..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

Sweeney Todd
The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Directed by Tim Burton
Written by Steven Sondheim & Hugh Wheeler
Screenplay by John Logan

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd…

There are two Sweeney Todd experiences available as the film continues screening.  There is the experience of those who know – and for the most part, love – Sondheim’s masterpiece.  And there will be the experience for people who barely know Sondheim exists and only really know what they see in TV spots and trailers from the film.  It is hard to separate the two out.  After all, we all have our views colored by what we already know.

In any case…

Those of you who want the pure experience should probably duck out of this review now.

Sweeney Todd opens with a much darker version of Burton’s opening for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, with blood replacing chocolate… blood in the crevices of the cobblestone streets… blood on the floors… blood dripping from the sky.  It’s a fascinating piece of self-reference, as we zoom through the streets of London in the same semi-real orgy of CG that started Burton’s last film.

The biggest difference between the show and the film, for those who care, is the elimination of the chorus, which tells us about Sweeney throughout the show.  Burton & Co use the musical themes of that anthem, “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” as score through most of the film.  For those of us who care, it’s a bit of a dry hump… one hears the lyrics and the rising voices in one’s head.  It’s unavoidable.  But again, for the non-showfans, nothing is missing.

It’s funny, because "The Ballad" is almost like a trailer for the rest of the show at the beginning… a trailer that has now been replaced by a movie trailer and ads.  People have paid to attend the tale of Sweeney Todd and the anticipation that is normal to the movie experience might well not have been served by using "The Ballad".

The film, once past the credits, opens with a ship sailing into London.  This is our first look at Dariusz Wolski's cinematography, powerfully bleak. We hear the pretty boy sailor singing, "There’s No Place Like London.”  He is quickly joined by Depp’s Sweeney, offering a much less enthusiastic view of the big city.  And in that moment, we get a glimpse at the whole shooting match for Depp and Burton.  Depp’s voice is not the powerful machine that previous Sweeney’s have thrown about.  But he is, on film, given the chance to act the character more distinctly than any of the previous Sweeney’s.  The rage and pain are in his eyes, a presence from the start to the finish. 

On landing in London, Burton does a rather wonderful high-speed start-n-stop run through the streets of London until he, and Sweeney, arrive at Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop, which is the downstairs of where he once lived, back when the world was bright and full of hope. 

Todd stumbles into Mrs. Lovett’s shop, where we get our first taste of Helena Bonham-Carter’s Mrs. Lovett, who sings about her pies, the worst in London.  It’s the first of four numbers that really feel like movie musical production numbers.  (Mrs. Lovett follows up with a song, there is Pirelli’s shaving competition, and there is “By The Sea.”  More on those as we go.)  And it's probably the least successful.  I think the reason is that there is a recurring joke involving roaches that played on stage, especially with Angela Lansbury, but which feel forced and a bit out of place in this production. 

For some, this will be symbolic of a flawed film.  The movie’s sense of humor, when not dripping blood, is a bit limited.  This is unusual for Burton, but the subject is more directly serious than any other film he’s ever made.  This is not a fairy tale.  There is symbolism and non-literalism, but it’s a harsh, brutal story about loss and revenge and the futility of our rage… and Burton has embraced that tone completely, along with his actors.  When, in The Contest with Pirelli (another masterful turn by Sacha Baron Cohen, albeit still obsessed with discussing with the audience what is in his pants), there is a comedic moment, it is not Sweeney’s.  Likewise, when Mrs. Lovett fantasizes about a romance between her and Sweeney in “By The Sea,” it is clearly a comedic riff off of the main gist of the film. 

But the focus remains on Mrs. Lovett and Ms. Bonham-Carter’s vocal chords in the next song, a storytelling piece, “Poor Thing,” which tells the story of what happened to Sweeney’s alter-ego/real self Benjamin Barker and his wife and child.  It is one of the most challenging pieces of singing in the show and the stark reality that Bonham-Carter is not quite up to the singing challenge becomes clear.  However, again, as an acting challenge, Bonham-Carter hits it dead on.  As the story song swirls and swirls, faster and faster, Mrs. Lovett getting high on the intensity of it and the attention of Sweeney, the singing more challenging, Bonham-Carter gets better and better.

Depp is back on for “My Friends,” the song that ends with his arm being complete again.  And here, it is really clear that if you were expecting one of the deep, rich, mellifluous pieces of singing you could ever hear on Broadway, you are not going to get it.  It’s just not what Burton, Depp and Bonham-Carter are after.  But the power of a man in agony, expressing his love for the tools of destruction that he intends to use on others, as performed by Depp, and the fear that Mrs. Lovett is talking herself into accepting… it’s strong stuff.

The very truncated Greenfinch and Linnet Bird is next, sung by Sweeney/Barker’s captive daughter. Jayne Wisener’s voice is all it needs to be, but even more striking is how she looks like such a classic Burton woman… busty, blonde, corseted, small eyed… she is, as Christina Ricci was for him in Sleepy Hollow, right out of one of his animated projects.  The other half of this romantic entanglement, Anthony, is played by Jamie Campbell Bower, who seems the prettier version of Hillary Swank.  He, too, can sing the lights out. 

The pairing seemed more important to me when reconsidering the film.  The show is, in the end, about two couples moving in two very different directions.  Both couples hinge on Judge Turpin, played here by Alan Rickman.  Someone said to me that they would have liked a more spelled out ending to the film… but I disagree.  What I do think, however, is that we have the reminder of the idealism of youth… the desperate belief that you can simply move forward and change the world on a whim, on love. 

With Sweeney’s arm whole again, Mrs. Lovett his confederate, and the young lovers plotting their escape, the first act of the film ends. 

The second act starts with our first glimpse of Toby, the adorable moppet who acts as a barker for Signor Adolfo Pirelli, the current hot barber in London.  Pirelli offers a comedic respite and Sacha Baron Cohen couldn’t be much better in the role.  I’m not sure the schlong joke was necessary, but aside from that, he hits it just right.  And Burton’s choices about shooting him make him all the stronger.  Baron Cohen really hasn’t had a director shoot him with this level of style before.  And it pays off.  The nice thing, is that when the time comes for the moment to be serious, both Baron Cohen and Burton are able to turn off the buffoon bit in a second.

Bonham Carter acquits herself better as a singer with Wait, which is a little less of a stretch.  And again, the acting overcomes. 

The second act ends with Sweeney’s duet with his arch-rival, Judge Turpin, a somewhat cut down version of “Pretty Women,” one of my favorite songs of the entire Sondheim songbook.  And Rickman and Depp do it beautifully.  It is not a beautiful piece of singing, as we have been used to on stage.  But the intimacy of the performances and Burton’s camera make it work in spite of all that.  Rickman, at his best, delivers a sadness and vulnerability that makes you almost sad for him, in his desperation, in the weakness he lives with in spite of his power.  And Depp’s elegy for what he loved is powerful as counterbalance.

The third act then starts with Todd losing the judge, in a twist of an instant, and giving up what is left of his soul.  His vision of the world becomes even more narrow.  And Depp takes us deeper and deeper into that dark, pained soul. 

Ironically, Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler give us two of the strongest comic numbers in the show in this darkest of the three acts… both of which got applause breaks when I saw the film in New York last week. 

The story of Mrs. Lovett, her new ward, her hopes for a love life with Mr. T, and the story point that is always used to define the story – even though it is a third act twist – the making of human meat pies, is all there to play out in this act.  And even for those of you who are reading still… not going to spoil it. 

The story is so very strong.  The music is so magnificent.  And with undeniable performances by Depp, Rickman, and Baron Cohen, even if none are the singers we expect in the roles… and Bonham Carter starting a little weak, but getting stronger and stronger as the film moves along… the film really works.  (I also adore Timothy Spall here, as always, though he doesn’t get to do much.)

But it’s not the fantasy version… a celebrity-blind big-voiced version.  But what is really striking me as I continue to mull the film over, is that The Expected is usually the defeat of these films.  I would still argue that this was one of the troubles that visited Dreamgirls… it delivered everything… and somehow, it wasn’t kinky enough to be “great” for some people.  Chicago, which was not as well directed and whose performances were distinctly inferior (except for Zeta-Jones and Latifah) was somehow more accessible for its failures. 

I can pick around some of the choices that were made, cutting the film with a dozen cuts.  The choice to make everyone younger was clearly informed by Depp’s age… but it has grown on me… even if “Not While I’m Around” sung by a moppet is a little too Oliver! for me… especially when lacking in irony.   I miss "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," especially at the end, which jumps to credits a little shockingly.  I am told that the closing ballad, with the ghosts of the dead was shot and “just didn’t work.”  Look for it in the DVD.  But I would have been just as pleased with the song only under credits.  It’s just so great.

Depp will be nominated, and as I see it, he still has to be the favorite to win, although it is not exactly a mortal lock.  There are two ways of seeing the future of the film.  Either it will play really well for those who don’t know the show – a vast majority – and will be an across-the-board nominee, including Best Picture.  Or it could turn off the Academy with spurting blood and snapping necks and crashing bodies and just get nominated for four or five awards.  I have no idea which way it will go… and neither does anyone else at this point. 

What we do know is that there is not a Charlie Wilson’s War type backlash upon showing the film.  But I have to tell you… I have kinda taken Charlie out of the running in my head… but don’t be so very sure.  What Charlie is not going to be helped by is the critics groups, who can’t get anyone nominated, but who can help a film or performance that is walking the edge.  And this year, they could be more significant than ever, with more films chasing slots with very similar support… not unlike last year, but even more dramatic.

This is a season of small movies.  And Sweeney is a MOVIE, no matter whether you love it or not.  And there is something powerful about that.  It is a niche of its own. 

Someone said something that sticks with me, and is not undescriptive of my personal feeling.  This was wrong, that was wrong, this was a disaster, this was a mistake… and when the DVD shows up, they’ll be watching it over and over.  Me too.

The only question I have is whether we are too late into the season for the film to settle into a place in the top five or if it will be The Pianist, seemingly dead, but remembered by the Academy, or if it will just get lost in the mix.  I would just say, it is a film that, to me, is best served over and over and over again.  The more one gets to swim in the majesty of the work, the foundational work by Sondheim and Wheeler and in the film by screenwriter John Logan… the lower the resistance… the less shocking the blood… the more a contained piece.  This, by the way, is very much the phenomenon around No Country For Old Men.  Lingering can be a very powerful thing.

-David Poland