Sweeney Todd

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

By Henry Sweets

“Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a screen adaptation that misses the mark. The original script is luxuriously dark and sexy, but totally demented. The Hollywood version tries too hard to take itself more seriously than its predecessor. A great performance by Johnny Depp is only matched by the excellent music and artful production of the film.

Depp plays a barber, Sweeney Todd (formerly Benjamin Barker), who is returning from a 15 year sentence in Australia that was handed down by the same judge who stole Depp’s wife. Depp meets Mrs. Potter, played by Helena Bonham Carter, an eye-catching baker who serves “the worst pies in London,” and munches cockroaches. She recognizes Todd and tells him his wife has committed suicide.

The first musical number they share is “The Worst Pies in London.” This is a very entertaining number, but Carter lacks the zaniness and air of psychosis that it takes to be sexy while simultaneously eating cockroaches. Her vampirish skin was the first mistake in this film that opted for grey-scale horror instead of the colorful, calculated foolishness required to deliver this kind of script.

Sasha Baron Cohen appears as Signor Adolfo Pirelli – a snake oil salesman who employs and abuses a dancing young boy who looks like a girl. Baffoonish and arrogant, Cohen impresses with slick lyricism as he becomes embroiled in a ‘shave off’ with Todd. Cohen executes his part well and presents a classic comic ‘foil’ presence, becoming the satisfying first razor victim of Todd’s.

We soon meet Johanna, the daughter of Todd currently living with Judge Turpin - played by Alan Rickman - who intends on marrying her. A young admirer by the name of Anthony Hope enters. Their numbers ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ and ‘Johanna’ were graceful, engaging and helped save the show.

When Turpin comes in for a shave, stomach-churning camera shots of Todd’s razor over Turpin’s throat tease his death, but before Todd gets his revenge, young Hope runs in to tell Todd that he has won the love of Joanna, and Turpin leaves to have Joanna locked up.

This is when Todd’s killing spree hits full bore, and Mrs. Lovett serves the meat to Londoners in an oven fueled by human body parts. All of the gore is fantastic and interpretive, but was real enough to make audience members cover their faces.
The two leads, Todd and Lovett, are not introduced with the proper psychoses to convincingly murder people, serve the carcasses to unknowing customers, and still be entertaining.

If you love musicals, horror films, or  Johnny Depp, you will enjoy this film. If you are looking for engaging entertainment, go see something else.
PERMALINK:
Sweeney Todd | Planet JH News Article: Movie Reviews

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