Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Edward Sanders, Timothy Spall
directed by: Tim Burton
directed by: Tim Burton
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Product Description:
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller "Sweeney Todd." Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge not only for that cruel punishment but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett Sweeney's amorous accomplice who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman who portrays the evil Judge Turpin who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.System Requirements:Running Time: 116 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 097363500643 Manufacturer No: 350064
Amazon.com:
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 powerfulwork, 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
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller "Sweeney Todd." Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge not only for that cruel punishment but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett Sweeney's amorous accomplice who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman who portrays the evil Judge Turpin who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.System Requirements:Running Time: 116 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 097363500643 Manufacturer No: 350064
Amazon.com:
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 powerfulwork, 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
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Not for the Squeamish
Not to everyone's taste - especially if you are squeamish - is thisGrand Guignol song-story of revenge, murder and the worst meat-pies in London, splashed with blood the color of Chanel lipstick and dark humor. In fact the humor is pitch black, only slightly darker than grim and grimy London in some slightly pre-Victorian age. What Tim Burton has made of it may not be quite what this revengers' tragedy was on stage and at full length. But it is original and lives up to what we have come to expect ... Read More
Rating: 
- Well worth it!!
I was hesitant to purchase this movie online, at first . But I am so glad I did! Not only was the DVD in perfect condition when I got it but it came in 2 business days. The movie itself was beyond amazing! I was so impressed with both Johnny and Helena's singing. The rest of the cast was as talented and wonderful as they could be. A must buy!
Rating: - Okay, so it isn't Broadway!
I saw Sweeney Todd in March of 1979 in preview on Broadway.I sat in the second row-so I got to see all the gore up close. I was mesmorized and couldn't get it out of my head for months.The only problem was that Angela Lansbury clearing wasn't up to the part in terms of the singing requirements of the role-but I loved her anyway.Victor Garber played Anthony in a stiff manner, and the girl who played Joanna was such a dear thing you wanted to choke her.I kept waiting for her to "get it" from "Dad". ... Read More
Rating: 
- Just not a Soundheim fan, I guess
Great performances, and a great look. However, with a musical it is all about the songs, and I hated them all! I guess I'm just not a Stephen Soundheim fan, because there wasn't a single number that I liked, and most of them I wanted to mute (except I couldn't, because just about all the dialogue was sung). 4-stars for acting and production design, but two stars for the movie over all. (And I like musicals! 'Hairspray' was one of the only movies that I have four stars to last year!)
Rating: - The best musical ever
I asbolutely loved this musical and I rarely like musicals. Tim Burton did a fanastic job directing this and I wasn't expecting a muscial from Tim Burton to be this good. Johnny Depp was excellent as Sweeney Todd and Helen Bonham Carter was pure perfection as the insane people inot pie making Mrs. Lovett. This is an absoluteely wonderful.
- Not for the SqueamishNot to everyone's taste - especially if you are squeamish - is thisGrand Guignol song-story of revenge, murder and the worst meat-pies in London, splashed with blood the color of Chanel lipstick and dark humor. In fact the humor is pitch black, only slightly darker than grim and grimy London in some slightly pre-Victorian age. What Tim Burton has made of it may not be quite what this revengers' tragedy was on stage and at full length. But it is original and lives up to what we have come to expect ... Read More
- Well worth it!!I was hesitant to purchase this movie online, at first . But I am so glad I did! Not only was the DVD in perfect condition when I got it but it came in 2 business days. The movie itself was beyond amazing! I was so impressed with both Johnny and Helena's singing. The rest of the cast was as talented and wonderful as they could be. A must buy!
- Okay, so it isn't Broadway!I saw Sweeney Todd in March of 1979 in preview on Broadway.I sat in the second row-so I got to see all the gore up close. I was mesmorized and couldn't get it out of my head for months.The only problem was that Angela Lansbury clearing wasn't up to the part in terms of the singing requirements of the role-but I loved her anyway.Victor Garber played Anthony in a stiff manner, and the girl who played Joanna was such a dear thing you wanted to choke her.I kept waiting for her to "get it" from "Dad". ... Read More
- Just not a Soundheim fan, I guessGreat performances, and a great look. However, with a musical it is all about the songs, and I hated them all! I guess I'm just not a Stephen Soundheim fan, because there wasn't a single number that I liked, and most of them I wanted to mute (except I couldn't, because just about all the dialogue was sung). 4-stars for acting and production design, but two stars for the movie over all. (And I like musicals! 'Hairspray' was one of the only movies that I have four stars to last year!)
- The best musical everI asbolutely loved this musical and I rarely like musicals. Tim Burton did a fanastic job directing this and I wasn't expecting a muscial from Tim Burton to be this good. Johnny Depp was excellent as Sweeney Todd and Helen Bonham Carter was pure perfection as the insane people inot pie making Mrs. Lovett. This is an absoluteely wonderful.
