Sweeney...

I recently acquired a copy of Tim Burton's production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". Had seen it several times and wanted a copy, so when it was spotted at Walmart for a mere pittance...Bazinga! I do believe I would rank it as my favorite Burton/Depp film. Who knew that Johnny Depp would actually be able to sing relatively well? I think it surprised him more than anyone. Apparently, Burton hired him for the part without even hearing him sing. It appears that his long standing working relationship with Depp has instilled a certain amount of trust...trust that Depp would pull it out. Pull it out he definitely does.



For someone who never really sang nor considers himself to be a singer at all, for Depp to be singing Sondheim his first time out of the vocal gate...well, I'm impressed. Sondheim is known for being difficult. In this particular piece, there are several points in a few of the songs where two actors are singing different lyrics at the same time (I'm sure there's a technical term for that) AND are able to stay on key and not get distracted. That's quite an achievement. (I was involved with a singing group a few years back and harmonizing was tough enough...I always ended up sitting next to the tone deaf lady which always threw me off. If I had had some formal training I might have been able to tune her out and stay in control. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.) Sondheim also has a rep for being particular about who sings his music, so he had to sign off on the final casting. Except for Depp. Helena Bonham Carter's turn as Mrs. Lovett is also notable. I'm sure she was enduring the added pressure of being compared with Angela Lansbury, who originated the role and I think might have won a Tony...don't quote me on that... Carter is a musical theater lover from way back, and this particular piece was a favorite of hers as a girl. Being Burton's significant other has found her a place in several of Burton's films (she is wonderful in all of them), and she does a great job here. Actually, I can't think of anyone in 'Todd' that didn't do a great job. Even Sascha Baron Cohen was good, and I can't stand his work. I think 'Borat' and that other crap he's done is...well...crap. Not funny at all. I haven't sat through one of his films, but from the clips I've seen he just looks like a guy portraying annoying characters who are looking to get their ass kicked. Not funny, in my book. That being said, his role as Pirelli the italian barber showed me that he is not devoid of talent. The rest of the cast - Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and the four others who I think are relatively unknown - were also very good. An all around well cast movie. A well cast 'musical' movie. A musical produced in the last couple of years that is actually good. Who knew?

The years of musical film have been long gone for a long time. Much to my chagrin. They can't make musical films the way they used to. They can't make them the way they should be made. I love all of the old films. Everything from "Singing in the Rain" to "Sweet Charity" to "Oklahoma". All those Busby Berkeley numbers...brilliant. Why do I think the musical in the broad sense has died? Because film has changed. Plain and simple. The equipment, the media, the advent and development of special effects...progress has killed the art of the truly great musical. Some things just don't hold the same magic when they're done in CGI. If I'm watching a dance number with 100 guys wearing top hats, tails, and tap dancing down a gigantic circular staircase...I want to see 100 guys, not 10 dancers and 90 others that were pasted in during post production. Okay...after saying all of that, I'm going to eat my words a tad. Is there CGI in "Sweeney Todd"? Yes. Many of the exterior shots are actors in front of a green screen. There are certain scenes that are obviously 'inhanced', for example the "By the Sea" footage. Burton is known for his stylized/artistic vision and execution on his movies, so I can see why. Does it bother me? No. But if there were some big dance numbers that had been created on a computer...well, I would have a problem with that. In this case, the actors and the story/material are the meat (hehe) of the film which is as it should be. The surroundings are just that. They inhance, but don't dominate. I'm so tired of movies that are all big pretty effects, and have no story. There's nothing to engage the audience. Well, with "Sweeney" I get engaged. I even have a tendency to hum some of the songs for a couple days after. Usually that would drive me nuts, but not these songs.

I highly recommend "Sweeney Todd" to anyone who hasn't seen it. If excessive blood bothers you, well...give it a try. Maybe you can get past that element. If it helps, the type of blood they use looks very theatrical as opposed to looking real. Oh...just see it. I give it two thumbs up.