With a great supporting cast and some killer (pardon the pun) musical numbers, this is award winning stuff.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for graphic bloody violence.
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Theatrical Release: 25-01-2008
Synopsis: With its rivers of blood, this adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical isn't for the faint of heart--or stomach. But thanks to the black humor, impeccable production design, and gorgeous music, Tim Burton fans will want to sing after seeing SWEENEY TODD. For his sixth collaboration with... With its rivers of blood, this adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical isn't for the faint of heart--or stomach. But thanks to the black humor, impeccable production design, and gorgeous music, Tim Burton fans will want to sing after seeing SWEENEY TODD. For his sixth collaboration with the director, Johnny Depp stars as Benjamin Barker aka Sweeney Todd, a barber falsely imprisoned by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). After leaving prison, he comes back to Victorian London to find his wife poisoned and his daughter held captive. As he plots his revenge, Sweeney joins forces with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), and while he preys on clients asking for a shave, his new partner turns the bodies into baked goods. But the judge still lives, and the razor-wielding madman wants his vengeance. Though it's a musical, SWEENEY TODD has more in common with Italian horror films such as SUSPIRIA than it does with CHICAGO. Even the horror-musical hybrid LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS pales in comparison to the darkness found here. Previous Burton-Depp pairings have veered toward the macabre, but this reaches a glorious new level. Though they've made excellent films apart, their partnership has produced some of their best work, including EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, ED WOOD, and now SWEENEY TODD. Depp demonstrates his rock-band roots as the antihero of the title with another amazing performance, while Bonham Carter is both hilarious and heartbreaking as the eager Mrs. Lovett. But credit also belongs to production designer Dante Ferretti, director of photography Dariusz Wolski, and, of course, Burton, for showing a sooty London that is just as dark as the film's subject matter. Source composer Sondheim should also be recognized for the haunting songs that threaten to stick in viewers' heads, but the film as a whole also deserves to be remembered for its beauty and brutality. [More]
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Jamie Campbell Bower
Screenwriter: John Logan
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, John Logan
Composer: Stephen Sondheim
DVD Info
Release:
Jan 4, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case - 2-Disc Set - Sensormatic Packaging
- Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
- Subtitled - French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
- Featurettes - 1. BURTON + DEPP + CARTER = TODD
- 2. SWEENEY TODD Press Conference, November 2007
- 3. SWEENEY TODD IS ALIVE: THE REAL HISTORY OF THE DEMON BARBER
- 4. MUSICAL MAYHEM: SONDHEIM'S SWEENEY TODD
- 5. SWEENEY'S LONDON
- 6. THE MAKING OF SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
- 7. GRAND GUIGNOL: A THEATRICAL TRADITION
- 8. DESIGNS FOR A DEMON BARBER
- 9. A BLOODY BUSINESS
- 10. THE RAZOR'S REFRAIN
- Production Interviews - Tim Burton - Director, Johnny Depp - Star
- Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Photo Gallery
Reviews
Burton’s best film since Ed Wood will come in handy for anyone in need of something for the weekend.
Gruesomely satisfying, fans of both Burton and Sondheim are equally liable to be pleased with this marvelous meeting of minds. If the film sags a little at times, its technical prowess and superlative cast ensure we don't dwell on this for too long.
A grimy concoction from Hell's own kitchen, laced with black humour and seasoned with hauntingly beautiful music. Tuck in.
A thoughtful, sincere and moving film, buttressed by a fine, central performance by an actor at the top of his form.
Whether horror fans are ready for high-notes or musical buffs will appreciate Dario Argento levels of gore is an open question, but this is a rich, demented experience.
Deserves kudos for attempting to bring a cerebral and extremely violent story, told almost entirely in song, to the multiplex masses. It's just a shame that, ironically, there's little humanity beneath Sweeney Todd's sumptuous outer pastry.
I cannot wait to go see this film again and I really want to buy the soundtrack.
The movie belongs to Depp and Bonham Carter, who dance slowly and seductively against the backdrop of Burton's London until it's time to paint the town red.
Burton has done that rare thing -- turned a great play into a great film.
Sweeney Todd ranks among this year's most intense, haunting, and startling films; the fact that it also features great songs by Stephen Sondheim is just gravy on the meat pie.
Another bizarre and beautiful excursion courtesy of one of Hollywood's most creative minds.
Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham-Carter have made so many films together that they're starting to resemble each other.
We all knew Johnny Depp could act. The brilliantly imagined Sweeney Todd shows he can sing, too.
The most accomplished almost-remake of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari since the passing of the silent era.
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at IGN
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