Blood-Soaked Brilliance

Sweeny Todd provides quality, if morbid entertainment

DV Indeed
By Michael the K

I’m so glad, after reviewing my last two films in the theater, to be back in my home theater reviewing DVDs. After careful transferring, discs actually sound better than the original products. There is also the ability to see and hear more in a home theater, provided the equipment is top notch and the acoustics are dealt with. Theaters will vary according to how many people attend, and even the clothes they wear can affect the acoustics. Those in the know realize that the acoustics are a key factor in sound reproduction. Those who’ve attended some of the great acoustic environments of the world, such as Carnagie Hall and other symphony halls, will attest to their merits. So it was with great anticipation that I dropped Sweeny Todd into the DVD player of my home theater system.

I had seen Todd opening this year at the Broadway Cinema in Eureka, one of my favorite places to view motion pictures. Having attended the original stage production in New York, whose cast included Len Cariou as Sweeny and the incomparable Angela Landsbury as Mrs. Lovett it was Tippet’s character instead of Todd who was the real star of the show, and Angela’s golden-throated vocals gave life and excitement to the original score by Steven Sondheim. I thought Tim Burton’s film adaptation to be very good, from the opening in D minor on the organ, the titles were electrifying and demanded your full attention, as blood drips through the sequences. Tim Burton (Batman, A Nightmare Before Christmas) is a master at setting the feeling of the film early on; this is usually only found in Broadway-level overtures, they are supposed to contain all the songs of the pieces. This is a true protocol, as once you have heard the melodies, your brain puts them into memory and when they are replayed later in the piece, your memory hears them this time as if you were familiar with them. All Burton’s films reflect this, and I commend him for his brilliance of execution.

Johnny Depp plays a barber who is happily married to a beautiful woman, conceived a beautiful daughter and whose life seemed to be nothing but happiness. Okay, dah-nahn! Enter the cynical judge, Alan Rickman (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Harry Potter) who is smitten by his wife’s beauty and will stop at nothing to attain her. The barber is then thrown into prison on a false charge and his wife and child is taken by the judge. Years later, the barber returns from incarceration, and bitter to the point of madness, plans his revenge. At this time, he meets the vivacious Mrs. Lovett, a pie-making merchant who owns the building the former barber rented his shop from. Mrs. Lovett, played wonderfully by Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) is a failure in her craft, as her pie ingredients lack the secret taste of a connoisseur needed to be successful. Recognizing the barber, she conspires to help him in his morbid plot of revenge.

The original production on the stage did not fare well at first. The critics panned it, and so did the audience, as a storyline which contained excessive violence and brutality, even adding a touch of cannibalism to the dark plot. Burton, known for his morbid visions, had a field day here. His indulgence in violence and bloodletting in this piece made even Roger Corman look like Walt Disney. The music was powerful in the fact that Johnny, Helena and Alan, as well as others in the cast, all made their singing debut in this film – it was nothing short of a miracle. Even Sacha Baron Cohen’s (Borat, Da Ali G Show) remarkable performance as a snake oil’s salesman was nothing short of show-stopping. This fine cast showed the talents that are needed to accomplish true entertainment. Congratulations, Mr. Burton, on a truly fine job.

As for the comparison of theater versus home theater, the winner again is a DVD presentation. The music, although transferred very well to the film, took on a new power and excitement. The vocals, too, shine greatly over the commercial venue. I was more transfixed to the story and drawn into the adventure more so at home. Then came the bonus the DVD contained, the making of featurette, which I mostly don’t watch – mostly I don’t like the films, so why would I want to know how they made it? You get to hear from Burton’s own lips, after a 17-year collaboration with Depp, why he was so sure he could handle the part. His wife, Helena, also contributes, telling of her love for the piece and her crammed vocal coaching to achieve the part. Even Sondheim was interviewed, and gives his personal opinion of how this great work was adapted to the film media.

In closing I would like to say that if all filmmakers took these steps in their production, the industry would not be in the situation we are in today. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Michael the K, in addition to his position as Video Editor, is a long-time music producer and filmmaker living in Eureka. He can be reached at 667-3302, or at video ~~AT~~ humboldtsentinel.com. More of his writing can be reviewed at eurekatribune.com.