Sweeney Todd

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Sweeney Todd

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Sweeney Todd

Ray Winstone, Essie Davis, Radu Banzaru, David Bradley, Zoltan Butuc

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.

Id: 10939107

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Sweeney Todd Recent Reviews
  • RiderOfTheStorms
    June 30, 2009
    RiderOfTheStorms
    Ray's performance is cold and chilling. I liked it just for that. But I loved Tim Burton's Musical version/
  • PvtCaboose91
    July 14, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "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

    ...( read more)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.
  • habitualdamnation
    May 25, 2008
    habitualdamnation
    Thought I rated this? Anyway, yeah one of the better Sweeney adaptations around.
  • DrLappos
    May 23, 2008
    DrLappos
    Watchable....at best.
  • sarahbee1993
    November 24, 2009
    sarahbee1993
    REALLY GOOD, TV SHOW!!!
  • shotakitsune66
    October 23, 2009
    shotakitsune66
    I liked the movie but the actual play is better.
  • luigimario101
    July 24, 2009
    luigimario101
    best movie ever, but of course i'm talking of the one with johnny depp!! i
  • lexiedenniston
    July 15, 2009
    lexiedenniston
    Johhnny Deppp never fails
  • MichelleasaurusRex
    June 24, 2009
    MichelleasaurusRex
    I cannot believe how many Sweeney Todd movies there are. This is the 3rd one I've seen. This one was my least favorite tho. Very low budget.
  • hollsworthy1
    June 13, 2009
    hollsworthy1
    very good, with a twsit. He's not your avrige barbar. The music, the costumes and the actors were all good. worht whatching over and over and over again.
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