DVDFile

DreamWorks Home Entertainment / 2005 / 116 Minutes / R
Street Date: October 21, 2008

Taking a moment to talk about Sondheim…

I was introduced to the work of playwriter/composer Stephen Sondheim in 1999 and couldn’t believe what I had been missing. Not having grown up with access to many live performances, I was a staunchly committed movie guy and had no concept of the emotional power of (good) live stage shows. Getting my first taste of Sondheim was like someone, having never tasted wine, being offered overflowing glass of the finest vintage. I’ve now had the pleasure of experiencing Sweeney Todd both as part of the Washington D.C. Kennedy Center’s Sondheim celebration as well as via the more intimate venue of Shirlington Virginia’s esteemed Signature Theater (which offered the better performance by far in the case of every Sondheim musical I’ve seen).

Sondheim’s particular draw for me stems from his unconventional melodies, which lack sing-song whistle-while-you-work simplicity, but at the same time don’t require an advanced course in avant-garde music theory to appreciate. But beyond the music, Sondheim’s greatest strengths are his stories, his characters, and what he has his characters say. Sondheim has a gift for using ordinary human experiences and emotions to build his story; his dialogue revolves around the everyday feelings of joy, jealousy, loneliness, falling in love, and most especially, relationship difficulties. Sondheim seems especially interested in the complex relational struggles between good and decent people (Merrily We Roll Along is my favorite Sondheim work in this regard). What makes Sweeney Todd stand apart from much of Sondheim’s productions is that the story setting and dramatic tale appear to supersede his usual taste for the ordinary and inwardly focused. This is also the same reason that Sweeney Todd stands out as the “popular” Sondheim musical that most folks, who are otherwise unfamiliar with his work, would recognize. But don’t be fooled by the over-the-top story and glitz; look deeper into the characters, and you’ll find the same search for understanding and frustration with futility that undergird the larger body of his work.

The Movie Adaptation…

When I heard that “they” were going to make a movie based on a treasured Sondheim production I was worried. When I heard that it was Tim Burton making a movie of Sweeney Todd, I was interested. Burton’s flare for Gothic-inspired scenery and jarring, elaborately detailed environments have set just the right tone. Although I don’t fancy myself a Jonny Depp fan per se, I can easily acknowledge Depp’s agility as an actor and his surprising level of competency as he sings his lines in Sweeney Todd. My frustration is primarily with the choice of Helena Bonham Carter for the role of Mrs. Lovett, a role that deserved a far superior singing talent than what it receives in this film adaptation (though I have no problem with Carter as an actress). The rest of the cast remain sublimely suited for their roles, and overall the production of this film adaptation of one of our greatest playwrights’ stage musical is marvelously served.

From his earlier review of the DVD release, Ken has this to say about Sweeney Todd:

“There are certain director-actor collaborations that just click into place and always yield something special. Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro quickly come to mind, then there’s John Ford and John Wayne, and even John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. One of the most symbiotic and mutually beneficial of these pairings remains the dynamic duo of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, who now mark their sixth team effort with a dazzling film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

“What at first blush might seem an odd project for either talent really makes perfect sense when you take into account Depp’s work in From Hell and, in particular, Burton’s affinity for the gory, blood-drenched B-grade horror films of director Roger Corman and the British Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee. Indeed, the duo’s prior work on Sleepy Hollow played like a fun-loving homage to Hammer Studios and Sweeney Todd steps it up another notch by throwing the musical attack of Sondheim’s relentless score into the mix. The result is a bold and brazen blend of dark comedy meets revenge play all set to music.

“The plot – the bulk of which is conveyed through song – revolves around the release of Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a once successful barber who was wrongly imprisoned by the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) so Turpin could woo Barker’s wife and daughter from him. Upon his release Barker returns to London in the hope of reuniting with his family only to learn his wife apparently committed suicide and his daughter is now being kept as a ward of the same man who imprisoned him. Hoping to get his revenge, Barker hides behind the newly-adopted persona of “Sweeney Todd” and soon re-establishes his barbershop in a loft above a meat pie shop owned by Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), a despairing woman who remains sympathetic to Barker’s plight.

“After first being blackmailed by another local barber named Adolfo Pirelli (the great Sacha Baron Cohen), who threatens to reveal that Sweeney Todd is actually Benjamin Barker, and then missing a rare opportunity to quickly dispatch of the evil Judge Turpin while attempting to give him a “close shave,” Todd goes on a killing spree in an effort to rid London of the corrupt aristocracy that took his family from him. As for how to dispose of the bodies that start piling up, Mrs. Lovett has the perfect solution: grind them up and bake them into meat pies. Thus, Sweeney Todd’s new bloodlust is satisfied… and Mrs. Lovett’s self-described “worst pies in London” become all the rage due to their new secret ingredient. As long as men keep coming to Todd and his steely razors for service, there will always be plenty of meat pies to go around.

“Although Burton had already demonstrated skill at marrying music to his visual style in his frequent collaborations with composer Danny Elfman for such gems as The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride, the one wild card going into a project as daunting as Sweeney Todd was Johnny Depp; he displayed some talent at playing guitar in a rock band but wasn’t known as a singer. Nevertheless, confident he could deliver, Burton coaxed his alter ego into playing the lead role without hearing him even attempt a note. While chances are slim any future Johnny Depp CDs will be burning up the pop charts, the actor does a fine job singing Sondheim’s complex melodies and arrangements. That Depp’s voice is a bit raw and more accustomed to rock even adds a darker dimension to his interpretation.

“Boasting one of the best casts Burton’s assembled since the underappreciated Mars Attacks!, Sweeney Todd is easily one of the director’s best-realized and most satisfying projects to date. Everyone is in fine form, from the aforementioned Sacha Baron Cohen (who steals his few scenes by hilariously mangling an Italian accent), to Helena Bonham Carter, to Alan Rickman; all turn in solid singing performances to boot. In an era when movie studios keep grinding out teen-friendly PG-13 “horror” films, it was also refreshing to see that Burton didn’t attempt to dilute the graphic violence that is inherent to the story. Easily earning its R-rating, the movie really revels in the gore once Todd’s razors start slashing and, in some scenes, the blood – which stands out in stark contrast to Burton’s desaturated, almost black-and-white style – literally splatters onto the camera lens.”

The Video: How Do The Discs Look?

Sweeney Todd offers some challenging video material; it’s dark scenery, dimly lit interiors and lamp-lit exteriors with lots of soft-illuminated shadow detail. This is the just the sort of film that doesn’t translate well to the DVD medium given the difficulty with compressing dark imagery at the relatively low bit rates available on the MPEG-2 standard-definition medium. My expectations were hopeful that the Blu-ray Disc would produce satisfying results, even though I knew that the compression challenges might hold back the image from the top tier of quality. But when I first put the disc in my player, I could hardly believe my eyes at how stunning the images were; no hint of video noise, no hint of banding or unsteady backgrounds during pans, no sign of an over-processed picture or smeared detail from low-grade grain reduction algorithms. Just a sumptuous, perfectly compressed, perfectly film-like transfer that looks almost as if we’re looking at a first generation print, rather than a distribution print produced for a theatrical showing. Detail is stunning, and the AVC CODEC shines in this 1.85:1 1080p transfer. Dark shadows and dimly lit detail come through without any problem whatsoever. This film almost redefines what I now know is possible with dimly photographed film work via high definition media. It’s spectacular.

The Audio: How Do The Discs Sound?

Just as impressive as the video - perhaps more - is the quality of the lossless audio mix. The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 delivers an audio experience that is pure demo-quality for precisely the type of benefits made possible by lossless audio. The usual accolades of great musical soundtrack recording, dialogue, frequency response, and dynamic range apply. Surround use is subtle most of the time but appropriate given the context. But those things can be true of lossy-compressed signals as well. What really sets this lossless track apart from the pack is the eerie sense of realism that is has… There are some effects and voices that sound so real it almost caused me to jump from the chair. Timbre of instruments, vocals, and effects are at times incredibly convincing in a way that lossy-compressed soundtracks never are, and that realism just adds to the potency and emotional impact of the music and dialogue.

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

All of the bonus items from the DVD appear to be present on the Blu-ray Disc release, which is welcome. Even more enjoyable is that most of the bonus material is presented in high definition. With the appropriate modifications to Ken’s assessment of the identical bonus material from the DVD:

“Despite the disappointing lack of a commentary track, the disc does offer a wide variety of ample featurettes that do a good job filling the void. Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd (26:05, HD) is an extended making-of segment with interviews of all the key cast members, the director, producer Richard D. Zanuck, and composer/writer Stephen Sondheim all discussing the genesis of the project and Tim Burton’s near-obsession with bringing the musical to the big screen.

“In Sweeney Todd Press Conference November 2007 (19:39, SD), some of the same key players answer questions during one of the first screenings of the film. Sweeney Todd Is Alive: The Real History of The Demon Barber (20:05, HD) is an interesting piece that examines the origins of the Sweeney Todd legend and whether or not the idea was based on a real or fictional character, very much in the same way that the Vlad the Impaler legend morphed into Dracula.

“Musical Mayhem: Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd (12:00, HD) is a candid interview with the creator/composer in which he discusses how he came up with the idea for the original Broadway production. Sweeney’s London (16:15, HD) examines the class system in London in the 18th and 19th centuries with an emphasis on the working class, which spawned both the idea and character of Sweeney Todd. The more comprehensive The Making of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (24:00, SD) is similar to and offers some of the same interviews as the featurette on Disc One, but is presented as more of a typical promotional EPK.

“Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition (19:14, HD) is my favorite featurette; it focuses on a particular style of theater and film, which began in Paris in 1897 and eventually evolved into today’s horror genre. Designs for a Demon Barber (8:55, HD) focuses on the costumes and sets created for the film and the stellar production design contributions of the great Dante Ferretti. A Bloody Business (8:52, HD) is another niche featurette that provides a special behind-the-scenes look at the gory prosthetic and make-up effects created for the film. Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (11:35, SD) is a segment in which the director and actor answer questions about their latest collaboration, submitted to them via the Internet .

“The Razor’s Refrain (8:38, HD) is a photo gallery of production photographs set to selections from the score followed by a more traditional still photo gallery that you need to advance manually. frame-by-frame. The bonus disc concludes with the original theatrical trailer (2:30, HD) from the film.”

Final Thoughts

Adapting stage plays to film is a risky business. Attempting it with the work of notable playwright Stephen Sondheim provides the additional challenge of winning over the hearts and minds of dedicated fans who might view a star-gilded film interpretation as sell-out for the masses. But Burton’s direction is a good fit for this particular production, and by and large the cast suit their roles with one or two exceptions on the basis of limited vocal ability. This Blu-ray Disc delivers astounding images that handle the challenges of this dark and detailed content with grace. The lossless audio renders some of the most realistic timbre I’ve come across, and the addition of all the content from the DVD has mostly been upgraded to high definition. If you like musicals, Burton, or enjoy sampling films starring Jonny Depp, you need to give Sweeney Todd a try.


Here’s a note about the apparent duplicate Buy Guide.  Our I.T. people are still hard at work on a large project and have not yet had the time to modify the underlying site database formatting code to accommodate the new 0-to-10 rating scales.  So until they do, for HD on disc, I’ll insert this note and a Buy Guide at the end of the review text and leave the conventional 0-to-5 Buy Guide blank.