Sweeney Todd (2006) (TV)

Director:

Dave Moore

Writer:

Joshua St. Johnston (written by)

Release Date:

3 January 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Plot:

A BBC adaptation of the classic tale of the 18th century demon barber of Fleet Street, London, who cuts the throats of his unsuspecting clients in his shop. |

Plot Keywords:

Barber | 18th Century | 1700s | Trapdoor | London England

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ray Winstone	...	Sweeney Todd
Essie Davis	...	Mrs Lovett
David Warner	...	Fielding
Tom Hardy	...	Matthew
David Bradley	...	Sweeney's Father
Roger Frost	...	Customer
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Gaoler
David Foxxe	...	Rector
Ben Walker	...	Tobias
Jessica Hooker	...	Polly
Paul Currier	...	Thornhill
Mircea Drambareanu	...	Mr Lovett
Gabriel Spahiu	...	Thief
Vlad Radescu	...	Sailor
Bogdan Cotlet	...	Youth

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:18 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Argentina:18 | South Africa:18 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

MediaPro Studios, Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Box TV

Trivia:

Part of the plot involves a string of pearls. The Sweeney Todd story first appeared in a story entitled ‘The String of Pearls: A Romance’.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Some of the "corpses" Todd is chopping up in his cellar are still breathing.

Quotes:

Sir John Fielding: Today I wish I'd lost my sense of smell as well as my sight.

Movie Connections:

Version of Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970)

Another Close Shave

Dave Moore's TV version of the infamous tale of the bloodthirsty barber Sweeney Todd unsurprisingly bears little relation to Tim Burton's musical version released the following year. This one is much more matter-of-fact in its portrayal of Todd's descent into madness, and gives his motive for killing as revenge for being jailed in Newgate prison as a child for a crime committed by his father. Initially, there is a skewed sense of justice to Todd's reason for killing off his clients but, as his blood lust (and feelings for the neighbouring Mrs Lovett) grows stronger his reasons become less calculated.

Ray Winstone plays Todd. He is a fine actor, but loses some of his screen presence by choosing to underplay the role, his voice rarely betraying any kind of emotion. Despite this it's a choice that suits the character, even if it doesn't the actor. Cutting up his victims in the cellar of his barber shop, stripped to the waist, his bare head gleaming white and his mouth slack, Winstone makes a truly grotesque monster, one made all the more frightening because he is otherwise an extremely quiet and ordinary man.

There's a lot of violence in the film, a lot of slit throats and mutilation of corpses, but, again, it's not given any kind of sensationalistic value. Essie Davis plays Mrs Lovett, another decent character whose descent into monstrosity is sparked by the things that have happened to her rather than any inherent evil. She turns into a grotesque parody of herself as the film progresses, her beauty destroyed by pox scars, sporting fine wigs made by Todd that sit incongruously atop her ruined features. It's all very grim and dark and there is no place for humour, even of the gallows variety. Perhaps a touch of humour, especially on the part of Todd, is what is needed to both round out his character and make his monstrous actions that much more horrific…