Why is there no discussion for this movie taking place?
I saw it on Friday night and it was really fucking awesome. A lot bloodier than I expected, and Johnny Depp can sing!
For those who don't know: Sweeney Todd is the story of a barber who comes home to London after being wrongly imprisoned for 15 years. He then sets out to get his revenge on the Judge who condemned him and took his life away. He meets Mrs. Lovett, the maker of the worst meat pies in London, and together they become part of Sweeney's mad quest for vengance, turning the upper class of London into meat pies while working their way up to Judge Turpin.
This is not your typical, fun Broadway-style musical. It is extremely dark and where it's funny it's even darker. I left the theater feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Also every time I see Sacha Baron Cohen nowadays I'm more and more impressed.
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He shaved the faces of gentlemen
who never thereafter were heard of again
NNID: Hakkekage
By the way...how does Burton get away with making Sweeney Todd without including "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd?"
I dunno, he made a Batman movie that barely had any Batman in it.
I figured my biggest problem after I got out of the show was my enjoyment of the original musical. Both my roommate and I shared this problem in fact. We stack it against the musical starring George Hearn and Angela Landsbury and realistically, you shouldn't. It should be judged on its own merits as a movie with some musical numbers.
I am not saying that the movie isn't good. My girlfriend who saw it with me and my roommate loved the movie. I enjoyed parts of it. I am just saying that be it judged as a musical or film, it pales in comparison to the staged musical.
They were going to have 3 men singing the chorus in between scenes
however when production was set back due to Depp's daughter's sickness they didn't have time to include it so it was cut
Which is understandable, and I am sympathetic, but man. Two of the "ghosts" were being played by CHRISTOPHER LEE and ANTHONY STEWART HEAD.
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It's funny that most people remember George Hearn when Len Cariou is the guy on the original recording. Sidenote: My mom knows both these people (Hearn moreso) and has bought drinks for both on several occasions.
EDIT: I like the original show and the ballad a lot too but I think that having the ballad would be redundant when it's meant to explain things that can't be shown during the stage production that can be easily shown on film.
It really didn't feel like anything was missing, which is good.
I'm pretty excited. I mean, a violent musical. Mixes two of my favorite things.
I can't believe it's out already. I thought it was a Christmas release. I hope the theaters're open tomorrow.
No Ballad makes me sad, but I'll deal.
It takes a bit of getting used to, because there's no supporting cast (just the major characters that get names), and everyone is always facing outward, so you have to use your imagination a lot. There's only one set the whole time, and each of the actors/actresses not in the scene are playing the instruments - there's no pit. It actually meant very few changes, comparatively. Only one verse was cut from Pernelli's Miracle Elixer, and I can't really think of anything else that was cut other than a portion of the Parlor Songs. Additionally, the instruments have changed somewhat, with a rather major part being the accordion, which was outright haunting in the way it was used. As for some of the more brutal parts....
Anyway, I got completely off-topic. I'm highly looking forward to this movie, and can't wait to see it, either here or back in California.
Ironically, I've never seen a large-scale production of the play.
It was originally a "classic" musical - complex sets, huge cast, etc. What I expect the movie is like. However, this one place was putting on a production in London, and basically had jack for cash - couldn't afford to do it the whole way. So the director thought "what if I remove the pit and the extras. That'd save money." And he redesigned everything, the songs, the score, the staging, etc. Sondheim saw it (whether invited, or sent to approve I don't recall), and thought it was brilliant. It reopened a year or two back on Broadway and was a huge hit, and just started the tour a few months ago - starting in San Francisco, when I got to see it.
It was fun to make the comparison. None of the others I went with had seen the original, and it was kinda hard for them to follow some of the stuff (the crowd that was supposed to be chasing the boy peddling the miracle elixir, etc). Oh, one other thing which got cut, in retrospect - the tooth pulling portion of the competition. But that was also pulled from the older production I saw, only know about it from the original soundtrack.
I also liked the latter version better because I could understand what was being said. The original production I saw had actors/actresses too focused on vibrating their tones when singing, and not enough on making their lyrics coherent.
I'll probably go see the movie eventually, but the way I've seen Depp play Sweeney Todd in the previews has me hesitant. He seems to be playing a spaced out Edward Scissorhands-like character crossed with a standard horror movie villain, a completely different style from George Hearn's. Like, one of the lines from the end of the play that's in the commercials:
Depp, on the other hand, delivers this line in the usual quiet, menacing manner. It's boring. If I want to watch a movie about someone like that, there's hundreds of horror movies out there. I'm not interested in a dime-a-dozen serial killer, I'm interested in Sweeney motherfucking Todd.
This is the first time I've seen the story in any format, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Depp, Bonham Carter and Rickman are all picture-perfect Burtonesque characters, too.
I swear to god I saw Head in one scene come and speak to Todd for a brief moment. He was in it for maybe 10 seconds and I kept expecting to see him again, but when I didn't...I doubted I had even seen him.
Thank you for making me not feel crazy.
Wasn't it George Hearn on the video recording?
Yes it was but I was talking about the original cast record/CD.
I thought this film was absolutely fantastic, and from a "technical" standpoint (that is, in terms of camera work, scripting, visuals, etcetera), probably Tim Burton's finest movie. Now, a bit of a disclaimer here: I have not seen the Broadway play. I have seen it suggested by a critic or two that those who really love the Broadway play may find some fault with the movie. Looking at it purely from this perspective, I really think it is probably the first film of Tim Burton's that could legitimately be considered in the same arena of our current "master directors." I was really pleased to find that it seemed to lack his… egoism, for lack of a better word, that seems to pervade all of his other movies. Yeah, he cast his wife, and there was Johnny Depp, but other than that there weren’t too many things that were like “Oh yes, I have seen this in every other Burton movie ever made.” While that itself wouldn’t make it a better film than anything else, necessarily, that ties into what I would consider another one of the film’s strengths; it is subtle, yet viscerally pleasing, with depth, but not so much so that it seemed caught up in itself. The writing was good, suitable for a musical, I felt. It really seems to do a lot with a little. Very macabre and disturbing. I might even call it upsetting. The movie isn’t really very funny, which some critics seem to take issue with, given that apparently the play is a bit more focused on the humor, but then, others have said they've found it humorous enough. I'm all for dark humor, but even I was pretty much of the opinion that most of it was too grim to really be funny. That said, the tone is pretty consistent and it seemed fitting to me. And, of course, the whole thing is visually arresting.
In any case, I really thought it was a solid film and probably one of the year's best.
Depp & co. were excellent as expected, but in my opinion, the new faces stole the show, musically('Joanna', 'Perelli's Miracle Elixer').
My favorite songs from the play were basically gone("More Hot Pies!"), but Joanna made up for it. Beautifully presented all-in-all.
I was sad that they trimmed A Little Priest, because it is my favorite song in the show and so I wished it had the full seven minutes, but I loved the presentation of it.
And yes, the little kid playing Tobias was excellent. I was surprised.
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I may be unwell though, I just went and saw it then stopped to pick up some pot pie from the local store...
It was awesome, and I didn't really mind all the song cuts because honestly, it was long enough even though 90% of the film was singing.
Dear god all the blood
NNID: Hakkekage
The highschool production done at my school was very well done - the school had a great director and a beautiful theater. Everyone time a throat was slit the stage went red and a deafening screech was played. It was a nice change to see Depp slit throats with so little thought in the movie, one after another.
I noted that the costume/makeup guys were great in this movie in the manner that they made nearly EVERY character completely unattractive. I'd still like to note that I would tap Joanna into next month, if given the chance, but besides that, there were wrinkles, bags under eyes, and just in general no-goodness.
Little Priest was hilarious, Epiphany was an amazing song, I felt that they sang the songs too quickly, which made them impossible to memorize, but besides that...
Seems a downright shame...
TODD: Shame?
LOVETT:
Seems an awful waste...
Such a nice, plump frame
Wot's 'is name has...
Had...
Has!
Nor it can't be traced...
Bus'ness needs a lift,
Debts to be erased...
Think of it as thrift,
As a gift,
If you get my drift!
No?
Seems an awful waste...
I mean, with the price of meat
What it is,
When you get it,
If you get it...
TODD: HAH!
LOVETT:
Good, you got it!
Take, for instance, Mrs. Mooney and her pie shop!
Bus'ness never better using only pussycats and toast!
And a pussy's good for maybe six or seven at the most!
And I'm sure they can't compare as far as taste!
[Simultaneously]
TODD:
Mrs. Lovett, what a charming notion
LOVETT:
Well, it does seem a waste...
TODD:
Eminently practical
And yet appropriate as always!
LOVETT:
It's an idea...
TODD:
Mrs. Lovett, how I've lived
Without you all these years, I'll never know!
How delectable!
Also undetectable!
LOVETT:
Think about it!
Lots of other gentlemen'll
Soon be comin' for a shave,
Won't they?
Think of
All them
Pies!
TODD:
How choice!
How
Rare!
TODD:
For what's the sound of the world out there?
LOVETT:
What, Mr. Todd?
What, Mr. Todd?
What is that sound?
TODD:
Those crunching noises pervading the air!
LOVETT:
Yes, Mr. Todd!
Yes, Mr. Todd!
Yes, all around!
TODD:
It's man devouring man, my dear!
BOTH:
And [LOVETT: Then] who are we to deny it in here?
TODD: (spoken) These are desperate times,
Mrs. Lovett, and desperate measures are called for!
LOVETT: Here we are, now! Hot out of the oven!
TODD: What is that?
LOVETT:
It's priest. Have a little priest.
TODD:
Is it really good?
LOVETT:
Sir, it's too good, at least!
Then again, they don't commit sins of the flesh,
So it's pretty fresh.
TODD:
Awful lot of fat.
LOVETT:
Only where it sat.
TODD:
Haven't you got poet, or something like that?
LOVETT:
No, y'see, the trouble with poet is
'Ow do you know it's deceased?
Try the priest!
TODD: (spoken) Heavenly!
Not as hearty as bishop, perhaps,
but then again, not as bland as curate, either!
LOVETT:
And good for business, too -- always leaves you wantin' more!
Trouble is, we only get it on Sundays!
Lawyer's rather nice.
TODD:
If it's for a price.
LOVETT:
Order something else, though, to follow,
Since no one should swallow it twice!
TODD:
Anything that's lean.
LOVETT:
Well, then, if you're British and loyal,
You might enjoy Royal Marine!
Anyway, it's clean.
Though of course, it tastes of wherever it's been!
TODD:
Is that squire,
On the fire?
LOVETT:
Mercy no, sir, look closer,
You'll notice it's grocer!
TODD:
Looks thicker,
More like vicar!
LOVETT:
No, it has to be grocer --
It's green!
TODD:
The history of the world, my love --
LOVETT:
Save a lot of graves,
Do a lot of relatives favors!
TODD:
Is those below serving those up above!
LOVETT:
Ev'rybody shaves,
So there should be plenty of flavors!
TODD:
How gratifying for once to know
BOTH:
That those above will serve those down below!
LOVETT: (spoken) Now let's see, here... We've got tinker.
TODD: Something... pinker.
LOVETT: Tailor?
TODD: Paler.
LOVETT: Butler?
TODD: Subtler.
LOVETT: Potter?
TODD: Hotter.
LOVETT: Locksmith?
Lovely bit of clerk.
TODD:
Maybe for a lark.
LOVETT:
Then again there's sweep
If you want it cheap
And you like it dark!
Try the financier,
Peak of his career!
TODD:
That looks pretty rank.
LOVETT:
Well, he drank,
It's a bank
Cashier.
Never really sold.
Maybe it was old.
TODD:
Have you any Beadle?
LOVETT:
Next week, so I'm told!
Beadle isn't bad till you smell it and
Notice 'ow well it's been greased...
Stick to priest!
(spoken) Now then, this might be a little bit stringy,
but then of course it's... fiddle player!
TODD: No, this isn't fiddle player -- it's piccolo player!
LOVETT: 'Ow can you tell?
TODD: It's piping hot!
LOVETT: Then blow on it first!
TODD:
The history of the world, my sweet --
LOVETT:
Oh, Mr. Todd,
Ooh, Mr. Todd,
What does it tell?
TODD:
Is who gets eaten, and who gets to eat!
LOVETT:
And, Mr. Todd,
Too, Mr. Todd,
Who gets to sell!
TODD:
But fortunately, it's also clear
BOTH:
That [L: But] ev'rybody goes down well with beer!
LOVETT: (spoken)
Since marine doesn't appeal to you, 'ow about... rear admiral?
TODD: Too salty. I prefer general.
LOVETT: With, or without his privates? "With" is extra.
TODD: What is that?
LOVETT:
It's fop.
Finest in the shop.
And we have some shepherd's pie peppered
With actual shepherd on top!
And I've just begun --
Here's the politician, so oily
It's served with a doily,
Have one!
TODD:
Put it on a bun.
Well, you never know if it's going to run!
LOVETT:
Try the friar,
Fried, it's drier!
TODD:
No, the clergy is really
Too coarse and too mealy!
LOVETT:
Then actor,
That's compacter!
TODD:
Yes, and always arrives overdone!
I'll come again when you have JUDGE on the menu!
LOVETT: (spoken) Wait! True, we don't have judge yet,
but we've got something you might fancy even better.
TODD: What's that?
LOVETT: Executioner!
TODD:
Have charity towards the world, my pet!
LOVETT:
Yes, yes, I know, my love!
TODD:
We'll take the customers that we can get!
LOVETT:
High-born and low, my love!
TODD:
We'll not discriminate great from small!
No, we'll serve anyone,
Meaning anyone,
BOTH:
And to anyone
At all!
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Mrs. Lovett, what a charming notion
Eminently practical
And yet appropriate as always!
Mrs. Lovett, how I've lived
Without you all these years, I'll never know!
How delectable!
Also undetectable!
And yeah, the burning was horrible.
I keep wondering when he's going to hit his peak... then realize that, unless he makes a snuff film, he'll always just be reaching for that golden apple..
That was a really fun movie.
If you are, we need to form a club.
Yeah, when Cohen slaps the kid me and like three other people in the theater laughed.
On the black screen
Be glad you weren't the only one in the theatre Doc.