Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

John Logan (screenplay)
Stephen Sondheim (musical) ...

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Never Forget. Never Forgive.

Plot:

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.

Plot Keywords:

Judge | Lust | Razor | Widow | Restaurant

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 31 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Sweeney Todd
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Mrs. Lovett
Alan Rickman	...	Judge Turpin
Timothy Spall	...	Beadle
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Pirelli
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Anthony
Laura Michelle Kelly	...	Beggar Woman
Jayne Wisener	...	Johanna
Ed Sanders	...	Toby (as Edward Sanders)
Gracie May	...	Baby Johanna
Ava May	...	Baby Johanna
Gabriella Freeman	...	Baby Johanna
Jody Halse	...	Policeman
Aron Paramor	...	Policeman
Lee Whitlock	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Japan:R-15 | Malaysia:18PL | Czech Republic:15 | Taiwan:R-18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:III | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Italy:VM14 | Israel:18 | South Africa:16LV | Greece:K-17 | USA:R (certificate #43914) (cut) | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | France:-12 | Austria:14 | Denmark:15 | Spain:13 | New Zealand:R16 | Chile:18

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

When filming began, there was to be an inclusion of the spirits of Sweeney Todd's victims (including Anthony Head and Christopher Lee), who would sing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", its reprises and the Epilogue. These songs were recorded, but eventually cut since director Tim Burton felt that the songs were too theatrical for the film. Lee's appearance was completely cut from the film, but Head still has an uncredited one-line cameo (after the competition, Head's character asks Todd if he has a business of his own).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Toby beats the drum to attract peoples' attention on the street, the sounds are very clearly out of sync with him actually beating drum.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anthony Hope: I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders, from the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru. But there's no place like London.
Sweeney Todd: No, there's no place like London.
Anthony Hope: [spoken] Mr. Todd?
Sweeney Todd: You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-12-15)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Wait

Sublime

As it happens more often than not, greatness is relegated to some obscure angle. In a year of brilliant opuses by the Cohen Brothers and PT Anderson, this Tim Burton film shines as the best from every angle. It's not just that Burton creates another superb, dark universe with Dante Ferretti's complicity or that Johnnt Deep breaks new ground, or that Helena Bonham Carter surprises us with a complex, marvelous realistic parody. The film touches visually a very private cord. Ed Wood managed that but Tim Burton with "Sweeny Todd" elevates it to the purest form of art. He will be punished for that, as Ed Wood was in its day. Disappointing grosses in a world that worship grosses will make it appear as a sort of a failure. My advise to you is run to see it wherever you can find it. Try to see it in a big screen with great sound. You will fly and dream and be taken away by the masterful hands of Tim Burton and the glorious faces of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.