Big Girls Don't Pie

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2008)

'Sweeney Todd', could be best described as part slasher flick, part morality play. It has more substance to it than most slasher flicks where the gore is added as a sensationalist attraction for the morbidly curious. The overtly gory component incorporated in Sweeney Todd had me questioning 'why do people kill one another?' and 'why must we have war?' It is a difficult task to remain commercially viable and to include all the various elements that Mr. Burton has presented for us in this film and so he deserves congratulation. Particularly, for the fact that the gore in the film causes the audience to re evaluate their own response to it, because it is not presented as an attractive satisfaction for the ghoulish nature of the human psyche, but instead serves to raise moral questions from its repellent nature. This is its value as an element in the narrative and gives this film a value that most 'slasher' films do not have. I didn't know it was a musical until the singing began and it reminded me of those films of the 60's and 70's that were almost put to death by 'Grease' and 'Xanadu'. 'Sweeney Todd' maintains the tradition of films like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'My Fair Lady' and 'The Sound of Music', but with bulk darkness and a slight amount of gratuitous gore added. I thought Johnny Depp's singing was good in this movie, in fact I thought he had a voice that could easily rock out if he was put amongst it with some hard rocking band. He's apparently stated that he can't sing very well, (probably just worried that people will decide to hate him out of envy if he adds singer to his repertoire of skills). Obviously, Johnny can make any film a classic since he is easily one of the most popular male actors of his generation, but that's not the only reason 'Sweeney Todd' amuses and terrifies. Helena Bonham-Carter's looks and ethereal, other-worldly quality make her perfect for a tale of this ilk, positioned as it is in Tim Burton's macabre vision of Old London Town. For me, it was obvious that he has made a list of images that he wanted to incorporate in this project and he has done it with artistry and panache and he dramatically uses the big screen like the most skillful painters, (before photography), used the canvas. Well done, though not exactly a film for the young kiddies (or vegetarians).