Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

TV Movie
1982
Not Rated
2h 20m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Angela Lansbury and George Hearn in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

Barber Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting pie shop owner Mrs. Nellie Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.Barber Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting pie shop owner Mrs. Nellie Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.Barber Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting pie shop owner Mrs. Nellie Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.

Director
- Terry Hughes
Writers
- Hugh Wheeler
- Christopher Bond
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Terry Hughes
Writers
- Hugh Wheeler
- Christopher Bond
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 3 Primetime Emmys
- 7 wins & 2 nominations total

Photos5

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Though Dame Angela Lansbury won the 1979 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Mrs. Nellie Lovett on Broadway, this production is the national tour, filmed while in Los Angeles, California.

Goofs
During the song "My Friends", Angela Lansbury accidentally says about Todd's razors, "them blades is chased silver" rather than "them handles" (as per the libretto). A razor blade out of silver would not only be less effective than the carbon steel commonly used, but would also be ludicrously expensive for such a mundane task.

Quotes
Sweeney Todd: [singing] What is that?
Nellie Lovett: [singing] It's priest. Have a little priest.
Sweeney Todd: [singing] Is it really good?
Nellie Lovett: [singing] Sir, it's too good, at least. Then again, they don't commit sins of the flesh, so it's pretty fresh.
Sweeney Todd: [singing] Awful lot of fat.
Nellie Lovett: [singing] Only where it sat.
Sweeney Todd: [singing] Haven't you got... poet, or something like that?
Nellie Lovett: [singing] No, you see the trouble with poet is how do you know it's deceased... try the priest!

Connections
Featured in The 37th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1985)

Soundtracks
The Ballad of Sweeney Todd
(uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by George Hearn, Angela Lansbury, Cris Groenendaal, Sara Woods, Edmund Lyndeck, Calvin Remsberg, Betsy Joslyn, Sal Mistretta, Michael Kalinyen, Ken Jennings and chorus

User reviews42

Review

Featured review

10/10

Wonderful score and a WONDERFUL cast

First of all, I have watched this show since I was a little toddler, and I have always loved it. Sure, maybe I didn't understand it when I was that young, but I still enjoyed it! And now that I have been able to understand it for several years, I love it even more. The score of this musical is the most wonderfully detailed score I have ever heard! Every note is perfect, I don't even need to hear the singing to enjoy it!

Moving on to this particular production- This is magnificent! Of course no one could play Mrs. Lovett besides Angela Lansbury, and she does it perfectly. And she should, she has been playing this part for several years. George Hearn is absolutely brilliant. The best Sweeney Todd I have ever heard. He has a wonderful voice, yet he can throw his voice so well! His "epiphany" is incredible, as you can tell by the audience's reaction to it. The Judge, Toby, Antony, and Pirelli are also so wonderful in their roles. Everyone is perfect! Well, I still have to fast forward through Johanna's Green finch and linnet bird. She just doesn't sing that song well at all.

This show CAN be appreciated at all ages, but it is not always accepted. I am not your typical middle-aged theater lover, I am only 15 years old, yet Sweeney Todd has given me a greater appreciation for music than I have gotten from any other musical.