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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #748 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-05-19
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
After years of rumours, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show's mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it's a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton's frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber's partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It's no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd's brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humour of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages--"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others, but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film's depiction of a Victorian London hellhole, with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood, also looks and feels right.

The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don't think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it's hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there's no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. --David Horiuchi

DVD Description
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street sees director Tim Burton (Corpse Bride) and Johnny Depp team up once more to bring the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim musical to the big screen. Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge for his cruel punishment, and for the treatment of his wife and daughter...

Special Features

- Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd

- Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber (featurette)

- Musical Mayhem: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (featurette)

- Sweeney's London (featurette)

- Designs for a Demon Barber

- Grand Guinol: A Theatrical Tradition (featurette)

- A Bloody Business

- Razor's Refrain

- Photo Gallery

Synopsis
Tim Burton brings his trademark sense of dark whimsy to this stage-to-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical. Johnny Depp reteams with the director to play the titular Demon Barber of Fleet Street, with Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sacha Baron Cohen as his co-stars.

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Customer Reviews

A very good surprise!!
I was really not expecting much from this film when i found out it was a musical, despite the all-star cast, but i have to say that i found myself thoroughly entertained all the way through! The gore didn't bother me as i'm a fan of horror but some people may find it off-putting, but the plot is well thought out and the acting (and singing!) is brilliant.
Really well worth watching.

The Burton Depp combo does it again!
Like many others this film first peaked my interest because it was a Tim Burton movie. Usually I hate horror films and dislike anything along those lines, mostly because they're too realistic and make me feel uneasy. So a film about a barber that slits peoples throats should be a complete turn off for me.

But having said that every film of Tim Burton's that i have seen, I have loved. From his recent forays into stop animation and his classics such as Edward Scissor Hands. So knowing this to be a Tim Burton film I had no doubt that I would like it.

But I didnt just like it. I loved it! I was singing the songs before the film even came out, so I had to stop myself from singing in the cinema and ruining everyones viewing.

I think when people think of musicals they think of over the top music and choreographed dancing. A lot of musicals do have that. But Sweeney Todd is different. The singing is understated and blends perfectly with the film. It views like real life, you know how some people will start singing under no matter where they are. It's like that, completely natural. And since the actors/actresses that were given the roles aren't trained singers it gives the songs a relatable quality lacking in most musicals.

It isn't like Phantom of the Opera where you've got to hit a high note to join in. You can be the worst singer in the world and not have a trouble singing along. Because of this theres an added innocense and sweetness to some of the scenes. Giving the actors more depth than the lines alone could accomplish.

The characters of Sweeney (Depp), Mrs Lovett (Carter)and Judge Turpin (Rickman) are good examples of this. Sweeney Todd is a man consumed by rage and vengeance. The tasks he's set himself leaving little room in his mind for humanity. But through his singing we see a part of the man he was before the tragic events of fifteen years ago. We see a man who loves his wife and child. But as the movie progresses, its almost like he loses touch with this remaining humanity and focuses on his dark side. So much so that the safety of his daughter seems to matter little next to him accomplishing his purpose.

In Mrs Lovett we see a woman who still harbours feelings for a certain barber and who tries her best to let him know and change his course of action. She attempts to lure him away from his path by hinting at marriage and life elsewhere.

Yet she is the one who first suggests the idea of disposing of Todd's victims in her pies. Despite her earlier thoughts of someone using cats in their pies disturbing. Carter really shines in this role.

The villain of the film is the incomparable Alan Rickman. He plays Judge Turpin, the recipient of Todd's hate and bloody urges. Despite his cruel nature he displays an innocence and vulnerability that is quite refreshing amongst all the stereotypical single layered 'bad guys' whose only motivation is seemingly death and destruction.

As with all Burton movies the film has a dark, seductive back drop. The scenery is perfect for the time it portrays, dark, gritty and decadent. The differing aspects between the classes is handled beautifully, all these points combine to make you think that you really have stepped into Victorian London.

So as a final note, if you like gore and death in your movies you'll love this film. If you like musicals you'll love it. And if you think Tim Burton is a director who can do no wrong you'll certainly love this. If you answered no to one of the three points above you might have a problem. It all depends on what you like. Either way I know I love this and I'll be watching it as many times as I can. Lol, I've already got the CD on order.

Superb in almost every respect
I can't remember the last time I was this excited about watching a film. I'd heard all the hype and was praying that it lived up to it - well, it did - for the most part anyway.

You know when you see Tim Burton's name on the screen that you're not getting just any old film. The atmosphere from the opening credits sets the scene perfectly for what you're about to experience over the next 2 hours.

I knew it was a musical, so no surprises there, but I did wonder how much music there would be, especially at the start as it seemed to be nothing but, however it was a very useful way of giving us the background to Barker's life, and why he is the way he is. All the singers do a great job, but I can't help but think the film could have been just as good without the musical elements.

Johnny Depp is outstanding as always, and Alan Rickman is on top form as the twisted Judge Turpin. My main gripe though is the ending - it all seemed to be too abrupt - as if there had been some serious editing at the last minute.

However, this is a fantastic film, and one which I think will get better with each viewing. Highly recommended.