[Film] Swing your razor wide, Sweeney! Hold it to the skies!
SWEENEY TODD IS LOVE. IS LOVE.
Mmmkay, first off, I love musicals, and Sweeney Todd was never among my favorite of the Sondheim musicals to listen to. I can appreciate that it's one of Sondheim's more (most?) complicated pieces and I've always liked that he uses.. unusual notes (there's got to be a not!suck way of saying that, but I have no musical theory under my belt) but Sweeney isn't exactly easy listening. Aside from "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (which never appeared in the film except as BGM, so poop), "My Friends", "Epiphany", and "A Little Priest", I'm pretty 'eh' on most of the songs. But it always did have the most interesting story and it was dark as hell, which I always think is awesome in a musical.
I think what's nice about film adaptations of musicals is that they tend to have more freedom with the musical arrangements. They can go bigger and bolder and richer and louder, and whoever was arranging the music on this particular Burton movie (because it definitely wasn't Danny Elfman) definitely did that. The opening sequence, which featured an instrumental version of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" as mentioned, was amazing. Though.. I'm really sad they left out the chorus that sings along with it, because I think bookending this film with that song would have really worked to its benefit. But anyway.
Films generally tend to remove that extra level of suspension of disbelief that comes with seeing productions on stage. So it kind of depends on the particular genre or narrative, but usually I actually LIKE it when performers in musical movies don't sound too professional, because their bursting out into song is meant to feel natural and spontaneous, and having singing voices that are maybe a little raw or unpolished feels right to me.
So I bickered a bit with one of my friend's over Depp's voice over this. I really think all he needed was to have a singing voice that was serviceable to him, as a vehicle for his performance. Sure, he's not Len Cariou, but then I don't think Len would've been nearly as watchable or believable in Depp's environment either. I know there's some who would say that because it's a musical, the actors in film should sound just as good as their stage counterparts, and I tend to disagree for the aforementioned reasons. So, how did Johnny Depp do? Just fine. Wonderfully, in fact, when you listen to how thoroughly he makes the songs and this role his own. Basically, he sings very close to how his character speaks and acts, hence my point about making the segues from speaking to singing feel real and natural. Ditto for Bonham Carter, whose singing I actually enjoyed more when she was really in the scene, such as "Worst Pies in London", because although her singing isn't especially strong, it's very nuanced with her own characterization--I still laugh every time she mutters, "What was that..?" [WHAM]
On the flip side, you've got characters like Antony Hope and Johanna, who were the few actors in this movie who really sounded like the singers of the film. And this worked fine for them, because frankly, their character did seem.. a little less real in the context of the story alone, compared to the gritty Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and Turpin. They were these ideal, sweet, bright eyed things and hearing them sound so polished just made sense to me (even though I was sad they didn't get to perform "Ah Miss" and I will never ever ever ever EVER like "Green Finch", ever).
But that's enough of that. I fully meant to just pop in here and flail about this movie, because what's not to love about it? NOTHING. -NOTHING- :D
OH SHIT, OH SHIT, THERE WAS SO MUCH HOT IN THIS MOVIE MY OVARIES IMPREGNATED THEMSELVES AND THEN ERUPTED. I always love what Burton does with the fashions in his period pieces, and the man knows what works for Depp at this point. Or he always did. Slim, fitted vests and snug trousers with PINSTRIPES MAN ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME :D that suited Depp's frame beautifully. Call me nuts, but I love it when Burton's films get Depp to look like a corpse, because the man can work fey, pale skin and dark, deep set eyes like NO ONE ELSE.
He also outfitted Rickman with some very striking upper-class threads that.. probably would have done more for me if his character weren't icky. ICKY.
Then there's Helena Bonham Carter, who's pretty much never not sexy, and who got the whole corsets/lacy full skirts/hair piled high shebang, all the while also looking very dark and corpsey. I was not until recently aware of how she'd hooked up with Tim Burton, but I must say, I do approve of how she seems to have pulled his aesthetics for his heroines away from the doe-eyed, virginal blonde running theme he had going for a long time. Well, of course there's Johanna and she's supposed to look like that anyway, but I'm thinking of the Ryder/Ricci Burton template. Stop rambling, 'cakes...
The movie was gorgeous. Much has already been made of the color schemes and how striking and graphical they are, and I can't lend much to that except to echo with a HELLS YEAH! The cinematography and aesthetic themes in this movie are.. they're Tim Burton perfected for over a decade of directing. Every shot in this movie is perfect for framing and mounting. SEXUALLY. Or on the wall. ALSO SEXUALLY XD I'm fond of Burton's directorial style in the same way I'm fond of Julie Taymor's--like her, his is occasionally very invasive and dynamic, but he also knows when to back up and let the actors do their work. The first time I went to see it, my breath caught in my throat from the violently bleak or strikingly colorful or harsh beauty of the set design and the landscapes, or from the framing of the shots. DUDE YOU GUYS, THIS IS WHY I LOVE TIM BURTON MOVIES. This, right here, this is all of it encapsulated perfectly in ONE movie.
Some of the scenes were just astonishing in their (god this is going to sound so cheesy) magical quality, where the art direction and staging and performances and the swelling music produced something just about achingly perfect. "My Friends" comes to mind, where Mrs. Lovett gives Todd his long lost silver razors. And he's singing to them, so full of longing and hope, and she's there singing at Todd's back, trying to be part of this place he's made for himself and the only family he has left and just.. that whole thing. All of it. Magic. I DIED at that scene. Come to think of it, Depp was just really good with that song, and every time it resurfaced during other songs such as during "Pretty Women"--that was so chilling, him singing to his razor again when he's savoring what he thinks will be his revenge at last. So good. Augh.
I also fangirled over the "Ephiphany" scene, where Todd is full of anguish and grasping for purpose, and he's stalking through his imaginary streets of potential victims, and the musical arrangement of Sondheim's song is going CRAZY pulling everything together. CRAP I'm making myself want to see it again T__T
Ahhh what else, what else.. OOH I loved what Depp and Bonham Carter did with their characters, loved it. Depp's beautiful flashes of vulnerability when Todd steps back into the barber shop, and his tendency to get all pouty and depressed when he wasn't killing the people he wanted to were.. well, kind of adorable ^_^;; Then of course all that gets mixed in with the absolutely monstrous and frightening figure he turns into in the end, with a seamlessness that really only Johnny Depp could achieve. Meanwhile, I loved HBC as Mrs. Lovett, and I had no idea I would. She's so wonderfully practical! And not necessarily in a cold, clinically detached way--she's just very pragmatic and does what she knows needs to be done, which I love. And she still manages to have a very human, soulful quality about her, in spite of the inhuman things she sometimes does.
Alan Rickman was.. he's a sexy son of a bitch but Turpin is so ick wrong gross ack that I just.. couldn't bring myself to care. Which is probably just testament to how well Rickman can get under the skin of these creepy creepy characters. "You gandered at my ward, yes, you did, you gandered at her.." [SCARY SNAPE VULTURE SWOOP!] So he was impressive and had a set of pretty decent singing chords on him too (loved his duet with Depp!!), though I'm relieved we never had to sit through his self-flagellating version of "Johanna". I don't think the image of Rickman whipping himself while moaning about how hot his pure, untouched virginal adopted daughter is is something I wa- *throws up in mouth a little* -nt in my head, like, ever.
Sacha Baron Cohen was a hilarious Pirelli. Him and his Princess Leia buns. And he was so making eyes at Todd XD Especially during that, "how could I ever forget you?" bit. Yeah. ..Too bad Todd killed him. He got superdeath.
GILES!! GILES!! GILES!! XD
I DO wish the ending had been handled a little differently. Not the bit with Todd and Mrs. Lovett and Lucy, that was all perfect. But the bit with Toby. I think what we were supposed to be seeing was the theme of vengeance begetting vengeance (or violence, or something), with Toby very calculatedly stalking up on Todd, dark rings under his eyes not unlike Depp's makeup, and slashing his throat. Which is fine, it worked well for the movie. I've just always been really really creeped out and fascinated with the original Broadway ending to Sweeney Todd. The one where Toby really goes off the deep end from finding out that the meat pies are people, and ends the movie cutting a compliant Todd's throat while singing nursery rhymes ("Pat 'em, prick 'em, mark 'em with a B..") and then going back to the meat grinder. *shiver* But still, it's a small detail, and I'm sure it was Burton's intention to hint at the birth of a new demon of Fleet Street rather than just, you know, some poor loony kid.
So I'm giving this baby: ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 4
(That's right, count them!)
..and demanding that you go out and see this movie. Even if you don't like blood. Even though there's lots of it. It's hyper stylized, you'll be fine. And anyway, it's awesome!!
Mmmkay, first off, I love musicals, and Sweeney Todd was never among my favorite of the Sondheim musicals to listen to. I can appreciate that it's one of Sondheim's more (most?) complicated pieces and I've always liked that he uses.. unusual notes (there's got to be a not!suck way of saying that, but I have no musical theory under my belt) but Sweeney isn't exactly easy listening. Aside from "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (which never appeared in the film except as BGM, so poop), "My Friends", "Epiphany", and "A Little Priest", I'm pretty 'eh' on most of the songs. But it always did have the most interesting story and it was dark as hell, which I always think is awesome in a musical.
I think what's nice about film adaptations of musicals is that they tend to have more freedom with the musical arrangements. They can go bigger and bolder and richer and louder, and whoever was arranging the music on this particular Burton movie (because it definitely wasn't Danny Elfman) definitely did that. The opening sequence, which featured an instrumental version of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" as mentioned, was amazing. Though.. I'm really sad they left out the chorus that sings along with it, because I think bookending this film with that song would have really worked to its benefit. But anyway.
Films generally tend to remove that extra level of suspension of disbelief that comes with seeing productions on stage. So it kind of depends on the particular genre or narrative, but usually I actually LIKE it when performers in musical movies don't sound too professional, because their bursting out into song is meant to feel natural and spontaneous, and having singing voices that are maybe a little raw or unpolished feels right to me.
So I bickered a bit with one of my friend's over Depp's voice over this. I really think all he needed was to have a singing voice that was serviceable to him, as a vehicle for his performance. Sure, he's not Len Cariou, but then I don't think Len would've been nearly as watchable or believable in Depp's environment either. I know there's some who would say that because it's a musical, the actors in film should sound just as good as their stage counterparts, and I tend to disagree for the aforementioned reasons. So, how did Johnny Depp do? Just fine. Wonderfully, in fact, when you listen to how thoroughly he makes the songs and this role his own. Basically, he sings very close to how his character speaks and acts, hence my point about making the segues from speaking to singing feel real and natural. Ditto for Bonham Carter, whose singing I actually enjoyed more when she was really in the scene, such as "Worst Pies in London", because although her singing isn't especially strong, it's very nuanced with her own characterization--I still laugh every time she mutters, "What was that..?" [WHAM]
On the flip side, you've got characters like Antony Hope and Johanna, who were the few actors in this movie who really sounded like the singers of the film. And this worked fine for them, because frankly, their character did seem.. a little less real in the context of the story alone, compared to the gritty Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett and Turpin. They were these ideal, sweet, bright eyed things and hearing them sound so polished just made sense to me (even though I was sad they didn't get to perform "Ah Miss" and I will never ever ever ever EVER like "Green Finch", ever).
But that's enough of that. I fully meant to just pop in here and flail about this movie, because what's not to love about it? NOTHING. -NOTHING- :D
OH SHIT, OH SHIT, THERE WAS SO MUCH HOT IN THIS MOVIE MY OVARIES IMPREGNATED THEMSELVES AND THEN ERUPTED. I always love what Burton does with the fashions in his period pieces, and the man knows what works for Depp at this point. Or he always did. Slim, fitted vests and snug trousers with PINSTRIPES MAN ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME :D that suited Depp's frame beautifully. Call me nuts, but I love it when Burton's films get Depp to look like a corpse, because the man can work fey, pale skin and dark, deep set eyes like NO ONE ELSE.
He also outfitted Rickman with some very striking upper-class threads that.. probably would have done more for me if his character weren't icky. ICKY.
Then there's Helena Bonham Carter, who's pretty much never not sexy, and who got the whole corsets/lacy full skirts/hair piled high shebang, all the while also looking very dark and corpsey. I was not until recently aware of how she'd hooked up with Tim Burton, but I must say, I do approve of how she seems to have pulled his aesthetics for his heroines away from the doe-eyed, virginal blonde running theme he had going for a long time. Well, of course there's Johanna and she's supposed to look like that anyway, but I'm thinking of the Ryder/Ricci Burton template. Stop rambling, 'cakes...
The movie was gorgeous. Much has already been made of the color schemes and how striking and graphical they are, and I can't lend much to that except to echo with a HELLS YEAH! The cinematography and aesthetic themes in this movie are.. they're Tim Burton perfected for over a decade of directing. Every shot in this movie is perfect for framing and mounting. SEXUALLY. Or on the wall. ALSO SEXUALLY XD I'm fond of Burton's directorial style in the same way I'm fond of Julie Taymor's--like her, his is occasionally very invasive and dynamic, but he also knows when to back up and let the actors do their work. The first time I went to see it, my breath caught in my throat from the violently bleak or strikingly colorful or harsh beauty of the set design and the landscapes, or from the framing of the shots. DUDE YOU GUYS, THIS IS WHY I LOVE TIM BURTON MOVIES. This, right here, this is all of it encapsulated perfectly in ONE movie.
Some of the scenes were just astonishing in their (god this is going to sound so cheesy) magical quality, where the art direction and staging and performances and the swelling music produced something just about achingly perfect. "My Friends" comes to mind, where Mrs. Lovett gives Todd his long lost silver razors. And he's singing to them, so full of longing and hope, and she's there singing at Todd's back, trying to be part of this place he's made for himself and the only family he has left and just.. that whole thing. All of it. Magic. I DIED at that scene. Come to think of it, Depp was just really good with that song, and every time it resurfaced during other songs such as during "Pretty Women"--that was so chilling, him singing to his razor again when he's savoring what he thinks will be his revenge at last. So good. Augh.
I also fangirled over the "Ephiphany" scene, where Todd is full of anguish and grasping for purpose, and he's stalking through his imaginary streets of potential victims, and the musical arrangement of Sondheim's song is going CRAZY pulling everything together. CRAP I'm making myself want to see it again T__T
Ahhh what else, what else.. OOH I loved what Depp and Bonham Carter did with their characters, loved it. Depp's beautiful flashes of vulnerability when Todd steps back into the barber shop, and his tendency to get all pouty and depressed when he wasn't killing the people he wanted to were.. well, kind of adorable ^_^;; Then of course all that gets mixed in with the absolutely monstrous and frightening figure he turns into in the end, with a seamlessness that really only Johnny Depp could achieve. Meanwhile, I loved HBC as Mrs. Lovett, and I had no idea I would. She's so wonderfully practical! And not necessarily in a cold, clinically detached way--she's just very pragmatic and does what she knows needs to be done, which I love. And she still manages to have a very human, soulful quality about her, in spite of the inhuman things she sometimes does.
Alan Rickman was.. he's a sexy son of a bitch but Turpin is so ick wrong gross ack that I just.. couldn't bring myself to care. Which is probably just testament to how well Rickman can get under the skin of these creepy creepy characters. "You gandered at my ward, yes, you did, you gandered at her.." [SCARY SNAPE VULTURE SWOOP!] So he was impressive and had a set of pretty decent singing chords on him too (loved his duet with Depp!!), though I'm relieved we never had to sit through his self-flagellating version of "Johanna". I don't think the image of Rickman whipping himself while moaning about how hot his pure, untouched virginal adopted daughter is is something I wa- *throws up in mouth a little* -nt in my head, like, ever.
Sacha Baron Cohen was a hilarious Pirelli. Him and his Princess Leia buns. And he was so making eyes at Todd XD Especially during that, "how could I ever forget you?" bit. Yeah. ..Too bad Todd killed him. He got superdeath.
GILES!! GILES!! GILES!! XD
I DO wish the ending had been handled a little differently. Not the bit with Todd and Mrs. Lovett and Lucy, that was all perfect. But the bit with Toby. I think what we were supposed to be seeing was the theme of vengeance begetting vengeance (or violence, or something), with Toby very calculatedly stalking up on Todd, dark rings under his eyes not unlike Depp's makeup, and slashing his throat. Which is fine, it worked well for the movie. I've just always been really really creeped out and fascinated with the original Broadway ending to Sweeney Todd. The one where Toby really goes off the deep end from finding out that the meat pies are people, and ends the movie cutting a compliant Todd's throat while singing nursery rhymes ("Pat 'em, prick 'em, mark 'em with a B..") and then going back to the meat grinder. *shiver* But still, it's a small detail, and I'm sure it was Burton's intention to hint at the birth of a new demon of Fleet Street rather than just, you know, some poor loony kid.
So I'm giving this baby: ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 4
(That's right, count them!)
..and demanding that you go out and see this movie. Even if you don't like blood. Even though there's lots of it. It's hyper stylized, you'll be fine. And anyway, it's awesome!!