Looking back at the bloody brilliance of ‘Sweeney Todd’ 15 years later
A master at portraying the orthodox, the gothic, and the macabre, Tim Burton has created a dedicated fanbase through his feature and short films depicting a darker yet imaginative mode of storytelling. The filmmaker’s most known works that exhibit this include Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The last two aforementioned titles in that list are perhaps some of his bloodiest films, with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as an overall gritty film based on the original 1979 musical.
The story follows the vengeful barber Todd who lives a double life as a serial killer, seeking revenge on the judge who wrongfully convicted and exiled him to take his wife. With the help of his accomplice, Mrs Lovett, Todd murders his customers and processes their corpses into meat pies. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street stars Burton’s dynamic duo Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, with Alan Rickman, Jayne Wisener and Sasha Baron Cohen also making appearances.
The film was released Friday, December 21st, 2007, 15 years ago today, with haunting musical numbers, brilliant set and costume design and magnificent performances from all cast members. Depp received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his performance as the murderous barber, and designers Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Burton later shared his experience of seeing the original show, leading to him signing on to direct the film. “I was still a student, I didn’t know if I would be making movies or working in a restaurant, I had no idea what I would be doing,” the filmmaker said on behind-the-scenes footage of the director’s cut DVD. “I just wandered into the theatre, and it just blew me away because I’d never really seen anything that had the mixture of all those elements. I actually went three nights in a row because I loved it so much.” Furthermore, the director shared with Los Angeles Times how he was “dazzled both by the music and its sense of the macabre” in the musical, which he perceived as a silent film with music. This interpretation travelled through to Burton’s film, with sensational and engaging musical numbers interrupting or juxtaposing the bloody images of slashed throats and dismembered body parts being ground into meat.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street reads as a form of hybrid genre filmmaking, as drama, horror, and romance harmonise in a musical with a Victorian Gothic palette. The film employs each genre it fuses to convey each stage of Todd’s story and deteriorating psyche, with the songs starting as light-hearted and whimsical early on in the story, only to undergo a distressed and frantic tone to address the barber’s evergrowing immersion into complete hysteria as he becomes caged in his rageful vengeance. These atmospheric and communicating techniques elevate the story material, coinciding with the dark and gothic style to exhibit a psychological aspect within the slasher horror. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street does not waste, underestimate or underappreciate any of its hybrid genres; instead, it celebrates and highlights each respectively to create a heightened experience for its audience, ones who appreciate the Gothic style already and those who are new to it.
In addition, the gore and carnage play out effortlessly against the dark, gritty style, with the kills refusing to perform as over-the-top or uneventful. Burton directs each kill scene to captivate and submerge the audience in immense tension as a build-up, with Depp’s physical performance elevating the suspense. The payoff hits, with swift pourings of blood splashing a vibrant dash of colour onto the screen. The images of these corpses then heading down to be made into meat, which we see being eaten by unsuspecting customers, add an unsettling and frightening overlay to the film and visual gore.
When it comes to performances, Depp and Bonham Carter are a big hit, delivering some terrific interpretations as per usual when they feature in Burton’s eccentric filmography. Depp demonstrates every inch of hysteria, manipulation, wit and charm that characterise Todd’s complex nature, such as the fact that his motive for murdering people who have wronged him is to gain justice for his mistreated wife and child. Todd reads sinister, cruel, intimidating and downright terrifying at times, with the occasional magnetism and charisma sparking out between the vicious kills. Mrs Lovett embodies a sweeter, softer, more intuitive persona to contrast her companion’s more upfront, twisted nature. However, Bonham Carter still carries through with the role’s disturbed and immoral undertones, such as the character lying about Todd’s wife being dead because she is in love with him.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street survived the curse of reading as outdated or underwhelming in any recent watches after 15 years. Burton’s magic decorates the film with a unique vision and tone, appeasing dedicated fans who adore the gothic presentation. Furthermore, the film balances its tones, gore and values steadily and effectively, making for a well-rounded and attentive presentation. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a chilling, fun, eccentric artistic and entertaining experience.
