Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Scris de **|Weirdo.|** Vin Aug 22, 2008 12:58 pm

Theatrical release poster

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 musical thriller, and the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's award-winning 1979 stage musical. It re-tells the Victorian melodramatic tale of Sweeney Todd, a fictitious English barber who, driven insane by the loss of his wife and daughter, murders his customers with a cut-throat razor, and with the help of his accomplice Mrs. Lovett turns their remains into meat pies.
Having been struck by the cinematic qualities of Sondheim's musical while still a student, director Tim Burton had entertained the notion of a film version since the early 1980s. However, it was not until 2006 that he had the opportunity to realize this ambition, when DreamWorks announced his appointment as replacement for director Sam Mendes, who had been working on such an adaptation. Sondheim, although not directly involved, was extensively consulted during the film's production. It stars Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter as Nellie Lovett. Depp, not known for his singing, took lessons in preparation for his role, which producer Richard D. Zanuck acknowledged was something of a gamble. However, Depp's vocal performance, despite being criticized as lacking certain musical qualities, was generally thought by critics to suit the part.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was released in the United States on December 21 2007, and in the United Kingdom on January 25 2008, to largely enthusiastic reviews. However, Warner Bros.'s decision not to advertise the film as a musical led to complaints from some cinema-goers, who felt they had been deliberately misled. The film won a number of awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Although not an outstanding financial success in the United States, barely covering its $50 million budget, it performed well worldwide, and has spawned a soundtrack album and various DVD releases.

Cast

Johnny Depp as Benjamin Barker / Sweeney Todd, a barber who slits the throats of his customers after being driven mad by the loss of his wife and daughter. Depp first learned of Sweeney Todd in 2000, when Burton gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical. Although not a fan of the genre, Depp grew to like the tale's musical treatment, saying "How many chances do you get at a musical about a serial " He cited Peter Lorre in (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. He appreciated that there were "a lot of half-steps... kind of go G to A-flat to A to B-flat. It's super, ultra complicated; these notes that shouldn't work together at times. Depp recorded demos of himself in West Hollywood, working with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach.Producer Richard Zanuck acknowledged the risk he was taking with Depp, admitting it was "millions of dollars committed on an assumption. [But] we all said to one another, 'Johnny is a smart guy. He would never put himself in this position if he didn't think he could do it.'"^{[citation needed]} Sondheim supported the casting decision, saying, "I figured he'd have a light baritone... I love him as an actor, and always have. Put those things together, I didn't hesitate for one second. He told Depp that his performance would be more about acting than singing,although much of Sweeney Todd's dialogue was eventually cut. According to Depp, "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."^[4] Depp decided on a punk rock approach to his performance,^[5] citing inspiration from Anthony Newley and Iggy Pop, whom he called a "very aggressive crooner".

Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Todd's accomplice, who bakes the corpses of his victims into pies. Bonham Carter was cast in the role, which she had wanted since childhood, by her partner Burton, and was eager to prove there was no nepotism in his decision. She spent three months while pregnant during the production of the film being trained to sing by Ian Adam,and Sondheim viewed around twelve of her audition tapes, saying "Even in a recording studio, wearing a schmatte, she is as beautiful and sexy as they come. Bonham Carter also spent many hours practising pie baking, commenting "you had to do it to syncopated Sondheim rhythm and sing at the same time. The character of Mrs. Lovett often sings while performing other activities, a behavior which Bonham Carter dubbed "the Olympics of multi-tasking". She was given some of the most difficult songs in the film, one such being "By the Sea". Bonham Carter recalls reading about Angela Lansbury (the original Mrs. Lovett) consulting Sondheim on where to breathe in the score; Sondheim replied that he hadn't written any room to breathe, and that you just don't.

Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, an evil judge who locked away Todd, raped his wife, and adopted his baby daughter Johanna as his "ward", intending to marry her when she was older. Rickman said, "The music is sort of constant, and it slips in and out of speech and song. Because it's in real rooms and real spaces, the move from speaking into singing becomes much more organic."

Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford, Turpin's personal assistant.

Sacha Baron Cohen as Davey Collins/Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Todd's disguised rival and former employee. For his audition, Baron Cohen sang songs from Fiddler on the Roof; Burton commented, "I wish we had a camera, because he literally went through the whole score^".

Laura Michelle Kelly as Lucy Barker/Beggar Woman, Todd's wife.

Jayne Wisener as Johanna Barker, Todd's daughter and the ward of Judge Turpin.

Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony Hope, a sailor who befriends Todd and falls for Johanna.

Ed Sanders as Tobias "Toby" Ragg, Pirelli's gin-loving young assistant who later joins Todd and Lovett. He spent his early years in a workhouse before being taken in by Pirelli.

Scris de **^^NoNo>.<** Vin Aug 22, 2008 3:24 pm

asta de knd plm mai ii un musical :histerical lau
in fine:-j
nu l'am vazut...da nu crek ii asha rau :laugh:

Scris de **|Weirdo.|** Vin Aug 22, 2008 4:04 pm

ii thriller musical sau invers:))

oricum ash vrea sa'l vad:P

Scris de Noctis Mier Iul 08, 2009 9:43 pm

Vazut, de dragul lui johnny oricum =]]
Cam naspa povestea si partea cu cantatul e teribila, dar e fain realizat.
Musical-urile vechi sunt oricum cele mai bune....

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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Re: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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Theatrical release poster