FilmFlicking

Catnapper · Site Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 6167

I like musicals but this isn't the usual singing/dancing let's put a show on here type of musical.......it's very bloody, gory and gruesome! Johnny Depp is fantastic as Benjamin Barker, a happily married family man who's convicted of a crime he didn't commit and deported by the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who takes Barker's wife and makes Barker's daughter, Johanna, his ward. Years later, Barker returns a changed man.......Sweeney Todd, an expert barber who's driven by vengeance.

It's a very dark, gothic type of story which you'd expect from Tim Burton. The scenes are mainly black, white and grey..........apart from huge amounts of red when throats are being cut

The throat cutting scenes are quite graphic with blood spurting out and bones crunching and the sight of Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) using the giant mincing machine is enough to put you off eating pies for quite a while!

Considering the actors aren't trained singers - though Jayne Wisener as Johanna has an operatic type of voice - they all sing extremely well. Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics are always tricky (difficult tunes with lots of words to fit in) but all the cast do a great job. I read one reviewer said Depp sounded like David Essex...wrong!.....he's more like David Bowie at times and he's excellent.

Sasha Baron Cohen sings an impossibly high note at the end of his song (when his character and Sweeney Todd are having a shaving contest) and he's good too. One thing I never thought I'd post about is Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman doing a duet together

but that somehow works too! Not having professional singers in the roles makes the film seem more realistic and gritty.....not as polished as musicals usually are, which is good.

I haven't seen any other versions of Sweeney Todd or seen the stage musical so I don't know if the ending's the same.......but it threw me completely! Good film......9/10

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 9571

Great review Cat

It sounds great ....can't wait to see it now too

And Borat with a high voice aswell?

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Catnapper · Site Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 6167

Yeah Luc....my eyebrows went up when he hit that high note, I thought he'd cut himself with the razor

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 9571

Perhaps he was still donning that mankini underneath Babe?

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Catnapper · Site Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 6167

Perish the thought

I forgot to say about Timothy Spall in my review

He gets to sing with Alan Rickman too! It's a little kind of ditty where the Beadle (that's Spall not Jeremy!) is sidling up to the Judge (Rickman) and being so obnoxiously slimy you hope Sweeney Todd gets him

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 9571

Sounds brill babe though the thought of Jeremy Beadle doing that scene has now entered my head...and I'm just speculating that he could do it as slimily too

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Emperor Morphetine · Oscar Winner Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 1802

I never usually like musicals but this has got me curious. It actually looks pretty good! Has anyone else noticed that Johnny Depp looks curiously like Dave Vanian ( singer with The Damned) in the publicity pictures for the film?
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The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be..unnatural.

Catnapper · Site Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 6167

Well Spotted Darth

He does look like him...... Mind you, I had to google him first!

Lucifer_666 · Site Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 9571

Yeah he would alright I wonder did Tim Burton have the damned in mind when he was thinking of how Depp would look?

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Emperor Morphetine · Oscar Winner Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 1802

I wouldn't surprise me Luc, Burton seems a very Gothic filmmaker and The Damned were probably one of the first bands to usher in the 'goth' image.
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The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be..unnatural.