Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DVD)

...returns in the guise of Sweeney Todd, setting up a barbershop in Fleet Street, above the premises of the worst pie shop in London, owned by Mrs Lovett. Sweeney vows revenge not only for the unjust punishment meted out to him but also the devastating consequences visited on his wife and young daughter. With the aid of the amorous Mrs Lovett, he cooks up a diabolical business as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street “[shaving] the heads of gentlemen who ...
...a holiday with the stony-faced Sweeney as a series of Technicolor Victorian seaside picture postcards.

The director fosters an almost pantomime style of acting; there’s nothing here you could consider subtle. But there are some issues with casting. You would have thought the director would have gone with actors that had a proven track record in musicals instead of big names who then have to be trained in singing techniques. The leads ... more

Innocent barber Benjamin Barker is unjustly transported to Australia by evil Judge Turpin and his henchman Beadle Bamford so Turpin can try to seduce his wife. Barker returns in the guise of Sweeney Todd, setting up a barbershop in Fleet Street, above the premises of the worst pie shop in London, owned by Mrs Lovett. Sweeney vows revenge not only for the unjust punishment meted out to him but also the devastating consequences visited on his wife and young daughter. With the aid of the amorous Mrs Lovett, he cooks up a diabolical business as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street “[shaving] the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again”. In the meantime Mrs Lovett’s business takes off with her unusual meat pies…

Apparently Tim Burton has wanted to make a film of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sweeney Todd” ever since he saw it in London in the early 80s. And here it is in all its stylised gothic glory. The odd thing about the movie is that regardless of Burton’s unmistakeable visual style, it is perhaps too faithful to the source material. Nothing about the movie looks quite real – every location looks like a set. The bleached palette of greys and blacks with splashes of crimson looks incredibly artificial and the inches of greasepaint adorning virtually every face looks like stage make-up. The production design is very clearly Tim Burton – the costume design features lots of emo black and white vertical stripes, black taffetas, silks and leathers. There are plenty of decorative curlicues in the background and adorning various props, especially Sweeney’s razors. The computer-generated city fits the template of Burton’s previous work – monolithic buildings hewn from slimy dark stone and set a little too close together for comfort. You get the impression there are dark deeds happening around every corner. There’s quite a lot of gore; the deaths of the barber’s victims leave little to the imagination and are awash with claret and a couple of the main characters are on the receiving end of especially brutal deaths. The romance is tortured and the comedy is dark. The most entertaining moments come in a scene where the love-struck Mrs Lovett imagines taking a holiday with the stony-faced Sweeney as a series of Technicolor Victorian seaside picture postcards.

The director fosters an almost pantomime style of acting; there’s nothing here you could consider subtle. But there are some issues with casting. You would have thought the director would have gone with actors that had a proven track record in musicals instead of big names who then have to be trained in singing techniques. The leads get by on attitude rather than aptitude and it’s down to the supporting players to show them how it’s done. However, the heightened style works in the context of the musical genre where dialogue is often sung and characters frequently burst into song. The film is relatively pacy and Burton makes the most of theatrical conventions to glide from one event to another. So the scene shifts from day to night in a single shot and victims pile up in record time. Consequently the movie doesn’t feel a-hundred-and-seventeen minutes long.

The screenplay by “Gladiator” scribe John Logan is based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and as far as I can remember, is a pretty faithful rendition. Admittedly a couple of the original songs have fallen by the wayside and the scope is slightly larger than that of the stage production. But it still has the problems of virtually every musical production; there isn’t quite enough story to go around. We know Sweeney wants revenge on the man that had him transported. But the subplots about his wife and daughter are underdeveloped and his rivalry with Adolfo Pirelli is dealt with too swiftly. Sweeney is characterised by his thirst for vengeance but there is nothing else to make him human or likeable. Mrs Lovett is defined almost solely by her unrequited love for the barber. Judge Turpin is a generic villain, as is his henchman Beadle Bamford. Toby, Johanna and Anthony are all innocents meant to bring some emotional weight to the production. You are supposed to feel for them because they are all possible lambs to the slaughter, but Johanna is too perfectly pure and Anthony is insipid. The only one with any gumption is Toby and he is something of a Cockernee stereotype.

There is quite a lot of comedy to be had but most of it is macabre, revolving around how close Sweeney comes to being caught. The character comedy is limited to Todd’s ridiculous rival Adolfo Pirelli and even that is tempered with gallows humour. The dialogue is a little odd because much of it is sung, so there are lots of rhyming couplets and little realism.

Johnny Depp is back in scenery-chewing mode as the titular character. This time he has big hair to match the big performance. His accent is a bit Dick Van Dyke and he goes for a punk singing style that just about hides any technical deficiencies. To be fair he goes for things with gusto, which sells the character.

As Mrs Lovett, Helena Bonham-Carter showcases good comic timing and a reedy singing voice that isn’t quite up to the task. However, her brand of lovelorn longing more than outweighs any shortcomings in her singing, making her far more human than the script suggests. Alan Rickman is vulpine, sinister and slimy as the villainous Judge Turpin. He focuses on the cruelty of the role and is distressingly convincing as a pervy old man in his tight breeches with his claw-like nails. He is ably supported by Timothy Spall as his unctuous henchman Beadle Bamford.

Young actor Edward Sanders shows great vocal range and control in his performance as Toby. He also has decent emotional range, making the most of the otherwise standard street urchin part. As Johanna, Jayne Wisener is pretty but insipid, but has a fine soprano voice. Jamie Campbell Bower is similarly wet as her paramour Anthony but has good vocal range. I usually detest Sacha Baron-Cohen, but enjoyed his turn as the chewy-accented Technicolor buffoon and snake-oil salesman Adolfo Pirelli. He gleefully hops through octaves and goes at the part with verve.

Many people laud the work of composer Stephen Sondheim for its apparent complexity but also the way his songs can be acted as well as sung. Personally I’m not a fan; his compositions often come across as self-satisfied. However, he can write a cracking song with surprisingly dark sentiments as in the festive “God, That’s Good!” and “A Little Priest” prove and he gets under the skin of his characters, as with Judge Turpin’s creepy “Pretty Women”. He also has a flair for patter songs such as “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir”. But he’s a little too fond of minor keys such as those found in “Not While I’m Around” and “Johanna (Parts 1 and 2)” are self-consciously theatrical, as is “My Friends”. The arrangements often feel florid and there is an excess of threatening kettle drums and dark strings. But as far as soundtrack recordings go, it’s consistent.

“Sweeney Tood – the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a well-written and directed foray into musicals by Tim Burton. He stamps the material with his own style and elicits a distinct style from his performers. It is gory and funny in equal measure. But it somehow didn’t tick all the boxes for me, often feeling too stage-bound and therefore coming across as an unnecessary and inconsequential addition to the musical movie genre. If you’re already a fan of the musical and Tim Burton, I’m sure you’ll love it. If however you’re after something a bit more Burtonesque or you’re looking for an easy introduction to movie musicals then this isn’t it. I suspect it may have some re-watch value if it’s on television, but I can’t see myself seeking it out otherwise. 

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