I saw Sweeney Todd this afternoon, in a theater that had a decent-sized crowd. I can see why Steven Sondheim gave the movie his blessings. It’s quite good. It has its flaws, but overall, I enjoyed it immensely.
Flaw number one is that Helena Bonham Carter is a great actor, but she can’t sing for squat. Tim Burton really needed to give the role of Mrs. Lovett to someone who can actually sing. Johnny Depp isn’t a great singer, but his voice was good enough for the film.
Flaw number two was that I was immensely peeved that the introduction and finale were both skipped. The film ended too abruptly, and I really, really missed the finale.
Other minor quibbles: I thought most of the songs were sung too slowly. The comedic songs, especially, weren’t as quick and funny as they could have been. And Helena Bonham Carter either doesn’t do comedy well, or didn’t get that Mrs. Lovett wasn’t a dark, tired, sad woman all the time. I guess I really can’t compare her to the Angela Lansbury version, since Angela won the Tony for her role. But she could have been a little funnier.
Really, though, I did like the film. I’ll probably see it again, or maybe even buy it, spurting blood from throats and all. Tim Burton might not have wanted to make it so bloody, though. I’ll bet a PG would have gotten him legions of Johnny Depp tween fans. It’s rated R. Sorena couldn’t get in to get us seats early; she had to come get me to get her past the ticket-taker.
Overall, today was a very good day. And I got some cash in the karma bank because we discovered someone had left his keys hanging out of the door of his Toyota convertible, so I left a note on the windshield and the keys at the box office. I imagine someone got a nice little present when they got out of their movie.
While I read that there Helena Bonham Carter got the job on the basis of an audition (I think in front of Sondheim), there is another possible reason she got the part.
I saw it on Broadway as it was getting in its final weeks with, I think, George Hearn and Dorothy Loudon.
I have to admit that this review discouraged me. (I am neither a Tim Burton nor Johnny Depp fan, to put it mildly, which doesn’t help either.)
Well, I must admit that I tended not to watch the blood spurting. Even though he made it a neon-red color, sounds were added and, well, I don’t like gore at all in movies. But once you remind yourself that it’s all fake, it’s easier to handle.
The thing is, I love Sondheim enough to just look away during the blood-spurting scenes. But not enough to forgive them for not including any sort of finale.
I am surprised he didn’t lower it to a PG rating. I think there’d have been a lot more teenaged girls in the audience.
And yes, I know that Helena and Tim are live-ins.