Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Special Edition (US - DVD R1)
Gabe loves Ms. Lovett's new meat pies, and Ms. Lovett's use of eye-shadow...
Feature
After years spent in prison for crimes he did not commit, Benjamin Barker returns to London under the alias of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp). Todd arrives to find his wife dead and daughter held captive by the evil Judge (Alan Rickman) that sent him up the river in the first place. Todd opens a barbershop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) Meat Pie Shop, and begins to plot his murderous revenge. With the help of Mrs. Lovett, who uses the bodies of newly slashed victims in her vile pies, Todd takes aim at the Judge, who means to marry his adopted daughter.

Tim Burton has spent the last decade plus churning out entertaining but ultimately shallow and disappointing features. Following the success his two Batman films major studios got the silly idea in their heads that Burton was some kind of action director, and after the implosion of his epic Superman project Mr. Pale Face was given the reigns to a misbegotten Planet of the Apes remake. Though the film wasn’t quite as bad as some would have you believe (it did look pretty sharp), its negative reception appeared to some as a sizable nail in the director’s tomb. Big Fish represented a different direction for the impossibly gothic director, but the film lacks emotional weight, and depends too fiercely on a typically warm performance from actor Ewan McGregor. Burton’s 2005 double shot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride, were a massive disappointment. Both films were surprisingly obnoxious and bland mimicry of the director’s previous achievements.
I have a large measure of affection for the Hammer House of Horror take on the Sleepy Hallow legend that Burton tackled in 1999, even though I readily recognize that the film doesn’t hold the skewed emotional resonance of Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood, nor the original visual impact of Beetlejuice. Burton’s return to quirky-Goth and musicals with Sweeny Todd wasn’t something that sounded particularly challenging for the director on paper, especially considering it would be an adaptation of an already successful stage play (not to mention the fact that the film only came together after another Burton production fell apart).
What Burton achieves with Sweeney Todd is very similar to what he achieved with Sleepy Hallow—an energetic homage to Hammer Horror, Mario Bava, and Roger Corman filmed with few tones beyond black, white and red. Burton doesn’t take the effect to the extremes he did on Sleepy Hallow, and allows himself to take on more modern film effects, but he maintains the staged feel. Burton also visually quotes himself throughout the movie, from the attic and basement sets of Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hallow) to the costumes and hairstyles of Batman Returns, and touches of Beetlejuice-ian mirth. Critically this type of super-narcissistic behaviour is often suspect, and unintentionally funny (see: Brian DePalma and Dario Argento), but the fact that the material is almost jokingly pre-made for Burton’s sensibilities creates a shaky balance.

Sweeney Todd succeeds on more on an emotional level then any Tim Burton film since Ed Wood (folks often forget Martin Landau won a richly deserved Oscar for his work as an aging Bela Lugosi), without sacrificing too much of the dark humour that makes the director’s best films so memorable. The mix of humour, horror and melodrama is a hard sell, and until I saw the movie I really wasn’t sure that Burton was the man for this job.
Despite Burton’s reputation for dark motion pictures, Sweeney Todd and Sleepy Hallow[i] are Buton’s only particularly bloody films. The violence here is somewhat cartoony in the way [i]Hollow’s was, and the blood itself is too bright to be taken too seriously, but the fetishistic way in which Depp welds his knives and the sentiment behind the violence makes Sweeny Todd the darkest film in Burton’s career. The various unsubtle jabs at political subtext (eat the rich) were part of the original myth, but any political subtext in a Tim Burton film (beyond the dumpy heavy handedness of Planet of the Apes) is a cause for minor celebration.
It’s just about impossible act subtly while singing, but this highly adept cast manages several moments of genuine drama amongst the booming harmonics and histrionics. The weak link is Jamie Campbell Bower, though I blame the character’s flatness more on the writing then on Bower’s pretty-face portrayal. Calling the film a ‘musical’ is almost a misnomer—its’ practically a full-on opera, meaning that folks unhappy with the idea of watching a singing murderer will probably remain unhappy throughout the entire runtime. There are very few plot points or character emotions expressed without song, and the few that aren’t are sort of jarring.

Video
The news of Paramount’s dumping of the HD DVD format was a bummer. I was waiting for two HD releases, and now I’ll have to wait for an as yet unmentioned Blu-ray release for both of them. One of those films was pretty obviously Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd is, like all Tim Burton’s films, a visually sumptuous piece, and the sharp, almost hand-drawn look really lends itself to high definition.
The majority of the film is dark and almost colourless, and this standard definition disc does a fine job of reproducing the deep blacks and detailed, high contrast whites. The film’s more colourful scenes (mostly flashbacks and dream sequences) are more hit and miss. Reds look fabulous during the brighter scenes, but displays quite a bit of noise during the deep dark sequences of the finale. Ms. Lovett’s fantasy is rather spectacular and clean, but some of the greens and ambers are grainy and lose definition.
Audio
It’s a musical, the music better sound good. Thankfully this Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is lush and full of life. The delicate balance between music and sound effects is spot on, the LFE booms without unnecessary vibration, and every note in the amateur singers’ spectrum is equally represented. Sweeney Todd is one of only two films in Tim Burton’s catalogue that wasn’t scored by Danny Elfman (the other is Ed Wood). No one can blame Elfman for not wanting to transcribe someone else’s successful score though, and Stephen Sondheim’s additions sound rather Elfman-esque anyway. The soundtrack really shines in the rear channels, which are actually augmented with their own instruments in parts, rather then the usual echo track.

Extras
Disc one is adorned with a single featurette called ‘Burton + Depp + Cater = Todd’, which also happens to be the only extra on the single disc collection. This is a sort of meaty and not too placating behind the scenes bit that should satisfy those not thoroughly interested in extra features. More or less everything here can be found in greater detail elsewhere on disc two, so those more interested in the behind the scenes process and the historical history of Sweeney Todd might want to skip this twenty-six minute piece all together in favour of disc two.
The disc two extras begin with a 2007 press conference featuring Burton and all the major actors. In the absence of a commentary track this interview segment gives us a decent glimpse into the deeper working process (besides, anyone that’s ever heard a Burton commentary track will know that we aren’t really missing anything). The twenty-minute feature is very amusing and far more informative than the usually press conference.
‘Sweeney is Alive’ is a twenty-minute look at the Sweeney myth and its various incarnations. The general consensus seems to be that there was no real Sweeney Todd in London’s history, and that the story is an amalgamation of various factual killers and old wives tales. The story’s popularity spiked when it was adapted into a ‘Penny Dreadful’ novella during the reign of real serial killer Jack the Ripper. The play version and an early film version are also covered here, though various B-horror versions (like Andy Milligan’s Bloodthirsty Butchers) are not mentioned. There is a feature length documentary in here somewhere.

‘Musical Mayhem’ is a more specific look at Stephen Sondheim’s stage musical from which Burton’s film was adapted. Sondheim (the man behind West Side Story, by the way) himself is interviewed, along with various other members of the original and theatrical productions. This is a good place to pause and acknowledge the spectacular originality of a Grand Guignol horror musical. The twelve minute featurette chronicles the musical’s history, Burton’s history, and possibly most importantly, the adaptation process. I have basically zero knowledge of the original Tony winning stage version of the killer barber tale, but internet research tells us that there was a lot of adaptation required to cram three plus hours of musical into two hours of movie. From what I’m able to glean the biggest sacrifice was the relationship between Todd’s daughter and her would-be suitor, which I see as a good thing. Even as Burton and screenwriter John Logan leave it there’s a little too much of these rather bland characters.
‘Sweeney’s London’ is a look at the history of London during the start of the Sweeny Todd legend. Though Burton’s film does not take place in this particularly horrifying chapter in London’s history (actually it doesn’t take place in any real timeframe), the inclusion of this featurette is a welcome one. The narrator mixes the ‘facts’ of the fictional Todd’s life and the facts of life on the bloody and polluted streets of early 19th century, and period appropriate art and maps are mixed with expert commentaries. I don’t see the purpose of separating this 16-minute featurette from ‘Sweeney is Alive’, but it’s still a nice dash of history lesson.
‘The Making of Sweeney Todd’ starts as a total fluff piece, filled out with the usual ‘all audience’ friendly clips, and back patting interviews (“He’s amazing”, “She’s amazing”, etc.). The graphicness of the violence isn’t the only thing avoided, the musical aspects are slighted a bit, just as they were in the film’s initial trailers. This bit likely played on HBO or something between full frame movies, and includes several bits from the longer and better featurettes.

‘Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition’ is a perfectly pleasant featurette all about the uber-graphic and ever popular play style that Burton’s film and Sondheim’s stage musical reference regularly. The piece briefly covers the basic history of the violent and often amoral stage productions, Sweeney Todd’s place within the tradition, and features a few minutes of recent Grand Guignol revivals (pretty cheesy). Like the ‘Sweeney is Alive’ featurette, this one feels like a mere taste of a bigger and better documentary, only running about nineteen minutes.
‘Designs for a Demon Barber’ is a closer look at Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo’s Academy Award winning art design, the set design, and Colleen Atwood’s Academy Award nominated costume design. The featurette is told with interviews (subtitled to cover the accents), on-set footage, film footage and production artwork. There is some discussion of inspiration, but surprisingly no talk of Burton and company’s self-quotation. Bits of this nine-minute featurette can be seen in ‘The Making of Sweeney Todd’.
‘A Bloody Business’ covers the film’s many juicy gore effects. The behind the scenes footage, narrated by the effects supervisor, is pretty thorough for another nine-minute runtime, covering the whole throat chopping process. The sheer volume of fake blood and set plastic wrap (including the camera) is very amusing. This is a probably a good place to mention that my research tells me that Sweeney Todd was slightly cut for its American release. I’m not sure on what specifically was cut, but I know this DVD is not the ‘unrated’ version, which may be a reason to wait for the eventual Blu-ray release.
‘Moviefone Unscripted’ is another fluff piece made to sell the film. Burton and Depp sort of interview each other while taking E-Mail questions from Moviefone web surfers. The participants are both charming as all hell, so what could’ve been a totally lame bit is only kind of awkward. It’s eleven minutes.

‘The Razor’s Refrain’ is a series of stills from the film set to pieces of each of the film’s major songs, running 8:30. This is followed by a standard flip-through gallery of behind the scenes photos and design concepts. Everything ties up with the original theatrical trailer.
Overall
Sweeney Todd is not Tim Burton’s greatest masterpiece, but it is his most solid film in a decade. The film is entirely entertaining, fully engrossing, and it tickles the senses without calling ridiculous amounts of attention to itself. It’s also the kind of film that will likely grow on even lukewarm viewers over time. This two disc special edition features some great extras, but just about every one of them feels somewhat truncated. I have a slight inkling that a more fully packed Blu-ray disc might be on the unseen horizon, but make no promises.
Review by Gabriel Powers
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Care for a shave? Nooooooo thanks.
What an awesome movie, I think it's one that will grow on me after repeated viewings because I definitely am not a big musical fan. In fact, there hasn't been a musical film I've enjoyed in years. If anyone was disgusted by the music videos Across the Universe and Hairspray try Sweeney Todd. It has a more original feel despite it being Tim Burton whose films all sort of blend together. Even so, I think Tim Burton is an excellent story teller if anything.
What an awesome movie, I think it's one that will grow on me after repeated viewings because I definitely am not a big musical fan. In fact, there hasn't been a musical film I've enjoyed in years. If anyone was disgusted by the music videos Across the Universe and Hairspray try Sweeney Todd. It has a more original feel despite it being Tim Burton whose films all sort of blend together. Even so, I think Tim Burton is an excellent story teller if anything.
Visually it was fine but I am afraid I hate musicals so this one's not for me...
I only saw it as the wife told me too...
I only saw it as the wife told me too...
Looks like it's best to wait for the uncut R2 then.
Sweeney Todd: There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and it's filled with people who are filled of s**t, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and it goes by the name of 'London.'
My favorite line from this flick. I enjoyed Sweeney Todd, but I was disappointed that I saw the twist coming halfway through. Certainly deserves to be mentioned among Burton's top 4. Definitely a rental.
My favorite line from this flick. I enjoyed Sweeney Todd, but I was disappointed that I saw the twist coming halfway through. Certainly deserves to be mentioned among Burton's top 4. Definitely a rental.
This was my favorite film of 2007, followed by "There Will Be Blood".
At first i thought this mivie was great. Thought it was a revenge thriller instead it turned out to be a homicidal maniac killing people like picking teeth. The movie had no soul and no heart and it had absolutely no character to care for. A mess
Goddamnit I can't wait for this thing to come out on Blu-Ray.
Eugene Mlodik wrote: Am I the only here who was upset that half the songs from the original stage production, including the main theme, were deleted from the film?
Oh man I was LIVID that the Ballad of Sweeney Todd was cut.
That was the song that was stuck in my head for weeks after seeing the stage version in Dublin. Thankfully it's exclusion froced me to get a copy of the original Broadway recording which I've since fallen in love with and practically memorized. Brilliant film of a brilliant stage play.
I saw it twice in the theatre (2nd time by myself on my birthday) and by then I knew all the songs and could tell exactly which were missing and even parts of included songs that were absent (A Little Priest was highly cut down).
Highly recommend. One of Burton's best and all around fantastic film. HBC totally won me over after being wary of her cast as Mrs Lovett. I thought Jaime was fine. Anthony is written rather 2-dimensionally (he's the polar opposite of jaded and twisted Sweeney) and had the love story actually been flushed out ("Kiss Me" does wonders to further their love story not to mention being absolutely breathtaking) I think people would have liked him more.
4.5 out 5 for sure!
Oh man I was LIVID that the Ballad of Sweeney Todd was cut.

I saw it twice in the theatre (2nd time by myself on my birthday) and by then I knew all the songs and could tell exactly which were missing and even parts of included songs that were absent (A Little Priest was highly cut down).
Highly recommend. One of Burton's best and all around fantastic film. HBC totally won me over after being wary of her cast as Mrs Lovett. I thought Jaime was fine. Anthony is written rather 2-dimensionally (he's the polar opposite of jaded and twisted Sweeney) and had the love story actually been flushed out ("Kiss Me" does wonders to further their love story not to mention being absolutely breathtaking) I think people would have liked him more.
4.5 out 5 for sure!
I loved Sweeney Todd. I'd give it 10/10. The acting was good, the blood was good, and it's one of the year's best.
Its a great musical adaptation and without Depp/Carter/Burton this would not have been as good as it is. I would give it a solid 8/10.
coqui2k wrote: This movie is really pretty good. I am just curious what would you say are the worst movies of all time are.
Worst movies of all time? Let's see. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot? If you're expecting me to say The Godfather, Wait Until Dark, and No Country for Old Men, you're going to be disappointed.
And it's not just the songs I take issue with. Get rid of the musical aspect and you're left with a trite, boring story that shows way too many throat-slittings. How great would Cannibal Holocaust be if every travesty filmed was just another native with a pole up its ass? That'd get old quick. I understand that the whole barber chair thing is his schtick, but when they do what felt like an hour-long montage of throats getting cut it just starts to feel a little redundant.
Worst movies of all time? Let's see. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot? If you're expecting me to say The Godfather, Wait Until Dark, and No Country for Old Men, you're going to be disappointed.
And it's not just the songs I take issue with. Get rid of the musical aspect and you're left with a trite, boring story that shows way too many throat-slittings. How great would Cannibal Holocaust be if every travesty filmed was just another native with a pole up its ass? That'd get old quick. I understand that the whole barber chair thing is his schtick, but when they do what felt like an hour-long montage of throats getting cut it just starts to feel a little redundant.
Well, I still know next to zero about the musical, but on the extras it's made pretty clear that the deletions were chosen by both Burton and Stephen Sondheim. I'm very happy that any extra material with Jamie Campbell Bower was cut.
Am I the only here who was upset that half the songs from the original stage production, including the main theme, were deleted from the film?
From what I understand this is the cut version, but I didn't see it in theaters.
The clips of this have won me over and I might just blind buy it.
I'm sure I'll come to the conclusion that it was very good , Depp is a f**king God (only a sexy God not a burning bush old codger) but it could have been better with about 4 songs less in it.
Any news on what version this is? As I might wait for the R2 if it's the same 'R' cut. As according to IMDb it was censored (unlike the International version).
Quote: The final act in the US version uses different angles than the International version of the film during some extra violent deaths. T
he different angles focus more Sweeney instead of the immense amounts of blood that can be seen more vividly in the International cut.
All in all it only amounts to around 3-5 seconds that are actually different and were needed in order to get the R-Rated in the US.
Quote: B-horror versions (like Andy Milligan’s Bloodthirsty Butchers) are not mentioned.
The Milligan gets no mention!! SHAME!
This could have encouraged the unenlightened to take a wallow in his filthy cinematic waters.
I'm sure I'll come to the conclusion that it was very good , Depp is a f**king God (only a sexy God not a burning bush old codger) but it could have been better with about 4 songs less in it.
Any news on what version this is? As I might wait for the R2 if it's the same 'R' cut. As according to IMDb it was censored (unlike the International version).
Quote: The final act in the US version uses different angles than the International version of the film during some extra violent deaths. T
he different angles focus more Sweeney instead of the immense amounts of blood that can be seen more vividly in the International cut.
All in all it only amounts to around 3-5 seconds that are actually different and were needed in order to get the R-Rated in the US.
Quote: B-horror versions (like Andy Milligan’s Bloodthirsty Butchers) are not mentioned.
The Milligan gets no mention!! SHAME!
This could have encouraged the unenlightened to take a wallow in his filthy cinematic waters.
Think i prefered Depp in From Hell even though it's not that great a film, i agree he is one of the best actors around (can't wait for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus). Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood are my favourite Burton films, everything else made since Beetlejuice and Scissorhands is pretty shallow (including this).
u see, i walked out on this at the theatre, just because my girl didnt like it at all, (she hates musicals) and blamed me for not knowing...
and well i gave it a second try on dvd and actually liked it a lot...
and well i gave it a second try on dvd and actually liked it a lot...
Great movie with good performance by depp as usual i think he is the best actor of his generation hope to find this on bluray soon as it wood look fab in hidef
Jeremy S wrote: This movie was awful. I would have gotten up and left the moment that awkward looking kid started singing on the boat if I hadn't already pulled that stunt in the first minute of Across the Universe. My girlfriend told me we had to stay for the duration and if I had had a gun I would have shot either the projectionist or myself. I knew this was a musical going into it (unlike Across the Universe) and was mentally prepared for it but it still slugged me across the chin.
Didn't help matters any that the crew on display can't sing worth a flip, and the brooding, emo-fied version of Jack Sparrow was not interesting in the least, and Tim Burton's "vision" is starting to get stale (despite this, I still love him; that man has paid his dues).
Top it all off with the fact that ... most people liked it? That was shocking to me. Still feels like I'm in The Twilight Zone.
And for the record, I enjoyed Once. That is how you do a musical. Randomly breaking into song, on the other hand...save it for the Disney cartoons.
This movie is really pretty good. I am just curious what would you say are the worst movies of all time are.
Didn't help matters any that the crew on display can't sing worth a flip, and the brooding, emo-fied version of Jack Sparrow was not interesting in the least, and Tim Burton's "vision" is starting to get stale (despite this, I still love him; that man has paid his dues).
Top it all off with the fact that ... most people liked it? That was shocking to me. Still feels like I'm in The Twilight Zone.
And for the record, I enjoyed Once. That is how you do a musical. Randomly breaking into song, on the other hand...save it for the Disney cartoons.
This movie is really pretty good. I am just curious what would you say are the worst movies of all time are.
I liked this movie, Gabe does a fine job noting it's particulars as well as praising the actors and such as required.
I agree that one of the weak links was Jamie Campbell Bower, however I did not much like Sacha Baron Cohen's "Adam Sandler-esque" portrayal of Signor Adolfo Pirelli any better.
I thought the writing made both of them feel out of place or add-ons more than a part of the show, however that could be related to poor performances on both their part.
Overall a good show, not my favorite Tim Burton movie, I think that is Edward Scissorhands, also not my favorite musical, but for the genre and it's chosen topic I think it could not have been much better.
I agree that one of the weak links was Jamie Campbell Bower, however I did not much like Sacha Baron Cohen's "Adam Sandler-esque" portrayal of Signor Adolfo Pirelli any better.
I thought the writing made both of them feel out of place or add-ons more than a part of the show, however that could be related to poor performances on both their part.
Overall a good show, not my favorite Tim Burton movie, I think that is Edward Scissorhands, also not my favorite musical, but for the genre and it's chosen topic I think it could not have been much better.
This movie was awful. I would have gotten up and left the moment that awkward looking kid started singing on the boat if I hadn't already pulled that stunt in the first minute of Across the Universe. My girlfriend told me we had to stay for the duration and if I had had a gun I would have shot either the projectionist or myself. I knew this was a musical going into it (unlike Across the Universe) and was mentally prepared for it but it still slugged me across the chin.
Didn't help matters any that the crew on display can't sing worth a flip, and the brooding, emo-fied version of Jack Sparrow was not interesting in the least, and Tim Burton's "vision" is starting to get stale (despite this, I still love him; that man has paid his dues).
Top it all off with the fact that ... most people liked it? That was shocking to me. Still feels like I'm in The Twilight Zone.
And for the record, I enjoyed Once. That is how you do a musical. Randomly breaking into song, on the other hand...save it for the Disney cartoons.
Didn't help matters any that the crew on display can't sing worth a flip, and the brooding, emo-fied version of Jack Sparrow was not interesting in the least, and Tim Burton's "vision" is starting to get stale (despite this, I still love him; that man has paid his dues).
Top it all off with the fact that ... most people liked it? That was shocking to me. Still feels like I'm in The Twilight Zone.
And for the record, I enjoyed Once. That is how you do a musical. Randomly breaking into song, on the other hand...save it for the Disney cartoons.
Pretty good movie


Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date:
1st April 2008
Discs:
2
Disc Type:
Single side, dual layer
RCE:
No
Video:
NTSC
Aspect:
1.78:1
Anamorphic:
Yes
Colour:
Yes
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish, Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish
Extras:
Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd, Press Conference, Sweeney is Alive, Musical Mayhem, Sweeney's London, The Making of Sweeney Todd, Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition, Designs for a Demon Barber, A Bloody Business, Moviefone Unscripted, Image Gallery, Trailer
Easter Egg:
No
Feature Details
Director:
Tim Burton
Cast:
Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Edward Sanders, Timothy Spall
Genre:
Comedy, Horror, Musical and Thriller
Length:
116 minutes
Ratings
Amazon.com
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