Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

John Logan (screenplay)
Stephen Sondheim (musical) ...

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Never Forget. Never Forgive.

Plot:

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.

Plot Keywords:

Wig | Person On Fire | Murderer | Secret Door | Sailor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Sweeney Todd
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Mrs. Lovett
Alan Rickman	...	Judge Turpin
Timothy Spall	...	Beadle
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Pirelli
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Anthony
Laura Michelle Kelly	...	Beggar Woman
Jayne Wisener	...	Johanna
Ed Sanders	...	Toby (as Edward Sanders)
Gracie May	...	Baby Johanna
Ava May	...	Baby Johanna
Gabriella Freeman	...	Baby Johanna
Jody Halse	...	Policeman
Aron Paramor	...	Policeman
Lee Whitlock	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd (USA) (short title)
Sweeney Todd, le diabolique barbier de Fleet Street (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Svini Tod: Pakleni berberin iz ulice flit (Serbia) [sr]
Sweeney Todd (Germany) [de]
Sweeney Todd - Ðavolji brijac Fleet Streeta (Croatia) [hr]
Sweeney Todd - A Fleet Street démoni borbélya (Hungary) [hu]
Sweeney Todd - Demoniczny golibroda z Fleet Street (Poland) [pl]
Sweeney Todd - Der teuflische Barbier aus der Fleet Street (Germany) [de]
Sweeney Todd - El barbero demoníaco de la calle Fleet (Venezuela) [es]
Sweeney Todd - O Barbeiro Demoníaco da Rua Fleet (Brazil) [pt]
Sweeney Todd - O Terrível Barbeiro de Fleet Street (Portugal) [pt]
Sweeney Todd - O fonikos koureas tis odou Fleet (Greece) [el]
Sweeney Todd, el diabólico barbero de la calle Fleet (Spain) [es]
Sweeney Todd: El barbero demoníaco de la calle Fleet (Argentina) [es]
Sweeney Todd: Fleet Sokaginin Seytan Berberi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sweeney Todd: Fleet Streeti deemonlik habemeajaja (Estonia) [et]
Sweeney Todd: Fleet Streetin paholaisparturi (Finland) [fi]
Sweeney Todd: Il diabolico barbiere di Fleet Street (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Czech Republic:15 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Israel:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:16 | South Africa:16LV | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Greece:K-17 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Spain:13 | Malaysia:18PL | Germany:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Italy:VM14 | USA:R (certificate #43914) (cut) | UK:18 | Finland:K-18 | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

For his audition, Sacha Baron Cohen sang the entire score of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) for director Tim Burton.

Goofs:

Continuity: The bottle of gin taken from Toby had very little gin left in it. However, when Mrs. Lovett pours Sweeny a drink it appears to be only half empty.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anthony Hope: I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders, from the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru. But there's no place like London.
Sweeney Todd: No, there's no place like London.
Anthony Hope: [spoken] Mr. Todd?
Sweeney Todd: You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-12-15)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Not While I'm Around

Dark Humor Done Right

Despite the grim expectations from the story synopsis, the film delivers gore in a surprisingly tasteful way. There are no screaming teenagers running from a lunatic; instead we get a somewhat British blend of satire, slapstick and just "wrong" humor. Although I'm not much of a Johnny Depp fan, I enjoyed his performance as well as Helena Bonham Carter's. Even the portrayal of the common clients was stunning.

Despite being generally familiar with the story, I fell into some traps expecting specific twists, yet something different (and better) being delivered. This is a model of how to do dark humor that filmmakers should and probably will follow. It is most refreshing. Don't read the story and don't read any spoilers until you've seen it.