Miscellaneous - Sweeney Todd

by Anthony Strutt

published: 11 / 1 / 2008

Anthony Strutt finds Tim Burton's new musical, 'Sweeney Todd :The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'to be a gory masterpiece of dark beauty

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'Sweeney Todd :The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' is Tim Burton's first musical and, starring Johnny Depp, Tim's partner Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman, is a masterpiece of dark beauty. 2008 is the year of the rebirth of my favourite horror film company, Hammer Films. Both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have made a number of films that have the true essence of what Hammer were all about and 'Sweeney Todd' carries on their great tradition to honour Hammer. 'Sweeney Todd' has been filmed a number of times. The first time it was filmed as a horror film was back in 1936 with the great Tod Slaughter. This version is based on the stage musical, which Tim first saw 20 years ago. Scored by Stephen Sondheim, it is a musical of the darkest variety, but it doesn't take too long to get used to this fact. Johnny Depp's fake cockney accent here is at its very brightest and when he talks and sings it's like mid 60's era Bowie. Some of the set pieces are just absolutely gorgeous. As a horror fan, I was completely at home, but if you are not used to seeing blood flow then beware. I saw this film at a midnight preview, which was the right time to see this film of a honest man who with his husband and fatherly duties taken away from him came back to seek revenge and, befriended by few, sung love songs to his blades. This is Tim Burton at his very best. See it where it deserves to be seen up there on a big screen and help keep cinema alive. The year's best film, and it's still only January.