Bloody, Brilliant
a fan of clever plots
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JAN
10
2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street —
The older I get, the less I seem to like gore, but for all the talk about the blood in this flick I must be desensitized somewhat because I found myself far more affected by the emotional pain Johnny Depp brought to the character than by the scenes of throat cutting. I didn't think it was even in the same leagues with all the flicks out there today that seem to revel in how many different ways you can destroy a human body since it was so rich in character and had what I found to be a rather heartwrenching plot. Granted, unlike the play where the violence is "off in the distance", the movie shows it "up close and personal." (and...in all fairness to the movie it is said that half the audience walked out on opening night on Broadway because they thought it was violent, too) But what made me get that sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach was not the physical violence (although I must admit that the thought of grinding up human bodies for pies brings my bile up a bit) but the emotions behind injustices at the hands of the cruel and how they can turn those who hunt monsters into monsters. Truly....I felt his pain. I think Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal said it best when he called it "Bloody, Brilliant." I loved the play, and now I loved the movie.Johnny did a fine job of bringing Sweeney to life and even his singing voice was surprisingly good. Although it wasn't Broadway quality it was a lot better than I expected and more than adequate for the darker songs and even rather sweet when he sings a song like "Pretty Women." My respect for his talents only grows with this film. I love Tim Burton movies and I love Johnny Depp and there's no denying that they work well together and this movie proves that fact yet again. I thought he did a fine job with the character of Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd, a man being consumed by his lust for vengeance until it blinds him to anything else, He's always been one of my favorite actors for good reason....the man is just a great actor who picks interesting roles and who isn't afraid to take risks. Helena Bonham Carter, also a very fine actress who also dares to take risks, was rather impressive as Mrs. Lovett. She's actually got more than enough talent to do stage as she had impeccable timing and a good voice. Alan Rickman was wonderful to loathe, along with Timothy Spall as the Beadle. They made themselves easy to hate. The plot needs villains that make Sweeney empathetic. Sacha Baron Cohen was a great choice for Pirelli adding some much needed comedy to a film that was a bit darker in many ways than the Broadway version even though it remained completely true to the original story. I was particularly impressed with a young Edward Sanders playing Toby and I can believe we will see more of him in the future because it would be a real waste of talent if we did not. The young actor who plays Anthony Hope sings like an angel. (and he's actually rather pretty which makes him look more angelic) And if ever there was a plot that proved that hate, no matter how justified, destroys those doing the hating as much as they seek to destroy others, this is it. I've always loved the play and Tim Burton did it justice and even though it had a little less humor and a little more horror than the stage performance it is not devoid of humor, though it's definitely what one would call "black comedy." He stayed true to the original and yet added his own Burtonesque touches and he did it well. I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed, and I wasn't. He created a dark London where one could relate to Sweeney when he sings
"There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
and it's filled with people who are filled with shit!
And the vermin of the world inhabit it!"
I have a VHS of the original stage performance, filmed just as it was shown on Broadway (they just pointed some cameras at the stage so you could watch as if you were in the audience) and now I can't wait to add this dvd to my collection when it comes out.
Last edited on Jan 10, 2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is recommended by tina257
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