Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Composite Score: 82.77
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly, Jayne Wisener, and Ed Sanders
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: John Logan and Christopher Bond
Genres: Drama, Horror, Musical, Romance, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for graphic bloody violence
Box Office: $158.38 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. It follows the story of Sweeney Todd, played by Johnny Depp, as he returns to London and seeks to exact vengeance on the men that wronged him and drove him from the city as a young man. The slasher musical also features supporting performances from Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, the woman who lives below Todd and owns a meat pie shop, Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, the crooked judge who drove Todd from town and then adopted his baby daughter as his own ward, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony, the young seaman who comes to London with Todd and soon falls in love with Todd’s estranged daughter. The film remains a solid adaptation of a classic musical thanks to its strong performances, great music, and solid direction from Tim Burton.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
This musical suffers from the issue of song-story balance that plagues so many Broadway screen adaptations. The story comes second to the musical performances; however, Sweeney Todd benefits here from having songs that directly contribute to both plot and character development. Unfortunately, the audience is then forced to listen carefully to songs in order to not miss out on any piece of information that might be dropped in the lyrics. It’s not a major gripe but one that remains valid, nevertheless.
More problematic is the story of Anthony’s romance with Johanna. It is a story of boy sees girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl wants out of an abusive home, boy tries to break in to help girl out but gets caught, girl gets sent away, boy must hunt for girl to save her. Johanna is the archetypal damsel in distress and serves more as a plot device, motivating the characters of Anthony, Todd, and Turpin, than as an actual character. Even Anthony’s “romantic” song upon first spotting Johanna has lyrics that sound more stalker-ish than loving – “Even now, I’m at your window. / I am in the dark beside you, / Buried sweetly in your yellow hair.” Definitely not the healthiest romantic relationship foundation.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Because of the ways that its lyrics tie directly to the plot, Sweeney Todd remains one of the better film adaptations of a Broadway musical. The songs tell the story that is being acted out on screen in a way that musicals do not always accomplish, necessitating audience engagement with the musical’s truly excellent songs and score. Though some might complain about Depp’s or Rickman’s vocals, they work in this format because, like their singing voices, the characters they portray are deeply flawed and imperfect, meant to elicit disgust, horror, and occasionally sympathy from the audience. Sondheim’s songs are given their just due in Burton’s adaptation here.
Carrying the film beyond just musical greatness is Depp’s performance as the troubled barber. His Sweeney Todd is equally terrifying and sympathetic, trending even towards empathetic in certain moments. His hardened exterior and violent tendencies come through well enough, but it is the subtle hesitations and minor expressions of care that Depp shows in his facial expressions and line deliveries that truly carry the character through to greatness. He brings more than just a copy-paste of his Jack Sparrow or his Edward Scissorhands here, blending the two and adding more worldly wisdom to both to accomplish the feat of playing Todd as if he was born to do so.
Johnny Depp’s leading performance bolsters the film’s great adaptation of Sondheim’s music, and Burton’s artistic tendencies work wonders in bringing the musical to life on the screen, making Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street not only one of the best musical adaptations of all time but one of the Greatest Films of All Time as well. Despite some questionable romantic choices and the requirement of listening to every word of the film’s songs, it remains a quality watch and a solid standby for any musical fan. This film is currently available to stream on HBO Max if you would like to give it a shot.
