Sweeney Todd

Horrorphile

follow this blog

1043 followers

3405 daily readers

rank of 1

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

January 9th 2008 00:16

Now my friends, let’s get somethin’ straight. I don’t like musicals. Never have, never will. I can tolerate the odd one, if the mood and atmosphere is right, perhaps a song or two tickles me fancy, but generally, if a movie’s a musical you won’t find me ‘avin’ a butcher’s hook …

But, there are exceptions to the rule, and this ‘ere is one of ‘em: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. Well, well, well, who would’ve thought? It works a damn bloody treat, goes straight for the jugular, if you’ll pardon the pun.

As legend would ‘ave it Sweeney Todd was once a man called Benjamin Barker, a masterful barber in ol’ London town, with a beautiful wife and wee baby girl. But nasty Judge Turpin had his sights set on the bonny lass, and with his unctuous henchman Bamford he shipped Barker off to an Antipodean penal colony on a trumped-up charge, in order to steal his wife Lucy.

Sweeney Todd Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter

Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett

Barker serves fifteen long ‘ard years. But he’s set on revenge. He escapes and returns to England a dark and dangerous and changed man. He is Sweeney Todd … the demon barber of Fleet Street. With the help of his old landlord Mrs. Lovett, the pie-maker who lived below his salon, he exacts his sweet bloody revenge, with the help of his trusty razor-bladed friends.

Sweeney Todd Sacha Baron Cohen and Ed Sanders

Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli and Ed Sanders as young Toby

But madness lurks not far from sight in the filthy shadows and the sewer shite. Sweeney Todd is obsessed by his hatred and it consumes his soul. Will he ever get back what was stolen from him?

Sweeney Todd Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman

Sweeney Todd provides Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) with a close shave

Some say Sweeny Todd really existed, that he murdered around 160 people in 18th century London. But most likely he’s the creation of Thomas Peckett Prest who wrote of him in a story published in 1846. He’d slit the customer’s throats (but only if they had no relatives) while they sat in his barber’s chair, then send their bodies down a chute into the cellar where they were chopped up and used as filling in meat pies by his accomplice, a widowed baker.

The story was adapted into a play titled The Demon Barber of Fleet Street shortly after. The cult of personality that was Sweeney Todd began to rival real-life serial killer Jack the Ripper. Playwright Christopher Bond turned the story into a far more elaborate stage play in 1973, adding the Barker/Turpin revenge plot. Then in 1979, using the play as a template, legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim with Hugh Wheeler brought the story to a wider audience as a stage musical.

Although the story has been produced for film and television nearly ten times since 1926, finally, the piercing high notes and dark dulcet tones of Sweeney Todd make it to the big screen in fully dramatic form, captured sensationally by Tim Burton. Watching the movie one realises Burton is the perfect choice, even if he, like my good self, is not a fan of musicals.

Broken mirrors, broken minds

I’m not familiar with the Sondheim version. Apparently screenwriter John Logan has sliced away a large portion of the musical, paring it back to focus on the triangle of Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Lovett and young Toby, the orphan whom is befriended by Sweeney Todd. There are, in fact, two love stories at work; the unrequited affections Lovett has for Todd, and the blossoming romance between young Anthony, the sailor who rescued Sweeney from the sea, and Todd’s teenage daughter Johanna. However these are now sub-plots.

Tim Burton has achieved some stunning work. With Dante Ferretti’s extraordinary production design (the film has been shot on mostly huge sets, with minimal green screen work) and the brooding, yet striking cinematography and camerawork by Darius Wolski, the movie is undeniably a "Tim Burton" movie. This is Johnny Depp’s sixth movie with Burton, and possibly his finest performance yet in a Burton film (second only to Ed Wood). What is clearly astounding is how good a singer Depp is! The song My Friends, which Helena Bonham Carter accompanies him, is almost worth the price of admission alone. A slightly odd recommendation I know, but I found it utterly captivating.

It takes all kinds to make Mrs. Lovett's pies

The movie flaunts a strong English cast consisting of Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Sacha Baron Cohen as the flamboyantly hilarious Italian rival barber Pirelli, also newcomers Jamie Campbell Bower, Jane Wisener, Laura Michelle Kelly and young Ed Sanders. But it is Depp who shines, adding yet another notch to his exceptional career belt.

Hell hath no fury like a barber scorned

In gleeful fashion director Burton doesn’t shy from the bloodletting which is part and parcel to the story. We see every throat slit in glorious detail, and a fine job too, I couldn’t tell if it was a superb prosthetic job, or careful CGI work. Curiously the colour of the blood has been adjusted to a less realistic hue (brighter, more scarlet), reminding me of early Dario Argento movies, no doubt to appease American censors who act adversely to dark, realistic-looking blood. Still it’s a violent and macabre movie, and definitely not one for the kids, even if the characters do break out into charming song every five minutes.

To be truthful I’m not a huge fan of Tim Burton’s movies. I like several of his earlier movies, but most of them grate on me. He is an acquired taste, to be sure. But I rate Sweeney Todd as one of his best. It’s perhaps a little long, but that’s a minor gripe. Sweeney Todd is a fascinating hybrid; a slasher musical that gleams in the dark. It’s blackly funny too. I take my top hat off to Burton. Well done ol’ chap, bravo!

Here is the theatrical trailer:

Here is an excerpt of My Friends in an unusually high-res clip:

140

Vote

subscribe to this blog

follow this blog on Orble

start your own blog

[ Link ]

Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

Related Posts:

Relate This Post

[ Previous - No Country for Old Men ]

[ Next - Wind Chill ]

Comments

27 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

January 9th 2008 01:08

I am not sure about musicals.

However Burton did a good job with The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Planet of the Apes? Hmmm....Very down market.

Comment by Cibbuano

January 9th 2008 01:46

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

sounds excellent - I've only heard positive things about this movie. Is it coming out in Australia soon?

Comment by Bryn

January 9th 2008 05:19

Horrorphile

Damo, true, The Nightmare Before Christmas ... however that's in a league of its own, being an animated musical ... I didn't even bother with his "re-imagining" of Planet of the Apes, it sounded dreadful.

Cibby, yeah, next week ... relish it like Mrs. Lovett's tasty meat pies! Mmmmmmm!

Comment by Wayne F

January 9th 2008 06:28

Bucket Snipets

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie when it comes out. It did well overseas in America but not that well but the looks of things. I guess not many people like seeing musicals today.

I salute Burton's attempt to do a horror musical I think it's a great idea. I'm a big fan of this movies and it's going to be interesting to see his touch when he films the live-action version of Alice in Wonderland.

Comment by Michaelie

January 9th 2008 08:08

Flick Wit

I cannot wait for this! I love it already.

Great post, Bryn.

Michaelie

Comment by Tracy

January 9th 2008 08:38

Movies and Life

Hi Bryn

I've been waiting for this one. How did you wangle seeing it early?

Tracy

Comment by JohnDoe

January 9th 2008 21:05

Film & TV on DVD

I have a promo ticket for Monday night and your review has me even more excited that I already was.

Comment by Bryn

January 10th 2008 01:07

Horrorphile

Wayne, yes very excited about the prospect of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, as long as he keeps the adult edge of the original novel ...

Tracy, I've been a film critic for fifteen years, so I get invited to media screenings (although I still seem to miss many of them)

Comment by Anonymous

January 10th 2008 05:04

GREAT MOVIE! I saw the original screen play and this movie holds true to the original story line and theme. The acting was wonderful and the direction superb. I would definatly recommend it. I love musicals and this one is right on the top of my list.

Comment by Anonymous

January 14th 2008 03:52

I thought it was OK. I think the fact that everyone over obsesses about Tim Burton films was kind of a turn off for me, but I saw it anyway. It would've been better without music, but that didn't bother me that much. The sickest part was when the dead bodies slid off the chair into the basement-that crunching noise. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Comment by Tracy

January 14th 2008 04:06

Movies and Life

But of course, Bryn...

Comment by Bryn

January 14th 2008 05:44

Horrorphile

Anon ... you thought it was only "okay" but you give it 7.5/10 ...? that sounds like more than just "okay", I'd say that was more like "pretty darn good"

Comment by Anonymous

January 14th 2008 06:15

Oh, lol, well I mean, I also take into consideration the hard work they put into the movie ie make up, effects,originality, which I thought was pretty well done. Well... I guess I can't really talk about originality, you said there was 10 versions of the musical? Anyway, the 7.5 isn't just my opinion solely on the plot... Sorry if I'm confusing you. But I have a question, what movie would you give a 10/10? I wanted to have a horror fest, but have no idea what to rent.

Comment by Bryn

January 15th 2008 07:16

Horrorphile

Anon,
check out my post on "50 horror movies you should see before you DIE!" which is listed in the Spotlight Post column on the left of my blog below Categories ...
You can also check out my Orble profile (click on my name "Bryn" found at the very bottom of my blog) where I list my top twenty favourite horror movies ... That should give you a little something to chew on ...

Comment by D. Armenta

January 19th 2008 00:54

The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.

*Wayne, this isn't the first horror musical; that was "Little Shop of Horrors", way way back (BTW I found the remake tedious, with the exception of Steve Martin's turn as The Dentist)..back to you, Bryn.

P.S.-Funny thing about Depp for me; I liked him way back before it was cool to like him, and that was because I saw him in Ed Wood. Now that everyone's on the Depp bandwagon, I wantto stop liking him, but then he comes out with a great one like this!

Comment by Bryn

January 19th 2008 01:08

Horrorphile

Armenta, and next he plays Dillinger, opposite Christian Bale as a lawman!! WOO HOO!!!

Comment by D. Armenta

January 22nd 2008 02:26

The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.

Are you serious??

Cooooooooolllll!!!!!! I'll be watching you and JD for reviews...

Comment by Bryn

January 23rd 2008 05:25

Horrorphile

Unlikely I'll do a review of it at this blog, unless it turns into an apocalypse or Dillinger gets up after being shot dead with his eyes rolled back in his head and a hungry expression on his face

Comment by JohnDoe

January 23rd 2008 05:38

Film & TV on DVD

Thats my job!

Comment by Anonymous

May 8th 2008 01:43

I love Sweeny Todd its the best movie in the would i wached it every day for the past week its the best 1 ever i love the song

epiphany

Comment by Bryn

May 8th 2008 03:46

Horrorphile

Anon, yes, one of Tim Burton's better movies! I love the "My Friends" song

Comment by Anonymous

July 28th 2009 18:52

Sweeney Todd is my complete favorite movie!

It's a really good flim, Tim Burton did an excelent job.

And so did Johnny Depp as always.^^

Comment by Bryn

July 28th 2009 22:44

Horrorphile

Yes, definitely one of my favourite Burton movies, up there with Mars Attacks! and Peewee's Big Adventure.

Comment by SweeneyToddFan

September 16th 2009 22:35

I love Sweeney Todd so much I watched it atleast 4 times a day during the summer......... It's great!!! Tim Burton is my favorite director and Johnny Depp is THE BEST actor EVER!!!!