Whatever you think of Paris's Cabaret by the Seine, starring Lady Gaga and a resurrected Celine Dion, it's an Opening Ceremony unlikely to be aped in Brisbane's 2032 Olympics, a tropical city where a sunny lifestyle trumps haute couture.
After an initial WOW factor, opinion is now sharply dividing over whether Paris's big show of Can Can and Camp worked.
Particularly what its bizarre interludes, notably the blasphemous take on Da Vinci's Last Supper masterpiece were seeking to achieve in this rare showcase opportunity for Paris.
One thing’s for sure, they weren’t playing it safe, but many will question whether the ensuring Christian uproar is worth it, or left a bitter taste.
What may have surprised television viewers is that Paris is no longer the post-war City of Light so lovingly portrayed in Hollywood classics of the 50s and 60s or in Emily in Paris.
It's an earthy, gritty, highly-densified, but fascinating city of 12 million people, living amongst unbelievable architectural beauty.
But also a seemingly uneasy mix of multiculturalism and diversity that always looks as if it's ready to boil over anytime soon at street level, and often does.
Anyone who has spent some time in Paris as I did late last year knows that internal security is a very big issue in France, with close to 80,000 police and troops required to keep the peace in Paris during the Olympics.
It was the new Paris that was on display at the Opening Ceremony, and that's why it probably shocked many people with its raw edge.
It's a city that cherishes its history of knowledge and culture, that shaped the post-war New Look, that has a deeply revolutionary and violent past of liberty and egalitarianism, and a future prepared to embrace change and high risk to maintain its cultural leadership.
A new approach to Olympics planning? It's not hard to disagree with the French that why build major new infrastructure, when you already have it all, using Paris's glorious architectural treasures and monuments as open-air stadiums.
The French Government will reportedly spend $10bn on the Games, avoiding the huge cost blow-outs of the previous 5 Olympics.
New infrastructure spends have been limited to the Olympic Village and a $200m pool spend, with most money expected to be recovered through broadcast rights and ticket sales.
However, it will be interesting to see whether any future Olympics embrace an open-air ceremony again, mainly because few cities boast such beautiful backdrops as the ones along the Seine.
The weather gods also did not shine on Paris, making it uncomfortable for both spectators and athletes, who took a health risk just to wave to crowds from the armada of barges down the Seine.
Brisbane's organisers are sure to take many learnings out of Paris's approach, particularly the swimming events in the Seine, which will continue to be vulnerable to new rain events that could pollute the river.
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