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Excellent Moviemaker. I saw Sweeney Todd and it is one the best films of 2007. A marvelous piece of work. I used to work at a Cinemark theater in Texas and screenings there are security tight. I have had my share of people to kick out with cameras.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
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No, it's Mrs. Lovett who makes the meat pies. 
And yet, despite all this, it's a comedy. Go figure.
A few folks here posted stuff that makes me think they didn't realize that Burton had nothing to do with the music or lyrics in this film. Those gorgeous bits of genius have to be credited to Stephen Sondheim, and frankly, they make this movie what it is. Except for Bonham-Carter's dreadful mumbling, which lost SO many of the best lines in those songs.
Also, seeing this production on stage is a wholly different experience, often with a rotating block-like set, with Sweeney's barber shop and chair atop the entire thing. And, of course, the actors who have their throats slit slide down into the contraption feet first, not head first.
I love this whole story and musical, on stage or screen. I just wish someone could have bumped up the clarity on Mrs. Lovett's singing.
And, gotta love the "By the Sea" number, with Depp's droll, bored look throughout. Too funny.
And yet, despite all this, it's a comedy. Go figure.
A few folks here posted stuff that makes me think they didn't realize that Burton had nothing to do with the music or lyrics in this film. Those gorgeous bits of genius have to be credited to Stephen Sondheim, and frankly, they make this movie what it is. Except for Bonham-Carter's dreadful mumbling, which lost SO many of the best lines in those songs.
Also, seeing this production on stage is a wholly different experience, often with a rotating block-like set, with Sweeney's barber shop and chair atop the entire thing. And, of course, the actors who have their throats slit slide down into the contraption feet first, not head first.
I love this whole story and musical, on stage or screen. I just wish someone could have bumped up the clarity on Mrs. Lovett's singing.
And, gotta love the "By the Sea" number, with Depp's droll, bored look throughout. Too funny.
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I saw this last night and I thought it was good, but not brilliant. I enjoyed the comic aspects, especially Todd sitting sullenly at the beach in Mrs Lovett's fantasy song, and wished there could have been a few more to lift the gloomy melodrama.
The trouble with Sweeney Todd as a musical was that the songs are not sparklingly brilliant. The one when they come up with the idea about the pies (A Little Priest?) was good, but some of the more sentimental stuff was little more than filler.
The performances matched the content in being quite over the top, which is what you expect from Depp these days (who, incidentally has improved his cockney accent since From Hell), but in this he is joined by his co-stars. It has a nice Gothic atmosphere, but I thought the staging was a little bare - it would probably look great on stage, but for a complete film a little more was needed than an animated sweep of the city's rooftops to flesh out the setting.
I admired the attempt to allow us to sympathise with Todd a bit more by giving him a tragic romantic back story, so that we are at first pretty much on his side in his plan for revenge, but any sympathy was lost when he failed to help to rescue his daughter in favour of practising his throat slitting on unsuspecting customers. I can understand that his humanity has been lost to his thirst for revenge, but not while he still has a chance to rescue his daughter and redeem himself.
On a side note, concerning the behaviour of cinema audiences...
3.5/5
The trouble with Sweeney Todd as a musical was that the songs are not sparklingly brilliant. The one when they come up with the idea about the pies (A Little Priest?) was good, but some of the more sentimental stuff was little more than filler.
The performances matched the content in being quite over the top, which is what you expect from Depp these days (who, incidentally has improved his cockney accent since From Hell), but in this he is joined by his co-stars. It has a nice Gothic atmosphere, but I thought the staging was a little bare - it would probably look great on stage, but for a complete film a little more was needed than an animated sweep of the city's rooftops to flesh out the setting.
I admired the attempt to allow us to sympathise with Todd a bit more by giving him a tragic romantic back story, so that we are at first pretty much on his side in his plan for revenge, but any sympathy was lost when he failed to help to rescue his daughter in favour of practising his throat slitting on unsuspecting customers. I can understand that his humanity has been lost to his thirst for revenge, but not while he still has a chance to rescue his daughter and redeem himself.
On a side note, concerning the behaviour of cinema audiences...
WARNING: "Sweeney Todd" spoilers below
A woman sitting next to me, guessed a plot twist just as it was about to be revealed and whispered it twice, loudly, to her husband. Now she has just spoiled the film for those who did not guess and made herself look really stupid to everyone else who had already guessed it several minutes earlier...
3.5/5
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I'm surprised you're saying the songs aren't brilliant, TN. Then again, half the lyrics are lost to Carter's mumbling, so that might be a problem for you. The lyrics are downright amazing when you catch them all. (I have the soundtrack and the DVD of the stage production as well, so that gives me an edge here.)
Whenever I watch the DVD or listen to the soundtrack, I find myself humming nearly any/all of the songs for days afterwards. The montage song Sweeney sings ("Johanna") when he is slitting throats routinely is so beautiful on its own and yet horridly comic because of what's happening while he's singing.
Perhaps some of the drama of the music is lost on screen, but a staging of the play captures so much of this dynamic. The duets throughout are striking, and I am still finding subtle nuances in the music and lyrics that make me admire Sondheim all the more.
Hands down, my favorite musical -- for the book and the songs.
Whenever I watch the DVD or listen to the soundtrack, I find myself humming nearly any/all of the songs for days afterwards. The montage song Sweeney sings ("Johanna") when he is slitting throats routinely is so beautiful on its own and yet horridly comic because of what's happening while he's singing.
Perhaps some of the drama of the music is lost on screen, but a staging of the play captures so much of this dynamic. The duets throughout are striking, and I am still finding subtle nuances in the music and lyrics that make me admire Sondheim all the more.
Hands down, my favorite musical -- for the book and the songs.
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P.S. I am seeing this on stage on Friday -- but a different staging than I'm used to seeing. Apparently the "rotating box" set is missing from this production and the actors never leave the stage.
I am going into this a semi-skeptic, hoping I am still in love with it through this production/staging.
I am going into this a semi-skeptic, hoping I am still in love with it through this production/staging.
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Saw this the weekend and loved it. Most of the time I know I’m going to enjoy watching a Burton film at the cinema regardless of the story, or even the actors, because I know it is going to look fabulous and this really did. Obviously, London plays a big theme in the musical, almost a character itself, and I guess on stage its hard to really portray the squalid London that Todd hates so much, but I LOVE how Burton went about that in the film, the long speeded up sweeping shots of the city, whether it be through the streets or out his window, SO GOOD! And the blood! So much blood! I love how it’s so over the top in it’s abundance that it becomes pretty to look at. The end shot, with the furnace in the background and the shimmering blood on the floor, fantastic.
Aus, the stage production sounds amazing! Id love to see this big rotating block you talk about. Shame it hasn’t been here in the West End for several years, would certainly have gone to see it. What did you think of Depps singing? I thought he was brilliant, almost Bowie-esque at some points.
I find this statement quite hard to understand and it seems you are almost certainly speaking gibberish.
Aus, the stage production sounds amazing! Id love to see this big rotating block you talk about. Shame it hasn’t been here in the West End for several years, would certainly have gone to see it. What did you think of Depps singing? I thought he was brilliant, almost Bowie-esque at some points.
So Swenney Todd is a Musical and somehow it also look Gothic isn't it!!!...anyway it's just me!
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this is a great movie..it was fascinating..i love the flow of the story..some love interest, to killing and revenge as well as anguish..though the killing was kinda creepy...
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One other thing about the film, i was hoping it would be a bit more moving than it was. I know its a black comedy thats a musical about a man who who puts people in pies, but I honestly thought the end would e a lot more emotional than it was. I didn’t see the end coming either...Is it more emotional on Stage Austruck?
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I thought it was, yes. The production I saw originally (probably twenty years ago now) was actually an outdoor theater production under a big linen tent. The actors wandered off the stage occasionally and up and down the aisles as they were performing or singing. I too didn't see the ending coming at that first production, and we also had really good seats. So, yes, I think we were primed for it being an amazing experience.
I think Depp's portrayal was good for what it was, but I think I prefer George Hearn's version of Sweeney. Depp's Sweeney was so incredibly brooding ALL the time that it was sometimes tough to see any humor or likability in him at all. Same with Carter's portrayal of Mrs. Lovett, who should be funnier and less moody to keep her likable.
So, although I accept the movie version for what it did, I think it nearly OVERdid it in the bleakness. Nearly.
Oh, FWIW, the song A Little Priest? has a bunch more to it than the movie version. Lovett and Todd play a sort of rhyming game with guessing who the pies are made of, and it really adds to the song. It's a shame that whole part of the song is missing in the film ... because it could have used a few more light moments here and there.
I think Depp's portrayal was good for what it was, but I think I prefer George Hearn's version of Sweeney. Depp's Sweeney was so incredibly brooding ALL the time that it was sometimes tough to see any humor or likability in him at all. Same with Carter's portrayal of Mrs. Lovett, who should be funnier and less moody to keep her likable.
So, although I accept the movie version for what it did, I think it nearly OVERdid it in the bleakness. Nearly.
Oh, FWIW, the song A Little Priest? has a bunch more to it than the movie version. Lovett and Todd play a sort of rhyming game with guessing who the pies are made of, and it really adds to the song. It's a shame that whole part of the song is missing in the film ... because it could have used a few more light moments here and there.
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Blibby, the DVD of the Lansbury/Hearn production uses the same rotating block set I saw in the stage production here in Pittsburgh nearly twenty years ago. Up until recently (with the Broadway Revival), I think that was the standard way of producing this play on stage.
If you can find the DVD of that production, you can see what I mean. (It's a recording of a live stage production, with applause and laughter. Although it loses some of the oomph of seeing it live or watching the Burton movie, it gives you a good idea of how they solve a lot of set design issues with that one block.)
If you can find the DVD of that production, you can see what I mean. (It's a recording of a live stage production, with applause and laughter. Although it loses some of the oomph of seeing it live or watching the Burton movie, it gives you a good idea of how they solve a lot of set design issues with that one block.)
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I liked Tim Burton's take on Sweeney Todd; he added his own dark and twisty element that only he brings. Johnny Depp surprised me with his singing ability. Although, it was probably so much better in the original musical, the singing was good for him. He is a really versatile actor. Helena Bonham Carter was commendable for her part as Mrs. Lovett as well. The blood overload was a great contribution to the overall feel of the film, it's too bad if you're too squeamish. I give the film 8/10. I advise you watch it on the big screen, the blood and gore was too good to miss.
The blood overload was a great contribution to the overall feel of the film, it's too bad if you're too squeamish. I give the film 8/10. I advise you watch it on the big screen, the blood and gore was too good to miss.
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The film is good and i would recommend it to most and the gore is not even that bad and is done in a way that you can tell clearly that it is fake. Johnny Depp is fantastic again.
I have finally seen this movie 
there were things i loved about it, like the Gothic look to the film, Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen and the ending I hated most of the singing and Helena Bonham Carter 
there were things i loved about it, like the Gothic look to the film, Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen and the ending I hated most of the singing and Helena Bonham Carter
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Squeamish? Ever been in a room so soaked with real human blood that it squishes out of the carpet with each step? Or seen a human brain smashed into the pavement? Or stumbled over a burned body? Or been so close to death so often that you learn to smell it? Just hearing what funeral home attendants will do with your body just to prepare it for viewing would probably turn your stomach. I've seen way too much of the real thing to be impressed with Hollywood's blood and gore or, worse, to be "turned on" by it. There's nothing glamorous or exciting about death, not even in the movies. To me, blood and gore in the movies are like comedians who can only be funny by using the F-word and body functions--in both cases, the artist has run out of ideas and the audience has expended its imagination.
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