The Tale of Sweeney Todd (TV 1997)

The fictional tale of the murderous 19th century barber (Ben Kinglsey) who sold his kills to a neighboring butcher (Joanna Lumley) for her renowned meat pies. A young innocent (Selina ... See full summary »

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Peter Buckman, Peter Shaw (story)

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Campbell Scott, Joanna Lumley

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Kingsley	...	Sweeney Todd
Campbell Scott	...	Ben Carlyle
Joanna Lumley	...	Mrs. Lovett
Selina Boyack	...	Alice
David Wilmot	...	Tom
Sean Flanagan	...	Charlie (as Séan Ó'Flanagain)
Katharine Schlesinger	...	Lucy
John Kavanagh	...	Rutledge
Joe Savino	...	Chambers
Niall Buggy	...	Vicar
Peter Jeffrey	...	Dr. Maxwell
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Mannheim
Bosco Hogan	...	Head Clerk
Birdy Sweeney	...	Elderly Cutter
Des Braiden	...	Bald Toothless Man

Storyline

The fictional tale of the murderous 19th century barber (Ben Kinglsey) who sold his kills to a neighboring butcher (Joanna Lumley) for her renowned meat pies. A young innocent (Selina Boyack) and the dashing inspector (Campbell Scott) who tries to solve the murders are also thrown into the mix.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | barber | straight razor | pastry shop | prostitute | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'échoppe des horreurs

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The final film of 'Peter Jeffrey (I)'.

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Connections

Version of Mystery and Imagination: Sweeney Todd (1970)

User Reviews

A disappointment considering the talent involved.

Deranged wig-maker/barber/dentist/doctor (whew!) Sweeney Todd (Ben Kingsley) kills rich Londoners and keeps an abused, mute, pale orphan around as a slave. A hideous-looking, rotten-toothed Joanna Lumley (from the "Absolutely Fabulous" TV series) is his lover and partner in crime, who uses the dead bodies in her famous meat pies. A very bland Campbell Scott is the "American gentleman" trying to clear up a debt and instead stumbles onto the operation. It's all a grim, unpleasant, talky new version of the famous tale that could have used some more comedy, but just barely skims by on some good performances, gore and, especially, excellent costumes and sets that accurately capture rich 19th Century London atmosphere (although it was actually filmed in Dublin, Ireland). The original movie version (SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, starring Tod Slaughter) of George Dibdin-Pitt's stage play came out in 1936 and was followed by the popular Stephen Sondheim musical and many inferior Z movie copies from the likes of Herschell Gordon Lewis and Andy Milligan. This one was backed by the Showtime cable network and there's nothing much to gain from watching it.