There was a barber and his wife . . .
I went to see the new Sweeney Todd movie yesterday. WOW. I have been a Sondheim fan from way back, and I was surprised that someone had the guts to do a film version of Sweeney. (And at CHRISTMAS! That takes cojones.) However, if anyone seems a good fit for this production, it's Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
Depp plays the title character. Todd is actually Benjamin Barker, a young London barber shipped off to prison on a trumped-up charge because the local judge (Turpin, played excellently by Alan Rickman) covets his lovely wife. Upon returning from a 15-year sentence, Barker discovers that in his absence, Turpin defiled his wife and now serves as guardian to his teenage daughter, Johanna (played by Jayne Wisener). To exact his revenge, Barker takes on the name of Sweeney Todd and sets up a new barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie shop. While waiting on his chance to make Judge Turpin pay, Todd sharpens his skills on customers who come in for a shave. Never one to waste anything, Mrs. Lovett decides to kill two birds with one stone, disposing of Todd's victims by grinding them up into meat for pies.
My thoughts - Production values were amazing. The whole tone of the film is gray, which serves as a great palette for the blood. And the blood in this film is practically its own character, with a starring role in both the opening credits and the final scenes. Depp shows again that he is a fabulous actor, and I was pleased to hear that his singing voice is actually pretty good. Rickman, also, had a voice that served his role well, and he did a great job as creepy, pervy Judge Turpin. Jayne Wisener gave perhaps one of the best renditions I've ever heard of "Green Finch and Linnet Bird." (The song is high and difficult to sing with good control, especially in live theatre, where projection is a concern. It can come off as very shrill. In the film version, Wisener was able to pull back the volume, and the song took on a very young, dreamy quality that was absolutely endearing.) Ed Sanders as Toby was also wonderful. ("Not While I'm Around" is one of my absolute favorite songs from the score.) Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony Hope (the sailor) turned in a good performance, but I didn't think it was as notable as some of the others. To be fair, however, his role is rather flat.
I was prepared to hate Sacha Baron Cohen in this film. Though I never saw Borat, I'd heard about it, and I avoided it because I think that type of comedy is very low. Making fun of others takes little talent. As a result, I'd already written Cohen off as a performer that I would probably not enjoy. But in this film, he is wonderful as Signor Adolfo Pirelli. Costume and makeup have certainly done their job here, but his performance (though brief) is spot on. And he's not a bad singer, either.
Which brings me to Mrs. Lovett. I think that Mrs. Lovett is a GREAT role, and it is definitely one that has been played by some great actors (Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, we're talking big shoes here). While I feel that Helena Bonham Carter can act, her singing voice is pretty thin. Which I could have dealt with, I suppose, but for one thing. If there is a comic foil in Sweeney, it is Mrs. Lovett. She's the only character with comic lines. She's the only lightness the audience has to balance the incredible weight of the story line. Mrs. Lovett still has hope. Her songs are peppered with funny bits. Carter didn't play those bits. In fact, unless you knew they were there and were listening for them, you totally lost alot of the clever and funny things Mrs. Lovett sang about. I felt that the movie was a bit uneven because it didn't really have that light element, which it sooooo needed. In my opinion, this was the only major failing of the movie.
The only other gripe I have is that the "Beggar Woman" role, which has some wonderful lyrical moments in the stage version, seemed to have been reduced a bit too much. I totally understand (After all, alot of her singing parts were used in the stage production as cover when sets were being changed, etc. No such cover is needed in a film version.), but some of those little snippets of her singing maniacally are very arresting in the stage production. It was a shame that they couldn't be featured more prominently on screen.
But all this aside, it is a great movie and worth seeing. Not for the young OR the faint of heart, it deserves its R rating.
Depp plays the title character. Todd is actually Benjamin Barker, a young London barber shipped off to prison on a trumped-up charge because the local judge (Turpin, played excellently by Alan Rickman) covets his lovely wife. Upon returning from a 15-year sentence, Barker discovers that in his absence, Turpin defiled his wife and now serves as guardian to his teenage daughter, Johanna (played by Jayne Wisener). To exact his revenge, Barker takes on the name of Sweeney Todd and sets up a new barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie shop. While waiting on his chance to make Judge Turpin pay, Todd sharpens his skills on customers who come in for a shave. Never one to waste anything, Mrs. Lovett decides to kill two birds with one stone, disposing of Todd's victims by grinding them up into meat for pies.
My thoughts - Production values were amazing. The whole tone of the film is gray, which serves as a great palette for the blood. And the blood in this film is practically its own character, with a starring role in both the opening credits and the final scenes. Depp shows again that he is a fabulous actor, and I was pleased to hear that his singing voice is actually pretty good. Rickman, also, had a voice that served his role well, and he did a great job as creepy, pervy Judge Turpin. Jayne Wisener gave perhaps one of the best renditions I've ever heard of "Green Finch and Linnet Bird." (The song is high and difficult to sing with good control, especially in live theatre, where projection is a concern. It can come off as very shrill. In the film version, Wisener was able to pull back the volume, and the song took on a very young, dreamy quality that was absolutely endearing.) Ed Sanders as Toby was also wonderful. ("Not While I'm Around" is one of my absolute favorite songs from the score.) Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony Hope (the sailor) turned in a good performance, but I didn't think it was as notable as some of the others. To be fair, however, his role is rather flat.
I was prepared to hate Sacha Baron Cohen in this film. Though I never saw Borat, I'd heard about it, and I avoided it because I think that type of comedy is very low. Making fun of others takes little talent. As a result, I'd already written Cohen off as a performer that I would probably not enjoy. But in this film, he is wonderful as Signor Adolfo Pirelli. Costume and makeup have certainly done their job here, but his performance (though brief) is spot on. And he's not a bad singer, either.
Which brings me to Mrs. Lovett. I think that Mrs. Lovett is a GREAT role, and it is definitely one that has been played by some great actors (Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, we're talking big shoes here). While I feel that Helena Bonham Carter can act, her singing voice is pretty thin. Which I could have dealt with, I suppose, but for one thing. If there is a comic foil in Sweeney, it is Mrs. Lovett. She's the only character with comic lines. She's the only lightness the audience has to balance the incredible weight of the story line. Mrs. Lovett still has hope. Her songs are peppered with funny bits. Carter didn't play those bits. In fact, unless you knew they were there and were listening for them, you totally lost alot of the clever and funny things Mrs. Lovett sang about. I felt that the movie was a bit uneven because it didn't really have that light element, which it sooooo needed. In my opinion, this was the only major failing of the movie.
The only other gripe I have is that the "Beggar Woman" role, which has some wonderful lyrical moments in the stage version, seemed to have been reduced a bit too much. I totally understand (After all, alot of her singing parts were used in the stage production as cover when sets were being changed, etc. No such cover is needed in a film version.), but some of those little snippets of her singing maniacally are very arresting in the stage production. It was a shame that they couldn't be featured more prominently on screen.
But all this aside, it is a great movie and worth seeing. Not for the young OR the faint of heart, it deserves its R rating.
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