“The Shadow” Phurba Dagger, With Original Box and Display Stand! Movie Replica

Description

This is an incredibly detailed reproduction of the Phurba Dagger used in the 1994 film “The Shadow.” It is complete, aside from a sticker that would go on the base of the included stand. The knife is quite heavy — I’d estimate around 4-5 pounds — and also sharp, so this should only be purchased as a collectible for adults, not a toy, and is definitely not suitable for children. Comes in the original box, which is complete and has minor wear. The stand has a few small scratches; the knife itself is in excellent condition and wonderfully sculpted. It is rare to find one of these complete with box and stand.
Here is a description of the item from The Blade magazine in 1994:
The Phurba, the knife from the 1994 motion picture, THE SHADOW,
breaks new ground for movie blades because it’s the first to take advantage of new computer-generated special effects. For the dagger in
The Shadow
, that means the creation of a living, breathing character, so to speak.
“It growls a couple of times, flies through the air, sprouts legs and even bites Alec Baldwin’s hand,” United Cutlery’s Kit Rae said of the knife. “They used a lot of computer graphics so the face on the handle moves, and the handle twists around.”
Designed for the movie by Joe Nemec III, the Phurba – or “Phurbu” as it is also spelled – is based on an actual Tibetan exorcising knife or “ghost dagger” used by lamas (Buddhist monks) to drive out evil spirits. The Phurba dovetails with the theme of
The Shadow
since the movie begins in Tibet.
According to A GLOSSARY OF THE CONSTRUCTION, DECORATION AND USE OF ARMS AND ARMOR,
by George Cameron Stone, the original Phurbas had, “a three-winged blade and a hilt made up of lamaistic symbols. The pommel is usually a head with three faces crowned, with an animal’s head and neck projecting from the top. Thunderbolts (vajras), dragons and dragon’s heads are frequently present. Usually the blades are made of iron and the hilts of brass; sometimes the entire knife is of brass, and occasionally of wood.”
Nemec couldn’t get an authentic Phurba, so he based the movie knife on research, Rae said. The movie Phurba is true to the original knife in looks, right down to the three-sided blade. The main difference is in the number of faces on the handle, which was sculpted by Nemec. Where authentic Phurbas have three faces, the movie version has but one.
“[The movie’s officials] decided on a single face because it fit in with the idea that the knife was a living character,” Rae said.