of power they got lousy gas mileage and the company couldn't improve it enough to compete so they eventually went out of business.

If you ever get a complete US compatible version of the James Bond takes the Queen to the Olympics video, please post it.

Joe

Hello Joe, I won't know whether a link works at your end until I post it and you tell me one way or the other!

The cabs always used to run on diesel - probably still do.

The title of the video was "Happy & Glorious," which is what it said on the badge, referring to the line from the national anthem "...send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us, God save the Queen."