Attend the tale....

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2008)

In 1979 Stephen Sondheim brought his groundbreaking musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" to Broadway. It won a total of 8 Tony Awards and went on to become one of the most revered Sondheim musicals of all time. A much-loved televised version would air on cable in 1982 starring it's TONY Award-winning star, Angela Lansbury. And now, 28 years after it's Broadway debut, Sondheim's operatic tale of the demon barber has finally found it's way to the big-screen. Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" hit theaters a few days before Christmas and gave movie-goers a cinematic masterpiece for the holiday. Albeit, a bloody one. "Sweeney Todd" tells the story of Benjamin Barker, the wrongly imprisoned barber who returns to London to seek revenge on a corrupt Judge named Turpin who sent him away on a trumped-up charge in an attempt to gain Barker's wife and child. Changing his name to Sweeney Todd, the vengeful barber Barker pairs up with landlady Nellie Lovett as they try to lure the Judge to Todd's barber shop for one final shave. Along the way, Lovett and Todd concoct a scheme to turn Todd's unknowing customers into meat pies via Mrs. Lovett's pie shop, which is conveniently located beneath Todd's barber parlor. Sondheim's original stage production was over three hours long and contained some of the most difficult music any stage performer could ever want to sing. So, when word went out that Burton would cut the film's running time to under two hours and cast mostly non-singers in all the leading roles, many were understandably skeptical. As a fan of the 1982 televised version I approached this film adaptation reluctantly at first, only to emerge from the theater with not only a greater appreciation for the material but an even larger one for it's cast and crew. Tim Burton has created his best film since 1994's "Ed Wood," making some really interesting and brave choices in translating one of the most difficult and unlikely musical theater pieces of all time to the silver screen. Burton, while trimming songs and cutting just a few has somehow managed to maintain the mostly sung libretto of Sondheim's stage masterpiece. Sondheim's brilliantly ironic and clever lyrics are preserved here along with one of the most beautifully orchestrated arrangements of his score to date. Jonathan Tunick, who orchestrated the original Broadway production orchestrates here as well, making the musical soundtrack alone a great reason to see this film. If bringing original Broadway crew members like Tunick (as well as original Broadway conductor, Paul Gemignani) into the film's production was a wise choice by director, Burton, the casting of movie-star and Burton regular Johnny Depp was an inspired one. Depp takes-on the role of the barber bent on revenge with a fearless passion. His Todd never forgives and never forgets, not even for a moment. He sets out to destroy the one who has brought rack and ruin to his life and anyone else for that matter who gets in his way. Depp's brooding Sweeney is relentless. He forgoes much of the humor Len Cariou and George Hearn found in their respective stage performances, leaving much of the film's humor to co-star Helena Bonham Carter. As Mrs. Lovett, Bonham Carter walks ghostly through the film, falling hopelessly in love with the vengeful Todd. The two make a great pairing in this younger casting of the two leads. (Angela Lansbury was 54 when she played Lovett on stage, Bonham Carter is 41. Depp, 44 is actually four years older then Cariou was when he played Todd in 1979.) Also on screen is the always resourceful Alan Rickman as the evil Judge Turpin, along with a slimy Timothy Spall as his henchman Beadle Bamford. Sacha Baron Cohen appears briefly as a competing barber for some humorous and bloody moments. And young newcomer Ed Sanders sings beautifully as Toby the workhouse boy turned Mrs. Lovett's tagalong. All these performers are shot strikingly by Warsaw-born cinematographer Dariusz Wolski against a background of sets created by Italian production designer Dante Ferretti. Ferretti and Wolski create an atmosphere that is gorgeously Gothic and as representative of 19th century London as any Dickens novel could ever hope to be. Of course the blood flows freely in Burton's filming of "Todd," cleverly serving as an homage to the Hammer Horror movies of the 1960s. Burton frames his subjects mostly in close-up and with great care carefully crafting every frame in what is easily his most visually striking film to date. Of course the big question mark with this film has to do with the singing voices of it's leading players. Can they sing? Yes, and well, actually! Are they Broadway voices? No. Do they have to be? Not really. Yes, if you are looking for the prettiest translations of these Sondheim classics, you may fair better listening to the original Broadway CD. But if you want to see and hear an honest attempt by brave multi-talented actors translating Sondheim's most difficult work to screen, then treat yourself to this unique tale of regret and revenge. For it is told so interestingly and artistically through music, song and celluloid by one of the greatest assembling of talent brought together for a film in years. Read more at www.retailconfessions.com