A different interpretation

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2007)

If you go to see this film and you know nothing about Sweeney Todd you are in for a great surprise! If you are a Sondheim fan and know the work well then you will have to leave your mind open to a very different Sweeney than you have been used to.
This is not the film of the stage version and I was glad about that. What would have been the point! However, you have a fresh take on a piece that is very well known and performed regularly both in New York and on the circuit. As the film came out the touring version of the new "scalled down" stage show came into Miami.
What you have with this Sweeney is probably what Sondheim had in mind all along. He has repeatedly said that he does not like his work sang as opera and he prefers "non-trained" singers in the parts. Remember the wonderful rendition of Send in the Clowns by Glynis Johns! Now she wasn't a great singer, but she made that song. I personally hated Judy Collins" version...
So here we have a Sweeney played by Johnny Depp who is probably one of the greatest actors around and I think was perfectly cast. Also giving Tim Burton the Directors chair was an intelligent choice. This is a dark film and he is the master.
What helped me to understand the choices of the rest of the cast was to listen to the soundtrack. It puts into perspective the voices and how they work together. Additionally, I think the orchestrations have been ramped up and the music sounds even better then the original.
After seeing the film and listening to the soundtrack a few times I went back and watched the Hearn and Lansbury show. This allowed me to understand why Burton had made some cuts in the film. They were not needed! Yes you miss some of the music, but the medium if film makes some things redundant...
My only problem with the film was the way the story was changed in relation to the beggar women and how Sweeney is not introduced to her at the beginning of the film. For me the crucial scene is always when he is in his shop with his daughter hiding in a case and his wife comes in looking for the Beedle. Right there he has all he hoped for but he cannot see it.
However, I think this is a great movie and will go on to win the awards it deserves! A movie to see over and over again!
P.S. Sweeney Todd is a work that has a life of its own and seems to evolve and continue to show interest. I would recommend you get all the versions you can to see how adaptable it can be which only goes to prove how great Sondheim really is!