Sweeney Todd

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 17, 2007

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp go together like black and blue, or like fire and ash. Amidst the chaos, there is a unique unison between the two conflicting forces. Most of their films are something of a paradox. Mixing the dark with light, pain with pleasure and humor with sorrow. Never has the paradoxical complexities of their talents come together in such a way as we see in Sweeney Todd.

The story picks up on the unfortunate past of a barber named Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), who’s family was taken away from him by the overly pious Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). After getting out of jail fifteen years later, and without knowing the fate of his beautiful wife and daughter, Barker makes his way back to Fleet street. Coming home though, something is different with this man. He is set out for revenge and no longer the man he once was, Benjamin Barker is now dead to the world — people now call him Sweeney Todd. Todd comes back to find that life and home that he once had no longer exists. The shop below his parlor is ran by Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who informs him of the fate that his family had endured. Todd can think of nothing but vengeance, leading him to carry out a murderous plot.

I must admit that I had little interest in this film. However, the plot was intriguing and the film gave the prospect of bringing Johnny Depp and Tim Burton together again. The tandem has worked together on some fantastic projects in the past, and the two names becoming synonymous with each other. Most of their projects have lately been looked at as “just another Burton/Depp film.” While Sweeney Todd does carry the well known characteristics of most Burton/Depp films, this one is different.

You can expect the same attention to detail that you would get with any Tim Burton film. Sweeney Todd has fantastic sets, gorgeous costumes and characters that match the wry and maniacal tone of the film. This film is missing something very specific, something that has been at the heart of any of Burton films despite their dreary and somber look: Humanity. Sweeney Todd as a character lacks humanity, so the same would be expected of the film. This is a welcome void however, the film could not work with a painfully sparkling ending. The most blissful moments of the film were watching Todd slit the throats of his patrons — it makes me glad that the film wasn’t forced into a PG-13 rating.

I have never been a fan of musicals, so I was not looking forward to sitting through two hours of song-and-dance. However, the music and the lyrics were brilliant and the film was a fantastic orchestra of contrast. Sweeney Todd mixed black with white, irony with sincerity, and humor with solemnity in such a way that made the film a wonder to watch. What makes the film so special is Burton’s faithfulness to the spirit, or lack there of, of the story. The film needed to be brutal and graphic. It was Burton’s touch that made it a fun experience.

Grade: A

The Upside: Sweeney Todd has fantastic sets, gorgeous costumes and characters that match the wry and maniacal tone of the film..

The Downside: Don’t expect a tear jerker, or an inspirational moral to this story.

On the Side: To prepare for the role of Adolfo Pirelli, Sacha Baron Cohen hired his personal barber as a consultant on shaving techniques, and took up to 16 hours to learn how to handle a razor.

Sweeney Todd Poster Release Date: December 7, 2007
Rated: R for graphic bloody violence.
Running Time: N/A
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bohnam Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director: Tim Burton
Screenplay: John Logan (screenplay), Stephen Sondheim (musical), Hugh Wheeler (musical), Christopher Bond (musical adaptation)
Studio: Dreamworks SKG
Official Website: Click Here


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  • Max E
    What do you mean the story has no moral?! The whole point of the story is the moral quarrel Sweeny has between the anger and vengfulness he feels against the judge and all the agressors he meets (incluiding Perelli and the Beatle). Also the entire story has to do with the struggle a person has with revenge (even Toby has to exact revenge on Todd in the end). Next time you watch the move ( or better yet see the George Hearn/ Angela Lansbury musical) pay attention.
  • Jessy
    I cannot wait to see this movie. but it's just gonna turn into another Burton/Depp emo kid obsession.....

    ~Jessy
  • Hey Max E, next time you read a review...pay attention. I said there is no inspirational moral to the story. Meaning, this is not a love conquers all, happy sweet story. There is a moral, but it is not one that Hollywood tends to place in a blockbuster film.
  • Of course there's an inspirational moral. This is Soundheim after all! The moral will always be found in the final lyric. In "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" it was "Morals tomorrow, comedy tonight!" In Sweeney it is:

    "Revenge they say will lead to Hell,
    but everyone does it and seldom as well . . .
    as Sweeney,
    as Sweeney Todd,
    The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

    It's all about releasing your inner Hamlet, Act V! A pity they eliminated the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd" from the songs, as I always felt the aforementioned moral was a gem of a lyric (along with the catchy: "He shaved the faces of gentlemen/who never thereafter were heard of again" and the equally irreverent: "So what if none of their souls were saved/they went to their maker impeccably shaved"). This story's always been about frolicking in the gore.
  • James
    MUST SEE/LISTEN LIST for 2007/2008:

    Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (The Movie)

    As the only musical that I can honestly say sets out to shock and surprise; and being a fan of the original and multiple operatic attempts since it debuted in the late 70s, I wondered if I would be let down by this movie and the vocal talents signed on for it. The movie is about an hour shorter than the stage play (which robs you of some of the wonderful wit of Sondheim) and the voices are not trained for the “stage” – but I must say, Tim Burton got this right. Johnny Depp is fine vocally (more than fine as Sweeney Todd) and Helen Bonham was equally surprising as Mrs. Lovett. Being a fan of the stage and music – I first fell in love with this show long before I had seen it on stage, owning the box set on cassette, later CD and DVD – having seen my first staged version of it in the mid-80s upon moving too New York. The first version I had seen lacked the vocal talent to live up to the original Broadway Cast recording and Sondheim’s own perfected version. I had seen it later revived at New York City Opera – and the vocal talent and staging there were more suited to the difficult staging and delightful libretto Mr. Sondheim had concocted. (Most recently witnessed the Patti LuPone/Michael Cervic version which, while creatively staged, lost too much of the basic theme to staging and “interpretation”) It has always been in the back of my mind that this would someday, hopefully be a movie – and at this time last year when production began, I became extremely excited and nervous – even though I had doubts as to how this would work out. It is not an easy show to stage and the comedic moments can get lost in the serious overtone and darkness of all consuming revenge. I went to a press screening last night and while this is not a “stand and cheer” ending (how could it be – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) – this will surely shock the senses and give you a movie experience you haven’t had before. I gleefully will be attending this movie with some regularity this holiday season – if you can get to it – go with a friend (you will want someone to kick or grab onto a certain moments in the show). You may also find yourself like me saying to the movie screen at certain moments, “that’s just not right!”. Having said that, this movie is not for everyone and will not “play in Peoria” as they say (although I hope it does).

    Go see this movie. Beautifully filmed, wonderfully performed – and darkly entertaining. One other screening guest, whom did not understand what he was about to see walking in commented to me, “I hear it’s like Phantom of the Opera, but with blood” – That is an insult for sure. I said, not exactly. This is much better. I have to go back and see it again – and try to keep my eyes open during those moment’s I missed the first time.

    My only other comment on the above will be that – at the end of the movie – you may feel a bit like Sweeney himself – a little drained. But, with something to talk about!
  • Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" is, in my opinion, the greatest movie musical adaptation ever made.
    In fact, I think it's Tim Burton's finest hour.
  • Jacqueline
    Anxiously awaiting Burton's Sweeney Todd, I anticipate finding the "real gore" in the other moral message: some might swoon at the sickening sight of the jugular ooze; I'm sickened by the cut-throats who weild deadly power without drawing a drop of blood. One man's gore is another man's business.
  • Paul
    As a great admirer of all things Sondheim, and "Sweeney Todd" in particular, it was with much anxious skepticism that I attended an advanced screening of this film. However, any doubts I had about the choices of the quirky Tim Burton as director, the casting of non-singers in such difficult musical roles, and the inevitable changes required when translating such an intricate stage piece to film were masterfully washed away before the opening scene was over. It became increasingly clear that not only was this the perefect marriage of creative talents, but that all previous collaborations between Burton and Depp and their stable of technical artists were merely rehearsals for this, their most stunning work ever! The booming vocals previously required for the role of Todd, and the over-the-top lunacy forever associated with Angela Lansbury's Mrs. Lovett, couldn't exist in this darker, more intimate film version. Depp, Carter, Cohen and the others may not be great singers but they breathe life into their film characters in a way that is completely fresh and in keeping with the look, feel and sound of this beautifully realized adaptation. Tim Burton's brilliant direction ultimately remains respectful and true to the magnificent source material while giving "Sweeney Todd" the exceptional film treatment it deserves!
  • Leonard Pollack
    Having never been a fan of Burton's work in the past I have a feeling this one will be a thrill ride.My only hope is that in the end I will not have hoped that they had gotten Ken Russell to have directed instead of Burton.
  • Maria
    Without spoiling anything can someone tell me if the movie ending is the same as the Broadway ending?
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