Sweeney Todd - 2007 - PFF

Sweeney Todd - 2007 - PFF

I have never been shy to say that I love musicals, and when the musical can be horror related that is even better. And no film brings these two things together better than Tim Burton’s 2007 “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” This has blood, murder, mayhem, and music. What more do you need? I was in love with this movie before I ever saw it just from the cast alone. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman.

This movie has blood and gore, but it actually also has a story. It is, of course, a classic revenge story, but it is a good story. The cast plays off each other well and each one is a good fit for the role they were chosen for. This was the first musical in which we get to hear Johnny sing, though it is the second musical he had starred in. He only lip-synced during the musical scenes in “Crybaby”. This was the 6th time that Burton and Depp had worked together on a project, and would not be the last. Harry Potter fans will be thrilled to know there are four Harry Potter alumni that star in this film together. They are Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, and Jamie Campbell Bower.

The story follows Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd as he returns to London to get vengeance against those he felt robbed him of his life and family. He ends up returning to his old home and speaking with his old landlady and they hatch a scheme to solve all their problems. It is a great twist on a revenge tale. There is some comedy as well as a touch of romance. But all in all, there is blood. Lots of blood, and it is set to music. The amazing soundtrack was the work of the brilliant composer Stephen Sondheim. The songs help drive the story and give you a feel for the people you are watching. Mr. Sondheim is very protective of his works but gave permission when he saw what Burton had planned for the movie and liked it. He was concerned that Depp’s voice would be to “rock-like” but approved after hearing a vocal audition. And since Helena and Tim were an item and he didn’t want there to be any talk of nepotism, Helena sent Stephan no less than 12 different demo tapes. Very impressed with her vocal talent he approved her to be part of the film.

The film is done in all dark colors, lots of greys, and blacks. It gives the film a very bleak feeling, reminiscent of the time that is being portrayed. I honestly think that this tactic makes the red of the blood brighter when there is a death on the screen. As well as, it gives you this sense of a man feeling hopeless about what has happened in his life. All the characters look like their skin is washed out, and almost has a grey pallor to it. Even the whites look washed out and depressed.

Speaking of our stellar cast. Let’s talk about them, Shall we? Our first cast member is the late Alan Rickman, as the vile villain Judge Turpin. This role, one of my personal favorite roles of his. I had no idea the man could sing as beautifully as he does. And of course, everyone knows he plays a wonderful bad guy. What some people do not know, is that Alan came to the game late. The role that made him a household name was that of the terrorist Hans Gruber in the 1988, Bruce Willis action film “Die Hard”.

Alan was 44 at the time. That role has been often imitated in numerous parodies as well as cartoons and other films. I would say it is safe to say that the role that Rickman is most famous would be that of “Professor Snape” in the wildly successful “Harry Potter” series of films. After his role in “Die Hard”, he went on to have more roles, usually villains. He did a wonderful job as the terrible “Sheriff of Nottingham” in the 1991 “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” against Kevin Costner’s Robin. Sadly, Alan’s life was cut short by cancer when he passed away on January 14, 2016. Though people will still be able to see his final role, the voice of “Absolem” in the 2016 “Alice Through the Looking Glass. Fans of every genre mourned his passing and it was felt especially hard by “Harry Potter” fans, due to many of them grew up watching this man torment their favorite teen wizard. He will never be forgotten by anyone that has ever had the pleasure of watching him work. I honestly feel that “Sweeney Todd” is a special gift as we get to hear him sing. His voice smooth and powerful. If you have never seen this, it is reason enough, to hear him sing. He will *ALWAYS* be missed.

Our next cast member is the very talented, as well as another Potter alumni. The super talented Helena Bonham Carter. This woman is amazingly versatile and is a joy to watch work, no matter what film it is in. Her career has spanned over 30 years and has given us some amazing characters like “Morgan Le Fay” in the 1998 Sam Neil television mini-series “Merlin”, as well as the wonderfully twisted Marla Singer in the 1999 cult classic “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.

She tormented Harry Potter as the frightening Bellatrix Lestrange in the “Harry Potter”. This film is not the first time that we have gotten to hear her sing, we got to hear her sing when she again starred with Johnny Depp in another Tim Burton masterpiece, the 2005 “Corpse Bride”, as she played Emily, the corpse bride. Her voice is light and airy, and quite beautiful, but it can also take on a dark sound as her range is quite impressive. To help her with the role, she practiced singing while practicing baking techniques so that she could move and sing the right way. And we got to hear her sing again in the 2012 film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber play “Les Miserables”. In 2013 she took on the daunting challenge to play the timeless Elizabeth Taylor in “Burton and Taylor”. As Mrs. Lovett, she is a bit twisted but tender. Her heart might be in the right place, but her head, clearly is not, as she helps Todd plot and plan his revenge, coming up with some pretty twisted ideas of her own.

One of our last cast members to talk about is Jamie Campbell Bower, playing the naive sailor Anthony, who tries to befriend the bitter man and winds up getting much more than he bargained for. Anthony was one of the young man’s first roles.

His fresh face and innocence was like a candle against the darkness of the film. His voice is quite enjoyable as well. After this role, he went on to play “King Arthur” in the short-lived BBC series “Camelot” (2011) alongside the beautiful and talented Eva Green. He gained a whole group of fans when he joined the “Twilight” movie franchise and had girls and women everywhere fawning over his boyish good looks and his beautiful eyes (yes, I am a woman and I do see those things). I look forward to his future projects as his career is really just beginning. Most recently you will be able to see him in the TV mini-series “Will” that has been announced for release sometime in 2017. Hopefully, we will be seeing this man for a long time. I look forward to it.

And, of course, you really cannot talk about “Sweeney Todd” without talking about the man who breathed life into the character and gave us something to talk about. That is right, we are talking about Johnny Depp. A long time partner in crime in the filmmaking world of the legendary Tim Burton, having done at least nine movies together. Burton’s name has been linked to many of Depp’s more popular films and many people will go see their movies, just because it is a collaboration.

Though I will admit some of their films are better than others (cough, cough “Dark Shadows”, cough,). But every at-bat cannot be a home run. As I mentioned earlier, this is the first time we get to hear Depp sing in a film roll. Most people, myself included, thought that he had done the singing in his first musical “Crybaby”, though it has been revealed that he lip-synced for that role. His voice is rich and expressive as he sings, it can go from having a light tender quality to being harsh, and bitter. Though it is always a joy to listen to. Another thing I love to watch in this film is his facial expressions. Though it would not seem as though Mr. Todd is a very expressive character, he really is, as he adjusts to life back in London as well as trying to put his plans in motion. Depp got his start on the set of another horror movie the 1984 horror classic “Nightmare on Elm Street” and as his star rose he has become one of the most popular and well-known actors of our time. His versatility is well known for being able to play anything from pirates to creepy candy makers and anything in between. Known for his kindness and generosity, it is not uncommon to hear that he has dressed up as one of his more popular characters and gone to visit children in hospitals to brighten their day. He can be a bit eccentric but I think that is part of his charm. I look forward to seeing what he brings to life next. Most recently it is the “Mad Hatter” in the 2016 “Alice Through the Looking Glass”.

Whether you are a fan of musicals or not. I always recommend this film. It does have music but it is not boring and overdramatic. And they are actually quite catchy. There is a lot of blood and quite a bit of violence in this film. Though there is humor laced throughout. It is pretty dark humor, but it is there. This film is panda friendly because even though there is blood and violence, Mr. Panda has said it is hard to be bothered by it as they are singing while they are doing it. The plot is very well done and is refreshing from the typical revenge horror plots out there. Some people debate hotly whether Todd was real or just an urban legend. But that is something that I would tell people to find out on their own. This film is great to watch on a lazy day when you want to watch something that is considered horror but don’t want anything too dark or scary.

1 of 5 - There is no nudity, this film takes place in Victorian London. The most you will see are shoulders and the upper parts of breasts.

4 of 5 - There are quite a few deaths in this film. It has many extras but the actual cast is pretty small and so the number increases because of the body count.

3 of 5 - There a fair about of blood and there is some gore. but nothing too graphic or disturbing.

1 of 5 - I didn't find this movie scary at all, but your mileage may vary.

4 of 5 - This film is panda friendly. though some pandas may not be as comfortable with the amount of blood as mine is. The music helps make this film less scary.

Recommendations:

Repo! The Genetic Opera

The Devil's Carnival

From Hell

Sleepy Hollow

Any of the Harry Potter films.