Throughout his career thus far, Tim Burton has proven to be the master of light and dark. Although many of his films tackle boogie men and other things, man-made freaks and other nightmarish figures, his style infuses a comedic tone that can be described simply as Burton-esque. So even when he takes on a murdering barber and cannibalism, there’s still an air of comedy seeping through it. Add to the fact that Johnny Depp’s belting out ballads and you only make things more memorable. Despite limiting itself to a small part of London and generating a sense of repetition, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is yet another bizarre and beautiful excursion courtesy of one of Hollywood’s most creative minds.
Based on the Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd tells the equally tragic and horrific tale of Benjamin Barker, a simple man with a beautiful wife and daughter. He’s set up for a crime he didn’t do and sent away. Upon his return to London, Barker is a hardened man whose wife is dead. His daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) has since been adopted by the nefarious Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Barker opens up a barber shop, a perfect cabin in the woods disguise for his house of slaughter. With the help of his neighbour Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), Barker transforms into the murderous, revenge-seeking Sweeney Todd.
Like all of Burton’s films, there is a visual feel to Sweeney Todd. The emphasis on dark decors and pale skin give it the look of an old black and white horror. I don’t know if you can call something both detailed and sparse, but that’s kind of what Sweeney Todd is like. The set designs and costumes are all very intricate but at the same time there’s a beautiful simplicity to it all. The result draws you further into the story as it comforts you by not drawing attention to itself and puts the spotlight on the offbeat performances.
Without any prior goes at the live action film musical, Johnny Depp may not have been everyone’s first choice for the starring role. But neither was Michael Keaton when Burton began working on Batman. Burton and Depp have a long-standing working relationship that includes Ed Wood, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sleepy Hollow. This lends to a familiarity for the audience as they know what to expect when the two get together. Depp does a solid enough job in the role. His singing might not be the stuff that American Idols are made of, but Todd is a tortured soul and this probably makes Depp more suited for the role than many other golden voiced bucks.
As solid as Depp is, it’s Sacha Baron Cohen who steals the film in his brief role as an over-the-top swindling hair tonic salesman. He delivers his lines with an exceptional pompousness, yet his facial gestures are comic gold. But when you’re pitted against a serial killer, chances are you’re not going to make it through to the credits.
Where Sweeney Todd runs into a little trouble is in its somewhat stagnant selection of locales. While they are also gorgeous, there’s a sense of repeating déjà vu as the same haunts are covered over and over. Combined with a lot of the same action, by the end of the film I was hoping for something a little more. The barber shop is iconic so it justly remains static, but the slaughters all had a similar sense of tension. As the film progresses the stakes should always be getting higher and higher. This usually means a small twist on the previous bit of action. Instead the person in the chair changes and that’s about it. For a couple of key characters this is necessary, but with the other supporting characters, a little variety in these scenes would have been nice.
Even still, Sweeney Todd is uncomfortably fun. It’s violent and over-the-top, yet despite its unsympathetic subject matter it’s subject is surprisingly likeable. Sweeney Todd is yet another interesting and visual quirky experience from one of Hollywood’s most imaginative men.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street DVD Review
The two-disc special edition DVD is a loaded and well rounded look at not only the film but the mythology surrounding. The film is presented in a stunning enhanced widescreen format. The colours and contrast are very nice, bringing out perhaps the film’s greatest strength. The songs belt out in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English, Spanish and French. All three languages are also included as optional subtitles.
Of the featurettes, my favourite was “Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber.” Consisting of interviews with various academics and experts, the short piece looks at the origin of the myth of Sweeney Todd, its plausibility as being real and its impact as a legend. “Burton + Depp + Cater + Todd” is a star-powered behind-the-scenes look at the film. Other featurettes explore the making of the film, the movie’s London backdrop, history of the Grand Guignol theatre and discussions between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, as well as an in-depth interview with playwright Stephen Sondheim.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Gallery
Trailer
