Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

John Logan (screenplay)
Stephen Sondheim (musical) ...

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Never Forget. Never Forgive.

Plot:

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.

Plot Keywords:

Judge | Widow | Razor | Lust | Picnic

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 31 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Sweeney Todd
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Mrs. Lovett
Alan Rickman	...	Judge Turpin
Timothy Spall	...	Beadle
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Pirelli
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Anthony
Laura Michelle Kelly	...	Beggar Woman
Jayne Wisener	...	Johanna
Ed Sanders	...	Toby (as Edward Sanders)
Gracie May	...	Baby Johanna
Ava May	...	Baby Johanna
Gabriella Freeman	...	Baby Johanna
Jody Halse	...	Policeman
Aron Paramor	...	Policeman
Lee Whitlock	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Japan:R-15 | Malaysia:18PL | Czech Republic:15 | Taiwan:R-18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:III | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Italy:VM14 | Israel:18 | South Africa:16LV | Greece:K-17 | USA:R (certificate #43914) (cut) | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | France:-12 | Austria:14 | Denmark:15 | Spain:13 | New Zealand:R16 | Chile:18

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

Among those who influenced Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeney Todd were Peter Lorre (especially in Mad Love (1935)), Boris Karloff, Anthony Newley and Iggy Pop.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The razors are said by Todd to be silver, but if they were genuine silver they would have been badly tarnished after 15 years.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anthony Hope: I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders, from the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru. But there's no place like London.
Sweeney Todd: No, there's no place like London.
Anthony Hope: [spoken] Mr. Todd?
Sweeney Todd: You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn.

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Soundtrack:

God, That's Good!

Johnny Depp: The Demon Actor of Hollywood

Tim Burton was always known to be a director that didn't attend to the Academy's personal taste. His movies were true auteur works, always with a Gothic stunning visual and stories there weren't always what it seemed. It was as if Burton were filming every movie on Halloween. Now, however, it's going to be hard for the Academy to ignore Burton's new film- definitely his best one. Sweeney Todd offers the unlikely pairing of musical and horror. And, man, it works splendidly.

The story begins with Benjamin Barker's arrest by Judge Turpin, a true personification of evil, a man who doesn't think twice in convicting Barker for a crime he did not commit. Sent away of London, he returns with a new facet: Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Until this moment on, his barbershop is scenery to grim assassination- through which the evidences of murder are kept hidden thanks to the help of Mrs. Lovett, the baker. Sweeney vows revenge against the judge.

Burton's direction is truly fantastic, exploring his already trademark visuals with bravura. This time, the dark pictures really suit the story, in a way that they both contrast each other; for no matter how dark the city is, it can't compare to the citizens that live within it. Sweeney, once a pure man, becomes the darkest of them all. And there is no better actor in the world that could portray this like Johnny Depp does. His performance is a defining one, one that goes far beyond the Jack Sparrows, Edward Scissorhands, or J.M Barries that Depp portrayed with perfection. Sweeney Todd is a man torn apart by vengeance, a man that answers only to the call of death. Depp illustrates the psychological factors of the character in subtle nuances, giving one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. A true achievement that lives up to the excellence of the entire movie.