Trailer

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809834155/video/4367764/standardformat
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"Fuck yo couch, nigga!" - Tom Cruise

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EDITED to make this the official movie post

I was well excited about this one. But I really didn't like the feel of it in that trailer. I mean it was that classic Tim Burton feel - but thats exactly what I had feared. This film done it a genuinely dark way - as opposed to a Tim Burton fairyland dark way - could have been really great. I've lost a lot of hope for this.

Except for that very last little "funny" part, I felt like the darkness was intact. A gorgeous kind of creepy--more Batman than Edward Scissorhands. But I'm a pretty big Burton fan, though.

...in the show, it's the entire arm sticking out from the chest. It's a pretty broad physical gag on stage, and he made it darker and more realistic while keeping the humor.

I just reeeeeeally hope Johnny can sing.

Which in PTP land, makes me perfectly qualified to speak about how faithful the adaption was. Based on the trailer. And the stage production I never saw.

It'll work in the context of the show. The show has a lot of really really dark humor. Trust, it'll be good.

It seemed dark enough at times. And besides, it should have a touch of that fairytale feel... it can't be THAT gritty, it's a musical with many bouts of fantasy and flashbacks.

The ONLY thing I worry about is Johnny's voice, which didn't seem very strong in the clip they showed, and Epiphany is a major major shift in the play... if he does that soft speak-singing through the whole song at a key moment, it makes me wonder what his singing is like for the rest of the film.

But the mood was perfect, the casting (leads aside) seems perfect from the look of it, and some of those flashbacks/fantasies might be really bewitching in the theater. I like that Burton looks like he's making some bold cinematic choices with the material, not just doing what The Producers or Rent did, and thinking of it as a movie version of a play. He's treated the material cinematically, and painting with a wider canvas than literal translation from the stage would provide.

I had just kinda hoped for a totally new take on the story. Like a really gritty realistic portrayal with the dark Victorian underbelly of London. Really sinister. you know the kind of film that'd make you fall into the world of madness of it. The musical, fantasy aspect just doesn't work well for me.

So the gritty realism is destined to be tossed out the window regardless.

I like what was said above, that this seems more like Batman-dark and less like Edward Scissorhands-dark. I agree that that's a big distinction, and from the look of the trailer Burton looks to have made the right choice.

It's an old English tale dating back from Victorian times (some say a true story). And I'd be a lot happier watching it in non-musical form. Actually I hadn't realised up until this trailer that this was going to be a musical - so I'm a bit pissed about that. Partly because I hate all musicals.

Anyway I'm not gonna let the hate boil over. It clearly looks quite good. Especially if you like that sort of thing. I just feel a bit 'meh' towards it. Don't let me spoil the fun - everyone else seems excited by it. But I think I'm gonna let this one pass me by.

...is considered by many to be one of the most complex and brilliant works in the artform ever. It's half-opera, half-fast-paced patter, and all genius.

I didn't realize you didn't know it was a musical. LOL, that explains your reaction, all right. I mean, yes, I knew Sweeney Todd was a story before the musical, but it's been a musical ever since its development with Burton... I just assumed you knew. My bad. LOL.

>...is considered by many to be one of the most complex and
>brilliant works in the artform ever. It's half-opera,
>half-fast-paced patter, and all genius.

hmmm. you might have just swayed me back onto the interested bandwagon with that. Despite a dislike for all things musical - a story I like and a hyping up of that magnitude might make me take a second deliberation on this.

...you'll have seen a very interesting adaptation of a story that interests you portrayed by some great actors and the perfect director to handle the adaptation into this medium.

Even if you don't like the musical aspect of it, I'd be willing to bet you can at least have appreciation for the score and what it does for the telling of the story.

I'll be going with my pre-conceived bias against anything labelled musical. But you should still feel proud you managed to convince me to see any musical at all.

And your right - a lineup of great actors with Tim Burton CANNOT make a bad film surely. And it doesn't look bad either. My initial response was really based upon some notion of mine based on nothing whatsoever. Now I've learnt to deal with the death of this dream I'm ready to step out and try and enjoy this for what it is.

That's the true benefit to movie musicals by big-name directors, or movie musicals with big-time stars in it-- they get those who might be anti-musical to see it.

Sweeney Todd I hold a great deal of hope for. The material is incredibly rich-- it's often referred to as "the Hamlet of musicals"-- and with that cast and director? I hope they knock it out of the park. If they do, it's quite possible it could transcend over into an audience of people going to see it as "a Tim Burton movie", not as "a musical", and both crowds could leave pleased.

At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

But I'm glad we've got at least one anti-musical PTPer going. I'll be very interested to see what you think of it when you finally see it.

Should I get my PTP card revoked if all I've ever heard about Sweeny Todd is from the movie Jersey Girl?

Anyway - this looks promising.

makes that scene even better now tho

I had this crazy like british music teacher in 3rd grade and he told this creepy story in class one time and I was very intrigued but couldnt remember what it was...that was back in like 95.

i wish i could buy you for what you're worth and sell you for what you think you're worth

For whatever that's worth.

.

***************
PRAISE WHITE JESUS! (c) Uncle Ruckus

...here's something emphasize the suspense, horror, and revenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5brXozjbno

Holy motherfucking shit. Harry's review makes it sound like Burton is pretty much leaving the musical for the most part unaltered. I could not agree more with this choice. This could be BRILLIANT.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34665

Harry loves the delicious meat pies of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET - that Burton is some cook!

SWEENEY TODD is Tim Burton’s best film since ED WOOD – which I consider to be his very best film to date. That said, upon multiple viewings it is possible this film will become my favorite Burton film.
It is that perfect subject matter for him… a hybrid of Disney and Bava and Corman. In structure it is a sweeping love story between a young innocent man and a caged would be Repunzel… but then there’s that rare character that you never see in a Disney fantasy musical. A bitter psychopathic father figure that is out to revenge the horror of his own life. I would call this Tim Burton’s Grimmest Fairy Tale.

The story of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET is sort of like the first version of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Alleged to have been based on a real series of crimes from around 1800 – though nobody seems to be able to find any real evidence about it. However, in the mid-1800s the story started appearing in literature. And from their it became a popular urban legend of a Barber that slit the throats of his clients and with his lady friend baked them into meat pies and served them back to folks of the town.

A delicious Grand Guignol tale that is, simply irresistible. And as a work of film, set to Sondheim’s songs it is very much the great dark musical fantasy horror work.

Now here’s a warning for all of you. If you can’t stand ALL SINGING MUSICALS – be forewarned, this is almost entirely a singing film. With that form of dialogue known as SING-TALKING. Personally, I’m a big fan of the musical form, from the early days of the musicals where the songs were incorporated in the lives of performers… to the big 50’s and 60’s era of fully produced musical theater on screen.

The film begins with a young Anthony Hope, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, upon a bow of a great sailing ship breaking through the fog heading toward London singing:

I have sailed the world
beheld its wonders
from the dardinells,
to the mountains of Peru,
But there's no place like London!
He’s singing with the passion and the hope of a young Disney hero, impossibly young, boyish and handsome – entirely pure and hopeful.

And then, right when he’s at his height, the camera pulls back to make room for the joyless, tormented, world weary Sweeny Todd, who spits out with barely restrained disgust and loathing:

There's a whole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
and its morals aren't worth what a pin can spit
and it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit the privileged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo
turning beauty to filth and greed...
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
for the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru
but there's no place like London!
And it is with that spitfire bit of song that Sweeney’s entire philosophy of London is given. You see, he doesn’t just loathe those that did him and his ill. He blames the whole of London, all of those that did nothing – and with that he sets himself as judge, juror and executioner of them all. It is, absolutely delightful.

Depp’s SWEENEY TODD is not the showy work of Jack Sparrow, he isn’t playing a character that can even be compared. Sparrow is about openly speaking and wanton physicality. Sweeney is a man boiling on the inside, he has experienced torture and confinement for years… he lost his wife and child and the center of his rage is upon the man that did him that wrong. He kills many, but there’s only one whom he’ll take pleasure in slicing. He hates himself as much as he loathes all others. He blames himself as being a fool to have been taken so unaware and for once being as blind as Antony.

Depp’s voice isn’t terribly harmonic, but it’s due to the lack of joy in his voice here. He’s as black as the great black pit and all the people who are filled with shit. He’s a tormented soul and his singing reflects that. Though, you shouldn’t get the feeling that he’s “one note” he isn’t. The first time we see the fire in his eyes and the charge of purpose is with the song, MY FRIENDS – which is a wonderfully bizarre duet – where he is singing with passion and communal sorrow for his razors, his old friends that he will use to exact his revenge…. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lovett (played by Helena Bonham Carter) is singing hoping to catch his eye and share in this reunion, but Sweeney is all about the blades and the purpose they will help him realize. My favorite song / scene with Depp is when he has the Judge (played by Alan Rickman) sitting in his chair and is relishing the opportunity to give him a second lower smile – and they’re singing PRETTY WOMEN.

PRETTY WOMEN is possibly one of the most dementedly awesome moments I’ve seen in a film ever. I have never seen SWEENEY TODD on stage, so this was all new – and when the Judge is singing about the specific pretty woman that he has his sites honed in upon… it’s Todd’s friggin’ daughter – and Todd is goading him forward, all the while he’s readying to slice the man’s throat. The song is lovely, twisted and amongst the most ironically cheerful moments of the film.

Rickman’s Judge is thoroughly brilliant throughout. He is a particularly loathsome character obsessed with the beauty of Todd’s former wife, and now that she’s out of the way – his magnificent obsession has been to raise the child and groom her for his own perverted means. It’s one of those… so wrong it’s right things. It’s my fave Rickman role in quite some time. And of all his moments – my favorite is when he takes Anthony (the boyish would-be hero and lover) into his study and begins to insinuate a sordid life for the young sailor…

“Oh, yes … such practices … the geishas of Japan … the concubines of Siam .. the catamites of Greece … the harlots of India … I have them all here .. Drawings of them …” Then he looks at Anthony and sings, “All the vile things you’ve done with your whores!”

Rickman absolutely is remarkable in the scene… coveting and longing for the dirty women of the world – while loathing the boy who he assumes has lived out his fantasies. It’s a great great scene. One of many for him.

However, the character that probably a ton of you are waiting to hear about is Sacha Baron Cohen’s Signor Adolfo Pirelli, the greatest barber in the world – or so he claims. I’m happy to report that Sacha is utterly brilliant and hilarious in that role. During THE CONTEST folks are going to go friggin’ nuts over him – and this is exactly the sort of role that the Academy might nominate for a Supporting Actor nod. It’s a delicious and wondrous character and Cohen blew the audience away with this performance. And I expect that every time this movie plays that beginning with the introduction of Pirelli’s character – the mass audience is going to fall head over heels for the film. His scenes are the lightest and most fun of the film (in a traditional mainstream way).

Me – my favorite moments are all the deliciously wrong and twisted scenes… like the song, A LITTLE PRIEST – where they discuss the meat for Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pies or PRETTY WOMEN number or the utterly insane and crazed BY THE SEA number.

Now my favorite character in the entire film is played by a young boy that has no previous film experience that I can find. His name? Ed Sanders and he plays Toby aka Tobias Ragg. Watching a young lad be this brilliant at this age… just left me flabbergasted. I haven’t been this stunned by a singing child since Jack Wild’s The Artful Dodger in OLIVER! When this kid begins his barkering song for Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir. Later when he’s chugging rum like I did Halloween night – we fall that much more in love with him. He’s being a naughty boy, like boys used to be when forced into hard labor and hard lives. Shame the world changed. Watching a boy forced to indentured slavery – reminds you of times when kids were good for something. Heh. His character is the most grounded and realistic character in a film made of characters that think only of themselves. He has the soul to care for others, value human life and well – Ed Sanders – I hope this is a beginning of a beautiful career – because it’s easily my favorite character in the whole film.

Now – let’s talk about how this is one of the most lush and beautifully captured films I’ve seen. Victorian England has never looked better. Dariusz Wolski (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films and DARK CITY) makes a perfect partner as Burton’s DP. By the time you see his final shot – you’ll just be drooling. Dante Ferretti’s amazing production design is again amazing. At every level the film works.

I can not wait to see this film again, it’s easily one of my favorites this year. I feel this was one of those perfect material, perfect cast resulting in the best work from Burton in over a decade. And that’s a great thing for all of us.

...........

maybe 10-15 minutes of screen time

is the broadest and funniest, and comes as great relief after a lot of dark stuff and agony.

oh it's on...

I'm worried about Sasha, I just don't get the casting...


Dee

No spoilers, but I'll say that Harry's synopsis was on-point

And I think Depp did a fine job, don't be expecting (insert the name of a TRULY talented white crooner here, I can't think of any off the top)

Everyone acquitted themselves quite well: Helena Bonham Carter, Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, the young gay-looking dude (Jamie Campbell-Bower), the kid, Timothy Spall

Only problem is I thought the 3rd act felt rushed, like Tim felt the running time getting long and decided to just get to the finish in under 2 hours

But other than that, yeah, it looked and sounded GREAT

And again, two warnings: 1. it's a MUSICAL in the strictest, old-school sense. Cats are singing practically thoroughout, with a few moments of spoken dialogue, so don't be mad after you see it, on some "why was they singing the WHOLE time, yo, shit was dumb" steeze; 2. the movie's very, VERY, VERY bloody. There are shots where blood literally squirts all over the place. It's blatantly excessive, but I thought it was presented in the spirit of good, dirty fun, so I wasn't bothered by it. But be sure to warn your girl, or your S.O., this ain't Pirates 4, muhfukkas get MURKED in large quantities

And I haven't seen the stage version, so I'll be curious to see how it compares to the film

But yeah, I really liked the film a lot
______________________________________________________________________
Aight man
HOLLA THEN

There's gotta be a better place to get your hair cut, right? Even if Supercuts jacked you up in the past, at least they are of this realm. I think.

Regardless. Are there no barbers in London's financial district?

Because the way I figure it, you go to the Demon Barber, you deserve what you get.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

Either that, or maybe it's DEMONIC how clean your shave will be!

So expect to see a grip of fat gothic chicks saying this is the best shit since sliced bread.

overrated.

but i'm a lessonhead.

This message brought to you by Lessonheads For Change.

This has a great great deal of potential to be one of those perfect adaptations of a musical.

Tim Burton KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. Directorially, he nailed it in every way, shape, ad form. Later on this weekend after I see it again I'll go into detail about how he altered one of the greatest musicals of all time and managed to improve upon it during its transfer from theater to film. All performances were top drawer. The cinematography was brilliant, and the set design/makeup should win Oscars.

It's a full-blown musical, but I guarantee it's unlike any musical you've ever seen. Go see it for yourselves, you are definitely not prepared for a musical like this if you're unfamiliar with the material.

P.S. For the Sweeney Todd aficionados?... well, I'll be back to talk about nitpicks, but I have very very little, and much more that I loved than I disliked, and absolutely nothing I hated.

for Alan Rickman. That's my dude.

...that this is Burton's best work as a director to date. He's never handled material so complicated before... this is a step forward from the "gothic fairy tale about a misfit" that he normally does. It's still gothic, and it's still about misfits... but the fairy tale aspect is not simplified whatsoever or handled with kid gloves, it's given every ounce of respect the material deserves. And it ends in a VERY bleak way.

It's a shame the Academy isn't going to end up recognizing just how unbelievable the direction is in this film, and how hard this must have been to direct, and how he utterly and completely nailed it (or rather, it's a shame this film is coming out in a year with so many good American films).

He's become the guy who makes movies for Hot Topic goth chicks lol

My man SWORE on a Nightmare Before Christmas, but I could only stomache 10 minutes of it (I know, I should've given it a chance). It just looiked like a dead pumpkin moving around like an electric boogaloo choreography.

My ex made me watctch Edward Scissorhands, which was "heartwarming" in the basic way, but I thought it was just a fruity experience. I guess for people to be "eccentric", they have to be disliked by a number of people. I'm one of those people when it comes to Burton.

Oh yeah, I'd also like to punch him in the face lol

Even tho I like Depp, he could get an open-handed smack for becoming the Peanut Butter Wolf to Tim's Madlib lol

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

.......

Even when they're havin that picnic in the sunlight, it's gray. I didn't read anything on this before goin to see it, so it was good goin into it with no expectations.

This would've been a lot better if it had more than five songs.

If that.

I'm not familiar with...well, any musicals, so maybe this is just how it is with these things, but the lack of variation really tires the ears. The recurring motif that I can't notate but is probably best represented by "Jo-An-Ahhhhh" has the feeling of being 60% of the music.

And if the music is dragging things down, how the fuck you gonna enjoy a musical?

Can somebody with better ears tell me if I'm correct in thinking a lot the music involves tritones? If so, is it just that motif I mentioned?

Bah. I'm not going back to the theaters until "Rambo IV: Stallone's Saggy Tits Crush Vietcong Heads".

The casting and performances were perfect, the pacing was perfect, the visuals and makeup were just beautiful....everything about it was just so good.

I miss you Joaaaaaannnaa.....

-------------------
"Fuck yo couch, nigga!" - Tom Cruise

http://melanism.com
http://preptimeposse.blogspot.com
http://myblogisanopenbook.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/melanism
http://www.last.fm/user/Melanism/

***************
PRAISE WHITE JESUS! (c) Uncle Ruckus

i enjoyed everything about it.

I can only imagine how Tim Burton got off on making this movie. It was everything his career had been hinting at until now.

I mean, it was all too stylized for the bleakness to get to me too much, but that was a pretty miserable little story.

I didn't really like how they felt like they had to show the blood spurt and the body thud every single time. If it was done for comedic effect, I guess I'm not as big a fan of gallows humor as I thought I was.

I still think it was good, though. Just not great.

During his Joanna ballad (the first time you see it happen), yes it's funny due to the contrast with the song. But I don't find any of the other times afterward funny. The hitting of the bodies on the floor in particular is really brutal.

and it's filled with people who are filled with shit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
but not for long...

What Sweeney's doing is turning people into meat, literally. By showing those brutal falls, it's like they are already objects-- Sweeney kills without joy, these kills aren't pleasant, they are necessary. He gets a cathartic feeling, but at the end of all of these brutal kills, they still haven't brought back Lucy and Joanna. The bodies thudding on the floor take away their identities, and turns all of Sweeney's victims into the same meat.

Is it gratuitous? Maybe, because in the stage musical they slide down, they don't drop. But I feel like Sweeney wouldn't give that much thought to how the bodies would fall, since they stop being bodies the moment he injects his razor.

I'm just trying to figure out exactly why that part didn't sit well with me...why it felt like a mistep, even though it makes sense in the context you provided, and in a few other contexts as well.

Perhaps it's just because the film is hard to pin down. Is it a black comedy, or is it a tragedy? Are we supposed to feel revulsion, or distance? There's a lot of gray (rimshot!), which of course can be a good thing, but for some reason, it's difficult for me to reconcile in this picture.

where it's not needed sometimes.

but it was good

it was strange

i really dont know how i feel about it

i loved how everytime a body hit the basement i burst out laughing, kinda like how in family guy when people fall one of their legs always goes backwards

but for real for real i want tim to cast "johanna" as alice in alice in wonderland

But yeah, I'm having trouble figuring out how I feel about the movie, too.

The soundtrack bangs.

i absolutely HATE show tunes (all musical theater) and almost did not see S.T. for this reason. i'm glad i went against my better judgment

wow. you meant it when you said short...lol xxxxxxx

http://imdb.com/title/tt0408236/

:)

this movie was great. Very funny yet sad..hits you in the gut in certain parts. LMAO at the vacation fantasy sequence

I really think this is Burton's best. All of his other movies are missing something, this is complete

.

He's never done better work as a director than this.

I should rewatch it soon

The film is flawless and not just one of this years best but one of the best of the decade.

opening night.

This shit was great. THAT'S how you make a musical, dammit.