First Impressions: Sweeney Todd
I’ve been sitting here trying to decide whether Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is Oscar material or not, but then I realized it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that Tim Burton, one of the more interesting (if not always completely successful) filmmakers working today, has made one of his best movies in a long time. Stephen Sondheim’s Grand Guignol musical is material that Burton seems born to bring to the screen.
Too often, Burton’s meticulously designed gothic fantasies threaten to bury his sometimes scattershot stories. The weaker ones crumble under the weight, looking beautiful, but unable to stand up for themselves. They’re lovely to look at, but sometimes seem empty inside. In Sweeney Todd however, Burton has found a story not only appropriate to his visual aesthetic, but also weighty enough to keep from being overwhelmed by his style. There’s also a strong emotional undercurrent that gives the movie a surprising gravity and resonance. The feeling is never lost in the production design.
Being a musical, the first question on everyone’s mind will probably be “Can Johnny Depp sing?” I’m not an expert, but I thought he was surprisingly good as the revenge bent Sweeney Todd. He can carry a tune and sell the emotion of a song. More importantly, he can act while he sings. These things matter more to me than range or vocal histrionics. Depp is a good actor. Here he’s got Jack Sparrow’s accent, but it’s a more stripped down, nuanced character and there’s depth of feeling behind it.
Helena Bonham Carter is weaker in the singing department as Mrs. Lovett the meat pie maker, but she makes up for it with her own charm and humor. She’s a natural at the vein of dark humor that runs all through Sweeney Todd. She’s a perfect counterpoint to the more dark and brooding Sweeney. Though I’d heard her part was cut down from that of the original Broadway production, it doesn’t feel like she’s been given short shrift and she’s key to several of the best scenes, particularly some of the duets. She was in all of my favorite bits: The Worst Pies in London, My Friends and By The Sea. By The Sea was especially good, enhanced by a comic shift in production design from the dull gray of London used throughout the rest of the film; a welcome bit of leavening amid some dark and heavy territory.
I should also make special mention of some of the supporting cast. Jamie Campbell Bower as the young sailor who falls in love with Sweeney’s daughter probably has the best voice of the lot. Timothy Spall is suitably loathsome as Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is amusing as Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Sweeney Todd’s preening competitor.
Finally, it’s nice to see the great and underused Alan Rickman unshackled from the ball and chain of the Harry Potter series. He’s given a bit more to do here than scowl and he makes the most of it.
About the blood. There are fountains of it and this might turn some people off. Personally, I thought it was so exaggerated and stylized that it wasn’t disturbing. Though I’m not squeamish, I don’t want to underplay what a violent story it is. If you were born under a rock and aren’t familiar with it: Sweeney Todd takes revenge for past wrongs by slitting numerous throats. His companion Mrs. Lovett bakes the victims into very popular meat pies.
The first couple of killings were sudden and surprising, but the blood was so red/orange, especially in contrast to the subdued, nearly monochromatic cinematography that it was almost cartoonish rather than grisly or disgusting. It seemed tied to an emotional component somehow and I didn’t find it off-putting at all. Your results may vary depending on your stomach for this sort of thing.
The blood I think may be the line of demarcation for Oscar voters and their overall acceptance or rejection of Sweeney Todd will hinge upon their reaction to it. The original Broadway production is nearly 30 years old so the dark and violent material shouldn’t come as a surprise to most voters, but I wonder if the up close and personal magnifier of the big screen might not make it all a little too much. Either way, I expect Johnny Depp will be nominated. Though he’s not even in the same league as Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood (when P.T. Anderson named his film, he surely had no idea he’d be up against Sweeney Todd), if the Academy warms up to Sweeney, it might be enough to give him the edge. Voters who liked Depp in the Pirates movies (who didn’t?), but didn’t vote for him because it was silly Jerry Bruckheimer crap, might find enough reason to reward him here.
As for a general audience, I can’t say. Depp and Burton fans I think will be pleased. Fans of the original musical should be happy. As for everyone else, I don’t know. I can only recommend you give it a shot.
Find out for yourself when Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opens nationwide on December 21, 2008.
This is definitely my favorite review yet - so well done; seemingly not biased and very informative. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a glowing review either!
“[The blood] seemed tied to an emotional component somehow…” That’s exactly what Burton was going for, that’s why he played it off that way. Glad someone took notice and saw it for what it was. :)
Thank you for an extraordinary review!!
Thank you for stopping by Gina and for taking the time to say such nice things.
I’m definitely going to have to see this one again.
You sound like you have a personal stake in the movie. Did you work on it or are you just a really big fan?
Good review. I’m excited to see it. Although I differ in your opinion of Depp not being in the same league as Daniel Day Lewis–I think he absolutely is–but I understand this is a personal taste thing and not a fact that can be proven. Either way, I enjoyed your review.
Hi Mickey, thanks. Just to be clear, I wasn’t comparing Depp to Day-Lewis overall, just Depp in Sweeney to Day-Lewis in There Wil Be Blood.
Even that comparison isn’t really fair because they’re totally different, but Day-Lewis was just something special to me. He didn’t do any singing though… :)
Looking forward to this, I was also that one person who thought that Burton made an artistic comeback with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Insufferable Freddie Highmore notwithstanding, I thought it had the pulse of the old Burton, which previously hadn’t shown itself since Ed Wood.
Glad to hear your thoughts on this Craig.
I fully expected to hate Charlie, but I liked it quite a bit. The songs didn’t hold up to my childhood memories of the ones from the Gene Wilder original, but you can’t win ‘em all.
I enjoyed reading your impressions, Craig. You clearly enjoyed the movie, confirmed that it is a well-made and successful adaptation of this wonderful show while remaining unbiased.
Above, you gave a very astute response to Gina’s comment: “you sound like you have a personal stake in the movie”. It seems to me that so many people do have a personal stake in this movie. I guess it is because there are so many Johnny Depp fans (and many fans of the musical) who want to see both him and the picture win this year.
Thank you again for this feedback.
Thanks Alison!
I can see by the hits I’m getting I stumbled into some passionate territory with this post! I’m glad I liked it or I think I might be getting eaten alive right now.
Scary. :)
I don’t have a personal stake in the movie. I’ve never even seen the stage version though because my girl friend used to play the damned album all the tie (yikes) I thought I’d go mad. But that was then — about 75 years ago, I think….
Once again, Craig, the novel opener of your review really got me hooked. Way to reel ‘em in.
I had all but written Burton off, but now you’ve added to the positive buzz and got me curious. I’ve pretty much decided I’ll see it.
The red-orange blood business makes me think of Dawn of the Dead or other Seventies films, maybe because I watched Martin last night.
But how are you getting into all these advance screenings? Sounds as if you got your official critic’s licence. Did you have to hang by your pecs from eagle claws, or kill a wolf, or try to find something nice to say about Woody Allen’s post 1990 output? What’s the story?
I would agree that Sweeney Todd is probably one of Burton’s best films and one of Depp’s best performances in years. I’d also agree that this is a film Burton was born to make and that the blood itself was fairly theatrical and not horribly disgusting, but other aspects of the production made my stomach turn a bit and when I finally saw the end of the film approaching, I was happily relieved to know it would soon be over.
I can appreciate the sheer technical craft behind Sweeney Todd and not having seen the material performed live, I can only imagine that this is possibly the most faithful and reasonable film version possible. Depp and Carter both carry their characters well, evening out their dreadful, monstrous behavior with some pathos mixed in. Depp really handled the singing well and I liked his take on it. Wasn’t he in a band at one point? And let’s not forget he began his film career as a leading man in John Water’s Crybaby. The kid’s got some pipes.
It’s a joy to see the wonderful actors Timothy Spall and Alan Rickman chewing scenery somewhere other than Hogwarts. Rickman has been the best part of every single Potter movie he’s been in but it’s criminal that his screen-time has been so limited. I’m dying to see him do something other than play Severus Snape.
As much as I have enjoyed Sasha Baron Cohen’s work, I’m already starting to find him annoying. The second he showed up on screen, the 20 or so people in the theater with me laughed at him every second he was on screen, even when he wasn’t actually doing anything. I think he’s a very smart comedian and a potentially gifted actor, but I thought here he was doing just another variation on his wacky European guy schtick. He reminds me of Robin Williams, who’s been coasting on manic energy and the same stock vocal antics for decades now. I was glad Cohen was only briefly in the film. The response to his presence was annoyingly distracting.
But I digress…
For me, Sweeney Todd may have been a little too much of a good thing. I struggle with the Sondheim musicals and I struggled with Sweeney Todd’s narrative. I struggle with copious gore in modern horror films and I struggled with Sweeney’s more gruesome scenes. I struggle with Tim Burton’s obsession with all things gothic yet goofy and I struggled with Sweeney Todd’s tepid gloom and doom. It was so brilliantly executed and so technically spot-on but at the end of the movie I found myself struggling to figure out if it was worth it. I’m not sure. This is no Ed Wood, but it’s probably the most heart-felt and assured film that Burton and/or Depp have made since.
As for Oscar, man, I don’t know. Sweeney Todd is going to have to do a lot better than the smattering of Depp and Burton diehards that showed up late on Saturday morning for a holiday weekend matinee. The film’s blood may be technicolor, but the ragdoll corpses, cannibalism, and meat grinder were a lot to stomach. It was fairly dark, something that might be more acceptable to a wider audience in these CSI-influenced times but I don’t know.
Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and Dreamgirls it ain’t.
Joel, Johnny Depp didn’t sing in Cry Baby. He was dubbed.
Oh. Well the kid can sing…unless he was dubbed in Sweeney too. Thanks for the correction Alison.
By the way Alison, did you hack this site? Your response was up almost as soon as I finally posted my comment. Methinks you’re lightening fast, lady!
No problem. :-)
Supposedly Depp did record the songs for Cry Baby, but the director wanted a more Elvis-like sound for the songs. That’s why he was dubbed.
Nope, I don’t have the technical skill to hack anything. I think it just happened to be good timing. :-)
Huh. Johnny was dubbed. I had no idea. Well he was the best voice in Sweeney Todd and as Craig said, he managed to not only sing but act surprisingly well while doing it. He comes across as someone who has been doing this for a long time.
I hope the Academy at least nominates him for Best Actor. He deserves the attention.
I got an email from another person today who isnt a big Burton fan and they thought the gothy goomy greyness of the thing was a little overwhelming.
Fair enough I suppose, but I thought it helped magnify the emotionality (is that like Wessonality?) of the red red blood gushing.
Plus, when you think about it for a second, this is a really sad story. The first blood doesn’t flow (except for the credits) for 45 minutes and that whole time is a complete downward spiral for Johnny Depp.
By the time he kills his first victim, you’re really feeling his anger and bitterness and you’re just waiting for it to hit the fan….and it does. Over and over and over again.
But then of course it takes another turn as he misses out on his chance of maybe finding true happiness with his cobbled together family because he can’t see beyond his obsession and….well you know how it all turns out.
I don’t know though. I’ve heard lots of different responses from a lot of different people. Another huge fan of the musical was very disappointed that Beadle’s part was trimmed back.
Other people have been enraptured by the whole thing.
It’s not in my top 10, but I ilked it quite a bit.
Having not seen it yet, I can’t give my opinion good or bad. But I have been reading people’s reports, just to get a sense of the different reactions. It’s so interesting to see the wide range. Plenty of people were enraptured by the film. Others thought it was definitely one of Burton’s best films, but not one of the best of the year.
And some people were genuinely disappointed, and not necessarily by the blood/gore and/or the singing. Some people know the show backwards and forwards, and had a hard time leaving their preconceptions aside. The big complaint that seems to crop up over and over isn’t the cut songs or cut parts, although I have seen that too. It’s the interpretation of the characters, specifically the leads, that bothered people.
Many fans are used to a brassier Mrs. Lovett. Bonham-Carter does not have the vocal power to do a brassy Mrs. Lovett, plus I don’t think it would fit her. Being the gifted actress that she is, she chose a characterization that worked for her and that fit what she could do vocally. Many die-hard fans found her interpretation of the character suprisingly refreshing. Others missed the louder, brassier Mrs. Lovett. Likewise, I read complaints about Depp’s characterization of Sweeney Todd. Several people reported that they found it unsatisfying.
It’s important to go in without expectations of what one knows from the show, but in the end they’re not going to please everybody. And as I said somewhere on here, my mother refuses to even go to see the movie. For her the Lansbury/Cariou version is the one.
Even never having seen the original Broadway show, I can say Helena is no Angela, but I think she gets points for making it her own. This was Helena’s Mrs. Lovett. She wasn’t trying to imitate anyone.
I can see how these changes would be hard for people who truly love a certain version of the musical. It’s like hearing someone cover my favorite Rolling Stones song. It’s just wrong.
Still, I’ve learned there are some very very good Rolling Stones covers. I still have my favorite originals, but the variety is nice.
You seem open minded enough Alison that I have hope you’ll find something to like with Sweeney even if it doesn’t match up with your perfect vision. I suspect that if you don’t care for it, it will be because you didn’t care for the choices that were made more than because you weren’t open to something new in the first place.
Unless I’m reading you wrong. We shall see.
I like to think of myself as open-minded, Craig. :-)
The Rolling Stones cover is a great example. Their songs are great, and as with many great songs, there can be different interpretations. All of them can work.
The film is its own thing, not the show. And I plan to judge the movie for what it is by itself.
Stil I cringe every time I hear a Stones cover… I’m better now then I used to be (older and wiser I guess), but I know exactly how your mom feels.
Anyway, I think there’s a 50/50 chance you will dig the Burton Sweeney and as I said, it will come down to how well the changes work for you.
If you’re in love with the Lansbury version of Lovett, HBC is going to be tough to swallow, but she’s so enjoyable I hope she works for you. She really goes a long way to brightening the gloom without losing the edge on the story. The perfect counterpoint to the darker more brooding Johnny Depp.
Actually, I did watch those few clips that ended up on the web. As much as I love Angie’s Mrs. Lovett, I also liked the little bit I saw of HBC’s interpretation. She has a wonderful dry sense of humor that she clearly brings to the role, and it looks to me like it works. I’m not worried about it at all.
It’s odd because as I’ve said before (to my untrained ear) she’s the weakest singer, but she gives one of the best performances and she also has two of the songs I liked the best.
(do you ever feel you’re at war with someone who has to have the last word???)
I’m putting another word in. :-p
From what I’ve heard she is the weakest singer. But the timbre, the sound of her voice is pretty to my ear. And whereas Depp didn’t bother to get any training - he made other choices for his preparation - HBC did take voice lessons. For that I commend and respect her. She really put the effort in, and I guess maybe I’m going easy on her because she did that.
I’ll definitely let you know what I think after I see the film. But I have a feeling I’m going to like it a lot. :-)
I think the style of the storytelling also plays to the lack of experience and skill in the voice talent and honestly, I think that works for way Burton chooses to tell the story. It’s more intimate, the singing and performances more conversational. It’s not showy and over-the-top for the most part…it matches the emotion of the scene and the characters but you won’t see any Vincent Minnelli-style dance numbers in Sweeney Todd.
I think it works, it was just that I didn’t really feel much when it was over. I was just worn out by it all. I’m still trying to reconcile my response to the film…I’m not honestly sure if I like it or not but I have a deep respect for the individual efforts behind the film. A lot of folks really put their all into it and I can see that on-screen.
:-)
I know there are no Vincent Minnelli-style dance numbers in Sweeney Todd. Though that would be quite surreal, wouldn’t it.
Knowing Burton, I kept expecting him to slip in Bandwagon territory at some point but he was pretty restrained. There was one number that got on the verge of that…but it worked and was played mostly for laughs.
It’s not exactly Newsies.
You must be thinking of the By The Sea number that had a distinctly Burton flair…but it worked and was one of my favorite parts of the movie.