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Plot: A BBC adaptation of the classic tale of the 18th century demon barber of Fleet Street, London, who cuts the throats of his unsuspecting clients in his shop.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:July 14, 2008
"Today I wish I'd lost my sense of smell as well as my sight."
David Moore's 2006 BBC made-for-television version of Sweeney Todd is a creative re-imagining of the Broadway musical that was originally written by Stephen Sondheim. Moore's vision of the classic story eliminates the songs and the singing: this is not a musical, but instead a dead serious drama that's more based on the old urban legends in preference over Sondheim's musical. This film bears little relation to Tim Burton's lucrative cinematic musical released in 2007. In place of songs, there's dialogue that dives into characters relationships and motives behind their emotions. By all means, Burton's musical is the superior film - however this is a competently crafted television movie that showcases some extravagant visuals.
With proficient direction and tight scripting, the film moves at lightning pace and is a remarkable interpretation. It's radically different to its supposed source material, in fact the only thing kept the same are some of the character names and part some concepts. Apart from that, the structure is dissimilar and the characters are vastly different. Sweeney Todd is an enthralling effort, especially considering the budget constraints and its nature as a television film. Aside from a few imperfect technical aspects, it's possible to look upon this interpretation as an official Hollywood production. Unfortunately the film will always be extremely overlooked due to Tim Burton's big-budget cinematic masterpiece that was soon to follow.
The film is set in London at about 1765. Sweeney Todd (Winstone), understandably the film's protagonist, runs a barber shop in Fleet Street. Previously, Todd's childhood was crushed by injustice when he spent 20 years in gaol for a crime his father committed. It's interesting to note that, in the original musical, Todd was formerly known as Benjamin Barker. In a few brief dialogue scenes the characters hint that Todd's name is not his natural name; however his true name is never revealed in this version. Anyway, Todd lives a tranquil and lonely life making money from his flourishing business as a barber-come-surgeon. His reputation is renowned around London as nothing but satisfied customers leave his barber shop. But one night, Todd's services are being employed by a gaoler who too long has boasted about his appalling treatment of children. A former child prisoner himself, Todd's fury leads him to commit murder. Stunned at his actions, he quickly tries to hide the corpse. Soon he befriends pie maker Mrs. Lovett (Davis) who takes a warming to him. Todd soon purchases an establishment for Mrs. Lovett to utilise to set up her own pie business. Wanting nothing but the best for the lady, Todd begins slitting the throats of innocents and sending the meat to Mrs. Lovett for use in her pies (with Mrs. Lovett being none the wiser).
Ray Winstone is a fine actor who convincingly pulls off the title role in this version of Sweeney Todd. His interpretation of the character is much less demonic, instead more sympathetic. His emotions come through impeccably, and it's shocking to witness the character slashing someone's throat in cold blood. Essie Davis is a very different Mrs. Lovett. Instead of a depressing widow with a pale appearance, she's a whore - finding pleasure in the arms of a new man almost everyday...while she still has a husband! The supporting cast are all admirable in their character executions. You won't find characters such as Judge Turpin, Beadle Bamford, Johanna, or even Lucy! Instead, this adaptation of Sweeney Todd relies on a mostly new slate of characters and different interactions.
While many who are die-hard fans of Sondheim's musical may find this a preposterous re-imagining, it's possible to toss away all prior conceptions and be wholeheartedly engaged in a different set of events. With a modest budget and a skilled production team, Sweeney Todd is a remarkable version of Stephen Sondheim's musical. Like I previously stated, the filmmakers here opt to play out the events as a drama as opposed to a musical. I must say that the film works less due to being so radically different to the source material. It's a good film, but it's slightly underwhelming and I feel that some things could have been expanded. In 2007, Tim Burton made a cinematic musical of the story. -
MCT:June 22, 2008After the famous stage musical and before the Tim Burton big screen adaptation, Ray Winstone played the demon barber of Fleet Street in this dramatisation of the tale. The plot has been changed to Todd having a troubled childhood, making this his cause to kill customers who visit his barber shop. It's a gory affair and Winstone makes Todd a creepy yet sympathetic character.
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MCT:June 10, 2008
more of a dramatic turn than the musical that it's commonly seen as now. In this version it's more about the relationship Todd has with the surouding neighbourhood as well as with Mrs Lovett.
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MCT:June 4, 2008
This was actually a very well done BBC drama. Nice and gory too! Although, Mrs Lovett's accent was extremely annoying Ray Winstone really stole the show as Mr. Todd. A really good portayal.
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MCT:May 26, 2008i did not like it at all i know it was a musical but there was just too much singing and it didnt make since
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MCT:May 22, 2008just because i was spelled by Burton's Sweeny Todd, I watched this one also.
only difference I can find is ...this has included some censored scenes..its language is different from Burton's language.
theme is same as expected.
Enjoyed watching it as well. -
MCT:May 13, 2008Since I have great experiences with BBC adaptations and I loved the new Sweeny Todd, I realluy wanna watch this one!
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MCT:May 8, 2008
Not paying attention, I rented this instead of Depp's. That resulted in multiple nauseating feelings that brought me down...X(
This story I didn't understand, and don't want to understand. -
MCT:February 25, 2008
Eu baixei esse filme totalmente sem querer, acreditando ser o musical de Tim Burton, estrelado pelo Johnny Depp. Tal queal foi a minha surpresa, qdo estava há uns 10 minutos de filme que estava assistindo o filme errado. Errado ou não, o fato é que não consegui parar de assistir. O filme mostra a trajetória de um barbeiro que se torna assassino sem nenhum motivo aparente, simplesmente para satisfazer sua própria vontade, mostrando-se um anti-cristão que simplesmente não acredita que matar seja um crime, um erro. O filme mostrou-se bem regular, sem ser extraordinário, mas sem me fazer perder o interesse até o final. Sem dúvida, ainda espero muito mais de Tim Burton, no entanto. Veremos. =)
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MCT:January 28, 2008
A BBC adaptation of the classic tale of the 18th century demon barber of Fleet Street, London, who cuts the throats of his unsuspecting clients in his shop
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MCT:January 4, 2008
by far one of the worst movie i have ever seen. Nothing to do with the story I have come to know and love. Just made no sense to me. Was just SO bad.
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MCT:November 9, 2007
This film is AMAZING!!! I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a realistic depiction of 18th century England. This is not the musical! It simply tells the story that evolved from a serial murder mystery printed in the mid-1800's. Ray Winstone is incredible. The more I see of him, the more I like him. If you like gruesome murder tales, you won't be disappointed by this movie.
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thedoctor2k7posted 78 days ago
