'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: The Edge
Loss. Exile. Revenge. Meat pies. Cannibalism. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," originally written as somewhat of an opera-style stage production by legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, encompasses all of these elements under the guise of a dark, morbid, yet delightful comedy directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.
Viewers with a sense of twisted humor are given a treat as Depp proves he can sing and kill people simultaneously. More importantly, Burton brings to the screen something a little out of the ordinary - something slightly unusual for its genre.
In terms of story, "Todd" is like any other revenge flick when one considers the basics. Something was taken from the demon barber that he loved ever so much (his family), and the protagonist's mind is consumed by this loss and desire for vengeance. After being exiled from London, Mr. Todd returns to enact this vengeance and kill the man who stole his family from him.
Ultimately, his anger consumes him to a point where he cares not for any other living person and ends up killing whomever. The real charm is when one combines this with typical ideas people think about when the word "musical" is mentioned.
"Sweeney Todd" is one of those musicals to break the mold and tradition of its brethren. That's its greatest gift as well as its downfall for some moviegoers. The humor and feel of the movie tries to intertwine that light-hearted atmosphere with notions of murder, cannibalism and a total disregard for human life.
Sondheim tries to make the audience feel the same way as it would in any other musical (generally happy, warm and amused), but his way of joking is to try and evoke those emotions from topics that could be considered taboo or frowned upon.
While hilarious at times (especially in one scene where Sweeney Todd softly laments the loss of a loved one while nonchalantly slashing the throats of dozens of customers), this form of comedy can prove to be off-putting for some. Not all may get a kick and a chuckle out of mass-murdering London's commoners in order to produce meat pies when times are bad and beef is expensive.
For those looking to see a film where the creator mocks the genre he's made his bread and butter from, this is a perfect film to watch. Sondheim's big joke plays well with Burton's feel to create a memorable musical with funny, dark elements to amuse the more sadistic and great songs probably worth picking up on CD as well.
-Scott Waldyn
edge staff
Viewers with a sense of twisted humor are given a treat as Depp proves he can sing and kill people simultaneously. More importantly, Burton brings to the screen something a little out of the ordinary - something slightly unusual for its genre.
In terms of story, "Todd" is like any other revenge flick when one considers the basics. Something was taken from the demon barber that he loved ever so much (his family), and the protagonist's mind is consumed by this loss and desire for vengeance. After being exiled from London, Mr. Todd returns to enact this vengeance and kill the man who stole his family from him.
Ultimately, his anger consumes him to a point where he cares not for any other living person and ends up killing whomever. The real charm is when one combines this with typical ideas people think about when the word "musical" is mentioned.
"Sweeney Todd" is one of those musicals to break the mold and tradition of its brethren. That's its greatest gift as well as its downfall for some moviegoers. The humor and feel of the movie tries to intertwine that light-hearted atmosphere with notions of murder, cannibalism and a total disregard for human life.
Sondheim tries to make the audience feel the same way as it would in any other musical (generally happy, warm and amused), but his way of joking is to try and evoke those emotions from topics that could be considered taboo or frowned upon.
While hilarious at times (especially in one scene where Sweeney Todd softly laments the loss of a loved one while nonchalantly slashing the throats of dozens of customers), this form of comedy can prove to be off-putting for some. Not all may get a kick and a chuckle out of mass-murdering London's commoners in order to produce meat pies when times are bad and beef is expensive.
For those looking to see a film where the creator mocks the genre he's made his bread and butter from, this is a perfect film to watch. Sondheim's big joke plays well with Burton's feel to create a memorable musical with funny, dark elements to amuse the more sadistic and great songs probably worth picking up on CD as well.
-Scott Waldyn
edge staff
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