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Burton and His Muse Return I know a lot of people have difficulty with musicals. It is hard to sit and watch a story and have the characters spontaneously burst out into song. I enjoy them; good musicals serve to transport me and I suspend belief and go with the flow, accepting and expecting the characters to begin bursting into song at any minute. We have been fortunate to have a revival, of sorts, of the genre in the past decade or so. Disney Animation has kept up the tradition, but as far as live action musicals, the genre died for a number of years. With the release of "Moulin Rouge" (love it or hate it, there is no in-between), the genre was reborn. "Moulin Rouge" led to "Chicago", leading to "Dreamgirls", which led to "Hairspray". Many may not be aware there are actually two kinds of musicals created for Broadway and film. Traditional musicals tell stories and the characters sing songs to express their emotions and to move the story forward. There are also 'operatic' musicals. These feature the characters singing throughout most, if not all, of the story. Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is an example of an operatic musical. Even with the rebirth of the genre, musicals are a difficult sell. "Hairspray" did well because it featured a bunch of young stars kids and tweens are familiar with. "Chicago" did well because it received a lot of awards and positive press. But they are difficult sells which is why they probably always feature funny, romantic or upbeat storylines. So, I was surprised to learn "Sweeney Todd" was going to be made into a film. It isn't particularly romantic, although much of the story has to do with one man's love for his wife. It isn't particularly funny, although there are some moments of black humor. And it certainly isn't upbeat. Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp, director Burton's muse) returns to London from prison. We learn Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman, perfectly cast) sent Todd away on a false charge because he coveted Todd's wife. While he is in prison, Todd's wife dies and Turpin takes in his daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener) as his ward. When Todd returns, he meets Ms. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) his former landlord and sets up shop above her meat-pie emporium, where she proudly sells the worst meat-pies in London. Todd intends to use his former profession, barber, to extract his revenge on Turpin, Beadle (Timothy Spall), his accomplice and any one else who gets in his way, including an Italian barber (Sacha Baron Cohen) who may steal some of Todd's business. But as Todd's body count rises, he and Ms. Lovett have a problem. What do they do with all of the bodies? Ms. Lovett comes up with a plan and her meat-pie shop becomes more popular than ever. Directed by Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd" seems to have found the perfect director for the subject material. Really, the only other director I can think of who might have been a better choice is Peter Greenaway. Both directors treat the screen as a canvas and create beautiful imagery out of strange and sometimes dark material. Burton brings London, in the mid 1800s, to life, complete with black smoke, dirt and grime. It is hard to imagine people living in this London, Burton's recreation, but that is sort of the point. Unless they were rich and well-off, like Judge Turpin, people struggled to survive. As the film begins, and Todd sings of London being a cesspool of despair, Burton makes us believe in this image of the world capital. This may be the first time I have seen London depicted in such a dirty, grimy state. Other stories have shown this side of London, but those films are usually filled with night scenes. Burton places much of the action in "Todd" during the day. There seems to be perpetual fogs (both literally and figuratively) hanging over the city, making everyone appear a little more sallow and unhealthy. As soon as Todd returns to Ms. Lovett's shop, she offers him one of "The Worst Pies in London" offering us more of a glimpse into her life and the life of people living in this city. This moment also helps to establish their relationship. Lovett appears to not recognize her former tenant, he does look quite different, but when he reveals who he is, she states "I thought that might have been you." It is Lovett who reveals what happened to his wife and daughter, and this sets Todd on his murderous rampage. But Lovett is also a little attracted to Todd, even in his murderous state. Apparently, there are worse catches in London, the London of mid 1800s anyway. Maybe this is still true today. Johnny Depp is always a strong actor. He may not appear in the best movies (see the third installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" for an example) but he is always at least interesting. In "Todd", he further explores a character he has been building with Burton over the course of their careers. It won't fit. Please read the full review at thornhillatthemovies.com email this review to a friend
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