Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 01/27/2009 Run time: 117 minutes Rating: R

After years of rumors, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show's mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it's a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton's frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber's partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It's no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd's brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humor of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages--"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others--but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film's depiction of a Victorian London hellhole--with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood--also looks and feels right.

The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don't think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it's hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there's no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. --David Horiuchi

I think Johnny Depp can do no wrong and Eleanor Bonham Carter is Tremendous. I never miss a Depp movie and a MUSICAL!!! amazing. What can this man do next to impress me?

Depp can not sing, not even close. Not that the songs were worth listening to! Not a tune that would make it to the radio.
You would have to be demented to be in any way involved in bringing this sorry stage presentation to the big screen........why?

Absolutely wonderful! I have since listened to the soundtracks of the stage recordings, and in my opinion, Helena Bonham Carter does a far better job than Angela Lansbury and Patti Lupone ever did. Nothing against them, but Ms. Lansbury's singing gets grating after a few seconds, and Patti Lupone, while excellent as Evita, is far too stiff for Mrs. Lovett. Helena Bonham Carter may not be a professional singer, but she sings it far better than the other two ladies, and is amusing, believable, and likeable (no small feat, considering her character). And Johnny Depp is simply superb. Yes, they're not professional singers, but the entire cast does an awesome job that comes across far more naturally and beautifully than the other recordings I've heard. If you doubt it, take a . . . listen to the samples on Amazon.com. Compare how the three measure up to each other.

I thought that this was just about the most repulsive movie I've ever seen - and not just because it was a musical! The blood and guts were a bit much, and all of the throat slitting and waterfalls of blood was putridly excessive, not to mention the awful, soulless "songs" that they sang! I thought it would be good fun watching Sacha Baron Cohen in a movie where he wasn't Borat or Ali G, but the "duel" that he "fought" with Sweeney Todd just didn't make any sense. Helena Bonham Carter, who is very attractive, is difficult to look at when she's made up in Marilyn Manson corpse make-up. I thought that Tim Burton would try to infuse at least some sort of dark humour into this story of a sort-of-sympathetic serial killer, but I'm not sure he even tried this time around since the film is really as gothic as it wants to be. Not recommended.

Johnny Depp was perfect to play the part of Sweeney Todd, and Timothy Spall, who played the part of Beadle, was also perfect for his part in this very different type of musical. There was way too much spurting blood, which was not very realistic, and in my opinion, took away much enjoyment of the movie. The actors actually sang instead of lipsinking, which was a nice touch. Depp's voice surprisingly was quite good. The dynamic sound of the organ during the beginning titles and introduction was chilling.

The Blu-Ray transfer was very clear and detailed,and since the movie was purposely dark, the bits of color throughout stood out vividly. The audio was also good from the front and center channels, but was lacking a bit from the rear. There are a lot of good special features, but be warned, there is a lot of blood,so it's not for everyone.