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Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film reflecting the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group, directed by Gilliam and Jones. It was conceived during the hiatus between the third and fourth series of their BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Excalibur is a 1981 American epic medieval fantasy film directed, produced, and co-written by John Boorman that retells the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, based on the 15th-century Arthurian romance Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory. It stars Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, Nicholas Clay as Lancelot, Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere, Helen Mirren as Morgana, Liam Neeson as Gawain, Gabriel Byrne as Uther Pendragon, Corin Redgrave as Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, and Patrick Stewart as Leondegrance. The film is named after the legendary sword of King Arthur that features prominently in Arthurian literature. The film's soundtrack features the music of Richard Wagner and Carl Orff, along with an original score by Trevor Jones.
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621, and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur. The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children. Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England, reputedly has the home and grave of Tom Thumb.
"Jack the Giant Killer" is a Cornish fairy tale and legend about a young adult who slays a number of bad giants during King Arthur's reign. The tale is characterised by violence, gore and blood-letting. Giants are prominent in Cornish folklore, Breton mythology and Welsh Bardic lore. Some parallels to elements and incidents in Norse mythology have been detected in the tale, and the trappings of Jack's last adventure with the Giant Galigantus suggest parallels with French and Breton fairy tales such as Bluebeard. Jack's belt is similar to the belt in "The Valiant Little Tailor", and his magical sword, shoes, cap, and cloak are similar to those owned by Tom Thumb or those found in Welsh and Norse mythology.
Sasaki Kojirō, often anglicised to Kojirō Sasaki, was a prominent Japanese swordsman widely considered a master of his craft, born in Fukui Prefecture. He lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is most remembered for his death while battling Miyamoto Musashi in 1612.
The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888. It contains five stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".
Bedivere is one of the earliest characters to be featured in the legend of King Arthur, originally appearing in several Welsh texts as the one-handed great warrior named Bedwyr Bedrydant. In the French-inspired Matter of Britain, based on his portrayal in the Historia Regum Britanniae, Bedivere is described as being the Knight of the Round Table of King Arthur who serves as Arthur's marshal and eventually returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. There, he is frequently associated with his brother Lucan and his cousin Griflet, as well as with Kay.
Masaichi Kaneda was a Zainichi Korean–Japanese professional baseball pitcher, one of the best-known pitchers in Japanese baseball history, and is the only Japanese pitcher to have won 400 games. He was inducted in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Sword swallowing is a skill in which the performer passes a sword through the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. This feat is not swallowing in the traditional sense; the natural processes that constitute swallowing do not take place, but are repressed in order to keep the passage from the mouth to the stomach open for the sword. The practice is dangerous and there is risk of injury or death.
Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw is a 1988 American animated musical comedy-adventure film distributed by TriStar Pictures. The film is based on the Tonka toy line and Hanna-Barbera television series of the same name. It was directed by Pierre DeCelles, and stars the voices of Brennan Howard, B.J. Ward and Tony Longo. This was the only Carolco film completely animated to date.
Lee Arthur Horsley is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series Nero Wolfe (1981), Matt Houston (1982–85), and Paradise (1988–91). He starred in the 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer and recorded the audiobook edition of Lonesome Dove.
Swallows and Amazons is the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by English author Arthur Ransome; it was first published on 1 December 1930, with the action taking place in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District. The book introduces the main protagonists John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker (Swallows), their mother Mary, their baby sister, as well as Nancy and Peggy Blackett (Amazons), their uncle Jim, commonly referred to as Captain Flint and their widowed mother Molly Blackett.
Ryan Stock is a Canadian-based TV stunt man from Beaumont, Alberta who has a show on the Discovery Channel called "Guinea Pig". Stock and his fiancée Amber Lynn Walker travel around Canada and the United States and perform stunts involving electrical shocks, automobile crashes, and intentional poisoning. The Guinea pig show is no longer in production but may still air in some countries. Stock became fascinated with magic at an early age and quickly developed his skills as a magician. He soon moved on from simple tricks to performing feats such as fire-eating and fire-breathing. Stock is also the creator and originator of several sideshow stunts performed around the world, notably his signature piece entitled "The Human MeatHead", created in 2000. This stunt involves forcing a large meat hook into his nose and out his mouth, from which he then hangs weight from the hook.
Minokawa is a giant, dragon-like bird in Philippine legends. Early people believed this creature is so big that it can swallow the sun to explain the occurrence of eclipses. It is even described as a giant bird named Minokawa that lives in outer space which can devour the sun and the moon, and would try to do the same with the earth.
Chayne Hultgren, known professionally as the Space Cowboy is a world record-holding sideshow, street, and freak show performer born in Byron Bay in Australia on 13 April 1978.
Captain Frodo, also known as “The Incredible Rubberman”, is a Guinness World Record breaking contortionist living in Australia. He is the son of a famous Norwegian magician known as “The Great Santini”.
Johnny Strange, also known as The man with ears of steel, is an English world record breaking performance artist, producer and street performer based in London, England. He is known for performing daredevil stunts with a comedic twist.
Brad Byers is an American entertainer known for his extreme performances, including sword swallowing, lying on beds of nails and inserting various tools into his nasal cavity. For the latter he is also referred to as a "Human toolbox". He holds several World Records. His brother Rod assists him in some performances.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a 2017 epic fantasy action adventure film directed by Guy Ritchie who co-wrote the film with Joby Harold and Lionel Wigram from a story by Harold and David Dobkin, inspired by Arthurian legends. The film stars Charlie Hunnam as the title character and Jude Law as the tyrannical king Vortigern who is attempting to kill him, with Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, and Eric Bana in supporting roles.
Dan Meyer is an American sword swallower, multiple Guinness World record holder in sword swallowing, a global TEDx speaker, and the recipient of the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine. Meyer was one among the Top 50 finalists on America's Got Talent Season 3 (2008), and returned to compete on America's Got Talent Season 11 (2016), on France's Got Talent Season 12 (2017), and Israel's Got Talent International Edition Season 2 (2018–19). He is the president of Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI). Meyer has also made many other television and film appearances.
References
- ↑ Records from Swordswallow.com (accessed December 22, 2006)
- ↑ imdb entry for George McArthur