Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
In Tim Burtonâs adaptation of Stephen Sondheimâs musical, there is certainly a lot to savor here: The costumes, set designs, cinematography, and overall LOOK and feel of the piece are top-notch, and then there is Johnny Deppâs performance as the title character. Having reportedly never sang publicly prior to the making of this film, Depp is said to have âprivatelyâ trained himself to prepare for the role, and his singing is certainly up to snuff. Altogether, he brings great intensity and presence to the part, and while he may not really have been deserving of his Best Actor Oscar nod, he manages to keep the viewer riveted and to continue watching. The same can be said for Helena Bonham Carter as his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, but yet the character seemed rather underdeveloped: The viewer keeps wondering if thereâs some deep dark secret in her past (perhaps she murdered her husband?) but yet the screenplay never tells you. Moreso, despite the fact that she is meant to be seen as being as much of a monster as Sweeney, Burton tries too hard to paint her in a sympathetic light throughout, and the inconsistent tone of her character prevents one from really caring either way. As for the songs, they seem like they were done well enough, though the habit of having trivial exchanges of dialogue be presented through singing is annoying (as it was in Phantom Of The Opera), and this is especially evident during Carterâs first scene (The Waitress Song?) as she sits her customer down and sings to him whatâs on the menu. Overall though, the big problem with the music is that, unlike almost any great musical, the story lacks that one BIG number that comes to define the story and bring it all together, and becomes well-known enough that even those not familiar with the piece would know the tune if they heard it. Then there is Alan Rickman as the evil judge who destroyed Sweeneyâs life and is now the target of his revenge: Rickman only gets to sing a couple of times in the film and (probably because he wasnât very good) most of the characterâs numbers from the original stage version are nowhere to be found. As a result, Rickman comes off as stiff and doesnât fit in as well with the rest of the cast. On the plus side, Timothy Spall adds to his arsenal of slimy portrayals as Rickmanâs henchman, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Weisner are fine as the storyâs âromanticâ leads, child actor Ed Sanders doesnât embarrass himself as the boy that Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett take in, and Sacha Baron Cohen is a lot of fun (with limited screen time) as the asshole rival barber of Sweeneyâs. The killings that Sweeney commits throughout the film bravely display plenty of blood, gore, and gruesomeness, and the filmâs final twist is one of tragic genius. Overall, despite the weakness at times of the source material, another fine addition to Burtonâs gallery of gothic creationsâŚ
7/10