I went with my three lesbian friends, Bonnie, Mary and Elbrey, to see the movie Sweeney Todd tonight. And one word to describe this film would be: phenomenal.
I went in with some concerns due to the brief clips I'd seen on tv. Johnny Depp's singing voice occasionally veers into pop style, and this score is operatic, really. He tends to oversing some high notes (particularly in the "Pretty Women" duet), giving them a sort of contemporary belt. Most of the time, however, his singing was moody and dark, appropriately. A small criticism of an otherwise brilliant performance. He is marvelous.
Helena Bonham-Carter plays Mrs. Lovett with a supreme understatement, making her much more real and much more sympathetic. Every stage production I've seen of Sweeney (including the Angela Lansbury tour) has featured an over-the-top Mrs. Lovett; I think it's the stage that forces it. Her first number, "The Worst Pies in London," has always seemed loud and artificial. Whether it was the decision of Ms. Bonham-Carter or her husband, director Tim Burton
, the choice to hold back on that particular song and play it as somewhat defeated and pathetic makes it so much more real and accessible. The real cockroaches were also delightfully gross.
, the choice to hold back on that particular song and play it as somewhat defeated and pathetic makes it so much more real and accessible. The real cockroaches were also delightfully gross. Another amazing performer: Ed Sanders as Toby. A real kid playing Toby! Not some 25-year-old elfin man with a freakishly high voice. This kid is fantastic, and makes the character that much more tragic. Beautiful.
I could go on and on about all the performers: Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, etc. Not a weak link in the bunch. Tim Burton has done great justice to Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece. It's very interesting to see the artistic choices: much of the film seems black and white, or even sepia, with occasional bursts of vivid color (Joanna's yellow hair, Perelli's blue outfit, the red blood, etc.). It's magical and engrossing... evidenced by the high school age boys behind us, who were silent through the entire film, despite talking (profusely and profanely) through all the previews.
Oh, and the number "By the Sea"-- perfection. I love this musical, and I'm delighted the movie was so good. It will hopefully win lots of awards.
(A word of warning: there is lots of blood in the film. If you know the story, it comes as no surprise, but just be prepared. Elbrey and Bonnie didn't watch most of the throat-slitting, but Mary and I were looking at it more technically, I guess. I'm a bit de-sensitized to gore; I've seen both Hostel films and all the Saw films, too.)
