his Christmas will bring a great gift to filmgoing audiences: The Return of the King, the eagerly awaited third chapter of the spectacular movie trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Sideshow/Weta Collectibles, the company in charge of producing props and other items for these films, has a unique and extraordinary corner on the market for collectible figures, busts and statues from the franchise. They created the originals—they should be able to make very good facsimiles for fans to collect. And they do. From helmets crafted from metal, to polystone weapons plaques, to full figures, Sideshow/Weta has produced the finest of the available merchandise based on Peter Jackson's films.
Saruman the White is the chief of the Istari, an order of wizards to which Gandalf the Gray belongs. Gandalf is preparing a plan to destroy the recently discovered Ring of Power, forged in the heart of Mount Doom, when he goes to visit his order's leader to seek advice. While there, Gandalf discovers his faithful friend, Saruman the White, has been using a Palantir, or seeing stone, to watch events unfold in Mordor. But unawares, Saruman is slowly being turned to the side of evil, and Sauron, the wizard who plots the overthrow of Middle Earth.
Saruman the White is a polystone statue from Sideshow/Weta that stands about 12 inches from the base of the wizard's robes to the top of his head. Saruman stands on a decorative plaque, held in place by a square brass peg. Next to Saruman stands an ornately carved plinth, etched with mystic symbols at the top, and sitting at the top of this pillar is a Palantir, one of the lost seeing stones that Saruman found in the caverns of Orthanc, his tower/castle. The pillar sits on a similar square peg, and the two attachments meet in a pose that has Saruman's hand hovering just above the coal-black orb, with millimeters to spare.
The oval plaque Saruman stands on is etched with a map of Middle-earth after Tolkien's own map. Its underside, covered in velvet, is printed with the film's name, the figure's name and the sculptor's name (Mike Asquith.) Saruman comes packaged in a nicely printed box and is numbered.
A wonderful wizard of "Ah!"s
This polystone bust of Saruman is a gorgeous work. While the overall look of the menacing figure, hand poised over the Palantir, reading signs from the distant land of evil, is awe-inspiring, the true charm is in the details.
The clawlike pillar upon which the seeing orb sits is sharp, jagged and pocked as if carved from living rock, roughly mimicking the design of the castle surrounding it. And while this is a wonderful sight to behold, the figure of Saruman himself is even better.
Take the ivory robes Saruman wears—each and every fold is beautifully carved as if from bolts of real cloth, not clay cast into polystone. The many folds of the abundant sleeves bend and fold onto one another quite realistically. One hand half-hides up a protruding sleeve, while the other shows not only the outer robe but the sleeve of his inner garment, covering the back of his extended hand, showing the underdetail of a curved cuff. Painted in fine delicate scrollwork is a pattern that runs down the length of the front collar edges of the outer robe.
The vest is a work of art in itself. Sealing the two breasts are intricate frogs (cloth closures) that appear embroidered in intricate, almost oriental patterns, similar in style to the frog closures of Chinese silk dresses. A cord runs in a chevron shape just below these clasps, and the cloth is carved as if these affect the drape of the fabric, as if they really were sewn on. Amazing detail for a carved figure.
The banded belt is as intricately carved as any other part of this figure. Each side of the belt as it comes together has more embroidered patterning, and every strand of the woven rope connecting the two sides is visible, including the complex knot used to fasten it, down to the ends as they ravel out from a rope to individual loose strands.
But the detail doesn't end there. The face is incredible. Saruman stands, his eyes closed, his head leaned back, concentrating on the visions from his Palantir. Close examination of each eye shows tiny creases and wrinkles that are so real you would swear you were looking at a 3-D photograph. The nose is perfectly shaped to match Christopher Lee's, the hair carved carefully, and the paint job is wonderfully applied, with subtle shading of skin from mouth to forehead, and the pursed lips are persuasive.
But the hands are the miracles in this piece. It is as if the sculptor took great pains to ensure detail even if that detail would rarely be seen. Half-hidden in the cuff of the sleeve, each finger of the left hand is creased perfectly, and fingernails barely visible from any angle are well detailed.
The extended hand is exquisite. Wracked in a position of great tension, its tendons bulged, its fingernails sharp and correctly angled, its palm and fingers perfectly wrinkled, this is the star of the show, portraying every ounce of energy Saruman is using.
