It Works!

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2007)

Although critics have been unanimous in their praise, many fans of the show have been quite harsh, chiefly for two reasons  the principals are not great singers, and the deletion of roughly 50% of the score. I am in neither camp, although either of these factors might heretofore have caused me to pronounce most film adaptations of almost any Broadway musical a failure. Instead, I am thrilled beyond my expectations, but might not have been, had I not had so much respect for Stephen Sondheim, who says that he is satisfied with the film, and I have followed him long enough to know he would not give praise to this project if he were not satisfied. I have listened carefully to Mr. Sondheim in recent interviews, and now understand why so many stage musicals transferred to celluloid don't work. Time passes very differently in a theatre than it does on film. What takes several minutes in a Broadway theatre (a full-blown production number) is apt to seem like a small eternity on screen. Therefore, the very thing that keeps most live theatre audiences clamoring for more is apt to make many movie audiences run screaming from the auditorium. Also, in real life, no one ever bursts into song during one of life's dramatic moments, and many moviegoers who are accustomed to a certain amount of reality therefore find musical films particularly hard to take. Thanks to some of the theories voiced by Mr. Sondheim in the past week or so, I finally understand why so many film musicals fall flat - the theatre and film are two entirely different mediums, with two entirely different audiences. Many theatre lovers, me included, would be happy to sit through a musical transferred to screen exactly as done on stage, but most movie audiences wouldn't.
Tim Burton has said that he has always been a fan of Sweeney Todd. As disappointing as it is for fans to accept how much of the score has been cut, it was probably even more agonizing for Mr. Burton to decide what to remove. The original ran over three hours, and at least 75% of the story was sung. The film runs only 117 minutes and, judging by the length of the soundtrack CD (72 minutes) easily 40% of the score has been removed, mostly the ensemble pieces. Mr. Burton apparently judged (probably correctly) that the choral numbers which worked so well on stage, and contained some of the wittiest lyrics, would be clunky and ponderous on film, and he made the difficult decision to let them go. This is likely to be the sorest point for many fans of the show. Had I not been paying careful attention to Mr. Sondheim's recent interviews, I may not have been able to get past that point myself.
But what has been excised is compensated for in Mr. Burton's sumptuous visuals and attention to detail. Although Sondheim made subtle changes to the lyrics, actually improving it, it's amazing how much of what is left of the score is faithful to the original. Though it's a tragedy, Sweeney Todd remains in essence a dark comedy, and many of Mr. Burton's finer touches, especially the staging of the musical numbers, have enhanced the story to the point where I hardly miss the deletions, and I am someone who has loved this piece in most of its previous renderings.
Although he has never been a particular favorite of mine, Johnny Depp is a revelation. Without detracting from previous interpreters of the role (especially Len Cariou and George Hearn), Mr. Depp's evocation of the character is so fully fleshed out, and so filled with genuine pathos and sympathy, that I was able to excuse the fact that he is not a seasoned vocalist. To reiterate, this is not Broadway, and there is no need for his voice to reach the back of the house. If anything, the fact that the principal characters are not great singers actually enhances the realistic feel of the film. It is also a pleasure to have Toby, Joanna and Anthony played by actors of the appropriate age, and hear accents that actually invoke pre-Victorian London.
But the real star (to me, anyway) is the score by Stephen Sondheim. I am not amazed that some feel that there are no "memorable songs" in the score. Good music should be subtle; the absence of "catchy tunes" that one will whistle on the way out of the theatre is only indicative to me of the high quality of the score. Anyone who is previously unfamiliar with Sweeney Todd who doesn't "get it" is urged to purchase the soundtrack (the version with the complete libretto included) and follow the words as the songs are sung. The first thing you will realize is (as with any Sondheim's works, whether they be in a film or the theatre) how incredibly witty and sophisticated his lyrics are; on first listen you are apt to miss most of his delicious wit. His use of the language, his clever rhymes, and above all, his intelligent, deft semantics will amaze anyone who cares to take the time to listen. There are reasons why so many consider Sondheim the foremost composer of the theatre, and so many intelligent theatergoers hang on his every word. But just as important as his words (and I have always admired Sondheim's ability to use words above all else that I treasure in the world of musical theatre), you will find, if you listen long and hard enough, that his delicate, subtle music will work its way into your heart and conscience as some of the most beautiful music ever composed. This is NOT top-forty pop music, the type that is so often mistaken for excellence in theatre these days. Sondheim writes genuine, heartfelt, real music. Once you open your heart and mind to Sondheim's glorious words and sumptuous airs, you may just become a fan for life.