Sweeney Todd is an adaptation of the 1979 Broadway musical of the same name by Hugh Wheeler & Stephen Sondheim which in part is based on a 1973 stage play about the fictional Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond. The character first appeared as a literary character in 1846 as the villain in a Victorian penny dreadful serial titled The String of Pearls. Since then, the story has been retold many times, even became an urban legend in London as well as a stable of Victorian melodrama.
Filmmaker Tim Burton had long wanted to make a film adaptation of the musical ever since he saw the original London production in 1980 while he was a student at CalArts. When his directing career took off a few years later, he got in touch with Stephen Sondheim about making the film, but nothing ever came from it. It wasn't until nearly 20 years later when the film finally came to fruition.
Filmmaker Tim Burton had long wanted to make a film adaptation of the musical ever since he saw the original London production in 1980 while he was a student at CalArts. When his directing career took off a few years later, he got in touch with Stephen Sondheim about making the film, but nothing ever came from it. It wasn't until nearly 20 years later when the film finally came to fruition.
When DreamWorks began promoting Sweeney Todd in late 2007, it was only marketed as a suspense thriller. When the film was released on December 21st of that year, there were more than a few audience members who were surprised to find that it was a musical, especially one that’s about 75% sung. Though with that being said, let's move on, shall we?
In a story as old as King David's, the plot revolves around Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a successful barber in Victorian London with a beautiful wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), and a newborn baby girl, Johanna. One day, the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) has Benjamin thrown out of the country in order to lust after Lucy for himself. Lucy drinks poison to escape the situation, leaving poor little Johanna (Jayne Wisener) to grow up under the watchful eye of the leering and lecherous Judge. Fifteen years later, Benjamin returns to London after a long, unjust banishment in Australia's penal colony. Newly christened as Sweeney Todd, he sets up shop in his old flat above the humble pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), and awaits the day that he can exact razor-edged revenge on Judge Turpin. After killing a rival barber (Sacha Baron Cohen) who knew about his secret past, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett come up with an ingenious way of disposing the body, as the new secret ingredient of her soggy meat pies. This leads to a strait-blade killing spree that serves as practice for Sweeney and better business for Mrs. Lovett, who also harbors feelings for the demonic barber.
Aside from that, retribution plots rely on the audience's empathy for the wronged, and failing that must make up for the lack of compassion with spectacle, the least important dramatic principle, according to Aristotle's Poetics anyway. Since the revenge tale is a Hollywood staple, this reliance on style over substance is apparent in a number of films. Sweeney Todd follows a similar compromise, in that the unlikable nature of its morally dubious protagonist are supported by ever-present musical numbers and a healthy dose of gore. And, for the most part, it works. The film is entertaining and self-assured at the same time.
I was impressed by the confidence in Tim Burton's directing. Shots are framed with architectural precision, and he reigns in the rampant melodrama with a significant amount of his characteristically black and visual humor. I'd also be remiss not to mention the fantastic costume work, make-up, and Academy Award-winning production design that fills out Sweeney Todd's well-realized universe. The performances too (vocally and otherwise) are bold and memorable. Depp's Sweeney is like a razor-wielding Mozart on meth, and his untrained Bowie-esque voice brings an individuality to the songs that would get lost in the American Idol blandness of a more professional singer's take. Helena Bonham Carter is somehow witchy and tender, like a gothic Eliza Doolittle. Together, they form an unlikely partnership and share some excellent onscreen chemistry. It's down to their performances that I never quite lost sympathy with them in their descent into madness, blood lust, and cannibalism. Not to mention that Sacha Baron Cohen's brief role as Señor Pirelli is hilariously over-the-top.
Musicals may not be for everyone. Though if you like them, you'll probably find a lot to love in Sweeney Todd, and even the less theatrically-inclined among you may become at least momentarily entranced by the demon barber of Fleet Street. For those that can suspend their disbelief and let the songs tell the story, however, Sweeney Todd is a masterpiece that works very well as both a suspense thriller and a musical.
In a story as old as King David's, the plot revolves around Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a successful barber in Victorian London with a beautiful wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), and a newborn baby girl, Johanna. One day, the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) has Benjamin thrown out of the country in order to lust after Lucy for himself. Lucy drinks poison to escape the situation, leaving poor little Johanna (Jayne Wisener) to grow up under the watchful eye of the leering and lecherous Judge. Fifteen years later, Benjamin returns to London after a long, unjust banishment in Australia's penal colony. Newly christened as Sweeney Todd, he sets up shop in his old flat above the humble pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), and awaits the day that he can exact razor-edged revenge on Judge Turpin. After killing a rival barber (Sacha Baron Cohen) who knew about his secret past, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett come up with an ingenious way of disposing the body, as the new secret ingredient of her soggy meat pies. This leads to a strait-blade killing spree that serves as practice for Sweeney and better business for Mrs. Lovett, who also harbors feelings for the demonic barber.
Aside from that, retribution plots rely on the audience's empathy for the wronged, and failing that must make up for the lack of compassion with spectacle, the least important dramatic principle, according to Aristotle's Poetics anyway. Since the revenge tale is a Hollywood staple, this reliance on style over substance is apparent in a number of films. Sweeney Todd follows a similar compromise, in that the unlikable nature of its morally dubious protagonist are supported by ever-present musical numbers and a healthy dose of gore. And, for the most part, it works. The film is entertaining and self-assured at the same time.
I was impressed by the confidence in Tim Burton's directing. Shots are framed with architectural precision, and he reigns in the rampant melodrama with a significant amount of his characteristically black and visual humor. I'd also be remiss not to mention the fantastic costume work, make-up, and Academy Award-winning production design that fills out Sweeney Todd's well-realized universe. The performances too (vocally and otherwise) are bold and memorable. Depp's Sweeney is like a razor-wielding Mozart on meth, and his untrained Bowie-esque voice brings an individuality to the songs that would get lost in the American Idol blandness of a more professional singer's take. Helena Bonham Carter is somehow witchy and tender, like a gothic Eliza Doolittle. Together, they form an unlikely partnership and share some excellent onscreen chemistry. It's down to their performances that I never quite lost sympathy with them in their descent into madness, blood lust, and cannibalism. Not to mention that Sacha Baron Cohen's brief role as Señor Pirelli is hilariously over-the-top.
Musicals may not be for everyone. Though if you like them, you'll probably find a lot to love in Sweeney Todd, and even the less theatrically-inclined among you may become at least momentarily entranced by the demon barber of Fleet Street. For those that can suspend their disbelief and let the songs tell the story, however, Sweeney Todd is a masterpiece that works very well as both a suspense thriller and a musical.
Numbers I Was Most Impressed With:
‘No Place Like London’
‘The Worst Pies in London’
‘Poor Thing’
‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’
‘Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir’
‘Epiphany’
‘A Little Priest’
‘Johanna’ (Reprise)
‘God, That’s Good’
‘By the Sea’