Genre: Musicals Rating: R Release Date: 1-APR-2008 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: After years of rumors, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show's mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it's a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton's frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber's partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It's no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd's brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humor of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages--"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others--but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film's depiction of a Victorian London hellhole--with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood--also looks and feels right.
The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don't think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it's hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there's no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A Musical of a Different Breed
I know that most people are not in line clamoring to see a musical, but this is one is different. It's not very often that you find a tale of love, revenge and horror all wrapped nicely into a musical. ... Read More
Rating: - Surprisingly I liked it!
Okay, so I had no intention of ever seeing this one because of the gruesome theme. I've never even been interesting in seeing it in the theatre but thought I'd give this movie a chance. Hey for a dollar ... Read More
Rating: - Enigmatic, Gruesome, Riveting,--but Miscast!
I am not much into musicals. Gigi, My Fair Lady, and that is about it. But the gothic, horror nature drew me to view this movie. I surprisingly enjoyed it.
The one flaw: Tim Burton is tied to the ... Read More
Rating: - A bloody good musical
Right from the opening credits, a dark atmosphere permeates the scene and sets the mood for 'Sweeney Todd'. Arriving on the shores of London are Mr. Sweeney Todd (played by Johnny Depp), who once was a barber ... Read More
Rating: - Excellent!
There are some pretty thorough reviews here, so I won't attempt to out-do them. What I love about this film is the fact that it so perfectly captures the original musical. That is due in large part to Tim Burton ... Read More
- A Musical of a Different Breed