aruman the White, greatest of the Istari and the head of Gandalf the Grey's order, should have been a safe bet for Gandalf. When confronted with a situation by which he felt overwhelmed, Gandalf sought the help of Saruman, known as a compassionate and wise wizard. He'd have to be wise if Gandalf was seeking advice from him. However, when Gandalf arrives, he finds a changed Saruman. In J.R.R. Tolkien's classic masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, Saruman already knows that Gandalf has found the One Ring and is intending to take it into Mordor for its ultimate destruction. But Saruman has other plans for this ring. In the film version, he wants the ring for his master, Sauron, who forged the ring to secretly bind all of the other Rings of Power to his rule.
The noted actor Christopher Lee, who is perhaps best known for his evil villain roles, such as Fu Manchu (The Blood of Fu Manchu), Count Dracula (Dracula, Prince of Darkness) and the assassin Scaramanga (James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun), seems a natural choice to play the evil Saruman, who comes to life in Peter Jackson's trilogy of the films based on what some consider this century's greatest novel. In the second film of the trilogy, Saruman proves his wide-reaching power in spellbinding his servant, Grima Wormtongue, to help entrance and incapacitate Theoden, King of Rohan, in search of the Ring. But Saruman angers the Ents, the tree-herders, and they wage war on Orthanc, Saruman's castle tower.
Sideshow/WETA is the organization that created the props for Jackson's films. Who better, then, to create the finest memorabilia from the series of films?
The bust of Saruman the White is in Series 1 of their Two Towers collectibles. This bust, carved by Mike Asquith, is a 1:4 scale representation of Lee's characterization of Saruman the White on film. The bust is cast in polystone, a hard, polyethylene thermoplastic that allows for incredible detail combined with durable strength. The bust measures 8.5 inches in height and is mounted on a classic turned chess-piece-like base. The underside of the base contains information about the figure, including the name of the sculptor, copyright information, and its number out of a limited run of 3,000.
Saruman's bust comes well-packaged in styrofoam, in an attractively printed box that contains information about the story and the character.
Every wrinkle is made real
Sideshow/WETA has made a large number of busts and figures from the Lord of the Rings films. Each one must be judged on its own merits, though with this body of work Sideshow has outdone itself and any competitor. This bust is no exception. The sculpting is excellent, showing Saruman in a controlled rage, looking slightly downward at some object or event that has gotten his ire.
Perhaps he's looking down at the Palantir, the seeing stone that connects him to his one-time foe, now master, Sauron. Perhaps he's staring indignantly down at the prone body of Gandalf after their battle. Perhaps he's staring out the window terrace of Orthanc, watching the approach of the Ent army. Whichever may be the case, his eyes portray a high degree of emotion, painted intricately with an impression even of red veins in the whites of his eyes. His hair hangs straight down over his shoulders and down his chest and back. The hair frames the lower border of the bust, extending below a horizontal line that forms the base of the bust itself where it connects to its stand.
The robes he wears are also detailed. The texture of his over-robe differs from his inner garment, which appears to have an intricately woven brocade of curving flamelike shapes that resemble paisleys but could also be script. His beard, painted mostly white but partly gray down from his lip, reaches down to a frog closure that seals his vestment.
The beauty of this bust is in the face, however. The face is carved with intricate wrinkles forming a hatch-work across the forehead with deep horizontal furrows as well as thinner vertical creases which are an accurate feature of some older men. The nose mimics the prosthetic appliance worn by Lee in the films and has hints of warts or other blemishes. The crows' feet around his eyes are intricately carved with delicate attention to emotion and detail. His sunken cheeks and somber lip are well portrayed.
While this may not be the most exciting of Sideshow/WETA's busts and figures (when compared to, say, a balrog, or a Nazgul on his steed, or Orthanc tower itself) this is nonetheless a fine sculpture, an accurate, detailed depiction of the great Christopher Lee, and it does the film, the book and the actor justice.
