Rachael MurphySweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
February 4th 2008 04:37
When I think of musicals the words lame and painful to watch spring to mind. I haven't seen Hairspray or any of the High School Musical movies, the last musical I watched would have probably been Grease 2 when I was in primary school (Yes, I did climb up a ladder and belt out "Cool Rider" just like Stephanie, what little girl didn't...). However, you don't really associate the words blood, gore and violence with musicals...well I didn't.
Until last night when I watched Sweeney Todd, and I must say I was impressed to say the least. Yes, the singing did drive me and my partner a bit zany at first, but once all the blood started to flow I hardly noticed any singing at all.
Having little if any knowledge of original Sweeney Todd musical I went into this film blindly, I knew the basic plot outline (hell, it says it in the title - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and I am a huge Johnny Depp fan and fond of Tim Burton's work so I knew it would at least good or failing that watchable. I am very surprised to say it wasn't only good and watchable (not only watchable but re-watchable) but fantastic, and funny too.
Helen Bonham Carter is hilarious as Mrs Lovett, and her singing was beautiful. She is such a quirky woman and plays this part so naturally, although I am sure it doesn't come naturally to her in real life to cook and eat people in pie form. Most of the comedy in the film comes from Bonham Carter, whether the lines are suppose to be funny or whether its her timely delivery of them is debatable. In my opinion the movie wouldn't have been the show that it is without her, and I cant think of anybody who could have done a better job - no offence to whoever played the original Mrs Lovett.
What can I say about Johnny Depp in this film, he is brilliant. The facials he pulls while singing some of the tunes are priceless. His demeanour becomes increasingly angrier throughout the film and its very fun to watch. One of my favourite scenes is a musical number in which all Depp does is sing and slash throat after throat after throat, its a beautiful piece of cinema.
Tim Burton has a history of serving up visual cinema beauty and Sweeney Todd is nothing short of his usual brilliance. It is reminiscent almost of the castle in Edward Scissorhands, except its a whole town, a whole world this time.
I really cant say enough about how good this movie was/is, I think it is one of the most exciting, fascinating and intriguing pieces of art to hit the scenes this year (and I have already said that about another film so far this year, hopefully that means movie fans like myself are in for a good year!). Some people might get turned off by the blood in the movie and to you I say your probably better off watching one of the High School Musical movies I understand there is no blood or gore. Other people may get turned off by the singing and to you I say just give it a chance, you wont regret it. My partner is not a fan of musicals at all, and was only convinced to sit throughout the film with me at the promise of plenty of blood, after the film finished he couldn't say a bad word about it and even commented throughout how much he liked it.
Until last night when I watched Sweeney Todd, and I must say I was impressed to say the least. Yes, the singing did drive me and my partner a bit zany at first, but once all the blood started to flow I hardly noticed any singing at all.
Having little if any knowledge of original Sweeney Todd musical I went into this film blindly, I knew the basic plot outline (hell, it says it in the title - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and I am a huge Johnny Depp fan and fond of Tim Burton's work so I knew it would at least good or failing that watchable. I am very surprised to say it wasn't only good and watchable (not only watchable but re-watchable) but fantastic, and funny too.
Helen Bonham Carter is hilarious as Mrs Lovett, and her singing was beautiful. She is such a quirky woman and plays this part so naturally, although I am sure it doesn't come naturally to her in real life to cook and eat people in pie form. Most of the comedy in the film comes from Bonham Carter, whether the lines are suppose to be funny or whether its her timely delivery of them is debatable. In my opinion the movie wouldn't have been the show that it is without her, and I cant think of anybody who could have done a better job - no offence to whoever played the original Mrs Lovett.
What can I say about Johnny Depp in this film, he is brilliant. The facials he pulls while singing some of the tunes are priceless. His demeanour becomes increasingly angrier throughout the film and its very fun to watch. One of my favourite scenes is a musical number in which all Depp does is sing and slash throat after throat after throat, its a beautiful piece of cinema.
Tim Burton has a history of serving up visual cinema beauty and Sweeney Todd is nothing short of his usual brilliance. It is reminiscent almost of the castle in Edward Scissorhands, except its a whole town, a whole world this time.
I really cant say enough about how good this movie was/is, I think it is one of the most exciting, fascinating and intriguing pieces of art to hit the scenes this year (and I have already said that about another film so far this year, hopefully that means movie fans like myself are in for a good year!). Some people might get turned off by the blood in the movie and to you I say your probably better off watching one of the High School Musical movies I understand there is no blood or gore. Other people may get turned off by the singing and to you I say just give it a chance, you wont regret it. My partner is not a fan of musicals at all, and was only convinced to sit throughout the film with me at the promise of plenty of blood, after the film finished he couldn't say a bad word about it and even commented throughout how much he liked it.
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