Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2 Disc) [2007] - DVD (Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall - Dir: Tim Burton)

After years of rumours, 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 humour 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 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 of Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2 Disc) [2007]

Stampy
England
9th October 2008

Bloody horror musical with Burton Brilliance
Benjamin Barker, Sweeney Todd (Depp) returns to London to get revenge on Judge Turpin (Rickman) who sent him to prison and stole his wife.

Tim Burton brings his dark imagination to vivid life once again in this deeply disturbing and brutal musical horror, and is his darkest film to date.

With an opening shot of raw red blood dropping through machines during the credits, the tone for the film is set and Burton instantly dives deep into the darkness of London, with stunning imagery for the City, and a particularly excellent shot of the London Bridge, helps achieve the ultimate chill factor as Sweeney Todd enters.

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) shows once again why he's the hottest actor around by giving an astounding Oscar nominated performance as barber Sweeney Todd. In his first singing role, Depp creates the right feel for the character, emotionally scared but vengeful to, and this is portrayed through an excellent choice of songs.

Bonham Carter (Fight Club) gives a good performance as Mrs Lovett and her songs give an upbeat mood to the dark tale, though the humour is slightly off putting.

Every actor sang their own songs and all were singing for their first time on screen, and all perform well and in particular Depp who arguably has the hardest and most songs to perform, but all are done so well. The songs are repeated which is slightly disappointing but nevertheless there isn't one bad song and each reflects what a dark narrative it is.

Based on the Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd tells a harrowing and disturbing tale of the barber who cuts people up and makes pies out of their bodies, and this alone is enough to chill you to the bone as we see the madness and the darkness of a man.

The graphic design behind the chair and the settings in general achieve the darkness and emphasise the moody atmosphere of the plot, and are brilliantly directed by Burton who uses a variety of techniques to get the true cutting edge, literally.

Sweeney Todd isn't for the fainthearted as it is truly graphic and very bloody and the ideology of killing in that particular manner is very tense. This is a true horror, expertly (if somewhat bizarrely) directed in usual scrumptious and diverse fashion by Tim Burton, and acted exceptionally well by Depp with a great support cast, make the most graphic and horrific film of 2007, which is an essential watch, there is nothing out there like it.

8.5/10

madogdan
Billingham, UK
18th September 2008

Superb Film
Altough i really do hate musicals but because it was Johnny Depp i coulnt care less what it was i thourght it might alright only because of Depp but it turns out to be such an awsome movie i recomend to ANYONE who likes alot of blood and the singing was amazing in my oppinion its one of the BEST movies i have ever seen its a must see.

aimz
Scotland
14th September 2008

Great Burton and Depp Collaboration
Like the other Burton and Depp collaborations this is a must see and doesn't disappoint.

Film_Freak
UK
5th September 2008

Good on ya Burton!
What can I say..? Burton is great. What an imagination. Ok, the singing was a little uncomfortable at first, but I soon got used to it and found Depp as good as ever. Is there nothing those two men cannot do..? Highly entertaining, quite strange, but still good. The ending is a sad twist of fate too. Having seen Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix, it was a moment or two before she slotted into character, in my mind, but still very suitable for the role. In all, a classic to be watched over the years. Money on it being shown at Christmas in years to come.

sheila ismail

15th August 2008

a real treat
a really entertaining treat and an early contender for film of the year this is a superb musical with great performances from its cast.as always its visually striking and is very dark