Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

About

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical, directed by Tim Burton.

A promotional poster for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

Main Cast

• Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd
• Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett
• Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin
• Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford
• Sacha Baron Cohen as Adolfo Pirelli
• Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony
• Laura Michelle Kelly as Lucy/Beggar Woman
• Jayne Wisener as Johanna
• Edward Sanders as Toby

Production

Tim Burton first saw the musical in London in 1980, and was "struck by how cinematic the musical was" . He approached Sondheim about directing an adaptation, but nothing came of it until 2003, when Sam Mendes approached Sondheim to write a screenplay adaptation of the story. Mendes left the production in 2005 and Burton took over. Sondheim and Burton worked together to cut the three-hour musical down into a faster paced, more watchable movie, stating that they wanted to truly adapt it, and not just film the stage production.

Originally, the ensemble numbers were included (and still appear in laters drafts of the screenplay available online), and multiple actors, including Christopher Lee, Peter Bowles, and Anthony Head were cast as the ensemble members. These scenes were later cut. It's unknown whether or not they were filmed and edited out later or cut before production began.

The film stars Johnny Depp in the titular role, in his sixth collaboration with director Tim Burton. Helena Bonham Carter also stars as Mrs. Lovett, in her fifth collaboration. Bonham Carter was pregnant during production, which made costuming and continuity a challenge. All of the actors do their own singing, with the exception of one high note Sacha Baron Cohen couldn't hit, which was dubbed over by an opera singer. Baron Cohen was apparently cast without hesitation after he sang the entirety of Fiddler on the Roof for his audition.

Depp first learned of Sweeney Todd in 2000, when he was given an original cast recording of the musical by Burton. Depp was not a fan of musicals, but liked the story. Depp said when he signed on, "how many chances do you get at a musical about a serial killer?" Depp recorded demo tapes of himself in West Hollywood, working with Bruce Witkin to shape his own vocals without a qualified voice coach. Much of Todd's dialogue was cut from the musical. Depp said, "We focused on the dangerous and unsettling idea of stillness, that he doesn’t look many people in the eye, or say much", an idea Burton compared to Boris Karloff and other actors in classic horror films, where "his eyes and the music [...] tell the story." Depp chose a punk rock approach to his performance,[5] citing inspiration from Anthony Newley and Iggy Pop, the latter whom he called a "very aggressive crooner."

Bonham Carter, who's said she "wanted to be Mrs. Lovett since she was 11", when she saw Angela Lansbury in the role. Wanting to prove that being cast would not be an act of nepotism on her partner Burton's part, she was trained actress was trained to sing by Ian Adam, and got approval on her audition tapes from Sondheim.

The 2007 film was the first production to build a chair that tips victims backwards into the trapdoor instead of sliding forwards. Burton made this decision because he thought it looked more streamlined on camera and allowed victims to crash headfirst onto the concrete bakehouse floor below. The film made heavy use of practical effects, using a complex set of tubing underneath faux latex skin to create the throat slitting effects. The pies were a combination of real, edible pies made of oatmeal and gelatin (so they would hold under stage lighting), and plastic or fiberglass pies to be used as set decoration. Multiple razors were constructed, some of which had a mechanical switch which allowed them to be opened one-handed.

An alternate poster.

The film was released in the United States on December 21, 2007 and in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2008 to enthusiastic reviews and critical acclaim, praised for its production design and faithfulness to the original musical. It won Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for Best Actor and Best Costume Design and won Best Art Direction at the 80th Academy Awards.

Synopsis

The film opens with an animated credits sequence of automated machinery churning out ground meat as an instrumental version of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" plays as an overture. A ship sails into a London port, where we meet an optimistic young sailor named Anthony. With him is an older man who calls himself Sweeney Todd. Todd reveals that he used to be a barber and was sent to prison on a false charge by the corrupt Judge Turpin, who lusted after Barker's wife Lucy. (No Place Like London).

Todd and Anthony go their separate ways and Todd returns to his old flat above Nellie Lovett's pie shop on Fleet Street. Lovett tries to convince Todd to buy one of her terrible pies (The Worst Pies In London). He takes a bite of pie and immediately spits it out after finding a cockroach inside. Lovett invites him into her home behind the shop and tells him the story of the couple that used to live upstairs. She tells him that the husband, Benjamin Barker, was sent away to prison by Turpin, who then invited Lucy to a masquerade ball, where he raped her while she was drunk in front of the guests. Lucy then poisoned herself and Turpin got custody of their baby daughter Johanna, who is now sixteen (Poor Thing). Todd vows to avenge his wife and kill the Judge. Lovett takes him upstairs and shows him his old straight razors, which she saved for him (My Friends).

Wandering the streets of London, Anthony sees Johanna sitting in a window above the street and singing to her caged pet birds and longing to be free from the Judge (Green Finch and Linnet Bird). He instantly falls in love with her, whereupon a crazed beggar woman asks him for money (Alms! Alms!). Anthony learns Johanna's name from the Beggar Woman. The Judge appears and invites Anthony inside his house, where he offers to show him books of pornography and then has his lackey, Beadle Bamford, violently beat Anthony for "gandering" at Johanna. Anthony becomes determined to rescue Johanna (Johanna).

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter singing "A Little Priest".

Todd and Lovett go to the market, where Todd denounces a fraudulent hair tonic sold by the Italian street barber Adolfo Pirelli and his young assistant, Toby (Pirelli's Miracle Elixir). Todd challenges Pirelli, a self-proclaimed master barber, to a shaving competition, betting on his prized silver straight razors. Todd invites Beadle Bamford out of the crowd to judge the contest and ends up winning (The Contest). Todd invites the Beadle to his newly-opened barbershop for a complimentary shave. The Beadle agrees to come before week's end.

Todd is impatient waiting for the Beadle to show up and Lovett tells him to relax. (Wait). Pirelli shows up at Todd's barbershop, revealing himself as Todd's former assistant, Davey Collins. He recognized Todd as Benjamin Barker from his signature silver razors, and attempts to extort Todd for money by threatening to sell him out to the Judge. Enraged, Todd beats Pirelli with a tea kettle and then slits his throat.

Turpin spies on Johanna through a hole in her bedroom wall, and then tells Beadle Bamford of his plan to marry a horrified Johanna. Bamford is certain that Johanna's disgust is not because Turpin is her middle-aged adoptive father, but rather because he needs a makeover (Ladies In Their Sensitivities) and suggests he visit Todd for a shave. Turpin pays Todd a visit and sings about how much he loves women, with Todd pacifying him by joining in (Pretty Women). As Todd readies to slit an unsuspecting Turpin's throat, Anthony bursts in, blurting out his plan to elope with Johanna. Recognizing the sailor, Turpin leaves, enraged, vowing to never return to Todd's barber shop and to see to it that no man ever sees Johanna again.

Furious at the thwarting of his revenge, Todd vows to kill all his customers as "practice" before eventually killing Turpin (Epiphany). In an epiphany of her own, Lovett suggests they dispose of Pirelli and the bodies of Todd's future customers by baking them into pies in order to improve her business. Todd enthusiastically agrees and they sing about what various passerby would taste like (A Little Priest). Todd rigs his barber chair with pedal-operated mechanics to more easily dispose of his victims through a trapdoor into Lovett's basement bakehouse. Meanwhile, Anthony begins to search London for Johanna. Todd murders costumers while singing about his daughter (Johanna Reprise).

Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman singing "Pretty Women (Reprise)"

Mrs. Lovett takes in and employs the young Toby, who is unaware of Pirelli's murder, and her business becomes wildly popular, selling pies made of human flesh to unsuspecting customers who rave about how delicious they are and inquire about her secret ingredient, while the Beggar Woman suspects Lovett is up to something(God That's Good!). As Todd's barber shop and Lovett's pie shop prosper, Todd begins to reconcile himself to the unlikelihood of achieving his revenge and ever seeing his daughter again. Mrs. Lovett reveals her desire to marry Todd and move to the seaside (By The Sea), in a colorful dream sequence, where Todd, even in her fantasy, is still indifferent to her.

Soon Anthony returns to the shop to inform Todd that he has found Johanna at Fogg's Asylum. Realizing a second chance at vengeance and seeing his daughter again, Todd instructs Anthony to disguise himself as a wigmaker's apprentice and break Johanna out. In order to lure the Judge to the barber shop, Todd sends Toby to Turpin with a letter informing him of Anthony's plan to abduct Johanna.

Upon returning, Toby confides in Mrs. Lovett about his growing distrust of Todd (Not While I'm Around). He vows to let no harm come to her, as she is the closest thing to a parent he has ever known. A torn and touched Lovett coaxes Toby to the basement bakehouse, locks him inside, and proceeds to alert Todd. On their way back to the bakehouse, the pair are surprised by Beadle Bamford's arrival to investigate reports of foul odors coming from the bakehouse chimney at night. While Todd lures the Beadle into his barber shop, Toby finds the grisly remains of butchered corpses in the bakehouse, thus discovering how the pies are made. The Beadle's corpse then comes crashing down through the trap door, sending a fearful Toby fleeing into the sewer.

Todd and Lovett enter the bakehouse to murder Toby but cannot find him. Anthony arrives at the barber shop with Johanna, disguised as a sailor, where he tells her to wait for him. Johanna hides when the Beggar Woman enters the barber shop. Todd returns to the shop upstairs after hearing noises (leaving Mrs Lovett to find and kill Toby) and is surprised by Beggar Woman, who seems to recognize him. Hearing Turpin approaching the shop, a distracted Todd quickly slits the Beggar Woman's throat and drops her through the trapdoor. Just a few moments later the Judge enters looking for his ward. Todd reassures Turpin of Johanna's safety and that she only wants his love before he offers him a shave before going to see her. Turpin reluctantly agrees, and once seated, Todd reveals his true identity and brutally murders the judge, stabbing him in the neck repeatedly before slitting his throat.

Todd then discovers Johanna hiding in his barbershop. Not recognizing her dressed in men's clothing, he approaches her to kill her, but is interrupted by Mrs. Lovett's screams from the basement. He leaves Johanna unharmed with a warning to forget his face, and rushes down to the bakehouse. There, Mrs. Lovett explains that Turpin was still alive and grabbed at her dress, but is dead now. Todd, in horror, recognizes the corpse of the Beggar Woman as his wife, Lucy, who he had believed was dead. Realizing that Lovett knew Lucy was alive but had lied to him, Todd begins to waltz with Lovett around the basement bakehouse, reassuring her that everything will be all right and that he returns her love, before hurling her into the fiery oven and locking its door. Todd then returns to Lucy and cradles her dead body as an enraged Toby emerges from the sewer, picks up Todd's discarded razor, and slits Todd's throat. Todd dies, his blood spilling onto his dead wife.