One way in which Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films are better than Tolkien's original works is the treatment of women. Though not an intentional slight on Tolkien's part, women are all but non-existent in the novel, standing quietly by the side while the action takes place. That's just a product of the culture in which Tolkien was raised and the fact that he was setting his new English mythology in a medieval-style world.
The Elven Queen of the Kingdom of Lothlorien,
sees into the hearts of those who seek her aide through her mystical powers. She provides prophecies and invaluable gifts to the Fellowship for their journey.
Galadriel is one figure that almost didn't get made. For whatever reason, ToyBiz decided to cancel her appearance in the Fellowship of the Rings line. As good as this figure turned out, I'm glad she found her way to store shelves eventually.
Seen here in her flowing white robes (and nothing underneath), Galadriel stands just over 6¾" tall in her bare feet. She moves at the knees, hips, waist, shoulders, forearms and neck. Her dress is sculpted with the brocade pattern seen in the film and she has the ornate brooch on her neckline. Her sleeves billow nicely, and her sash is off-white.
Galadriel has, hands down, the best likeness on any LotR figure yet, beating out even last year's two-pack Gimli. I don't know if Phil Ramirez worked on her, but that is an eerily uncanny likeness of Cate Blanchett. Her hair cascades down over her shoulders and her little pseudo-pointy ears poke out as they should. ToyBiz really did a great job on this one.
Galadriel's layered cape
is tied to her arms with a few strands of elastic; while it would be nice to have it removable, at least it's not falling off all the time. The outer level is thick white cloth, and the inner layer is a mesh netting that simulates lace. Her bare feet do make it rather difficult to keep her standing, but the back hem of her dress will help support her if you're careful.
Galadriel was originally going to come with her mirror -
a large pedestal and bowl. In the released version, we get only her pitcher. Her package includes the wonderful instructions, "Pull hood over Galadriel's head. Reenact scenes from the movie." Guess it's hard to find things to say about a pitcher.
Galadriel isn't exactly abundantly packed into the cases hitting store shelves, so if you like her and you find one, don't spend a lot of time pondering your purchase. She's got a great likeness and is just a good toy.
-- 04/21/03
|