Johnny Depp’s “Sweeny Todd” Sings and Slashes in Style
Tim Burton’s “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street” (2008) is an enigmatic picture, to be sure. Part comedy, part horror, and part tragedy, it also happens to be a musical based on a Broadway play.
Johnny Depp was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Sweeny Todd, a murderous barber out to avenge the death of his long lost love. His partner in crime is played by Helena Bonham Carter, who owns the bakery below his barber shop. Together they secretly murder London’s upper crust aristocrats, bake them into meat pies, and sell them to witless patrons.
Depp sings ably for a Hollywood star, and Helena Bonham Carter is his match in every way. The songs are well written and lyrically creative. But leave it to the hilarious Sacha Baron Cohen to steal the show! Cohen (known for his “Borat” and “Ali G” characters) appears in only two scenes, and makes the most of it. In the first scene he upstages Depp as they compete in a barbering contest to see who gives the fastest, closest shave in London. In his second (and final) scene, Cohen attempts to extort money from Todd. (You can imagine the results). As in “Talladega Nights,” Sacha Baron Cohen knows how to make the most of a small role.
However, despite the film’s light comic touches, much of “Sweeny Todd” is darker and more atmospheric than you may expect. Directed by the always reliable Tim Burton, Sweeny Todd’s London is a perpetual nightmare of black and green colors, shadows, stripes, and cobblestone. When the blood flows (or more precisely, sprays) the bright crimson colors streak across the screen like brush strokes. Burton mastered his craft long ago, and with “Sweeny Todd” continues to explore the instantly recognizable style we will one day call “Burtonesque.”
Yet Burton’s visual flair only carries the film part way. The trouble is, most of the plot developments are underwhelming. The story of Sweeny Todd’s daughter– her imprisonment in the home of an evil judge, and eventual rescue– is strangely insulated from Todd’s revenge scheme. (The two don’t even share a scene together!) Nothing overly consequential goes on until the final revelation of what REALLY happened to Todd’s long lost love, and that’s in the very last scene.
Admittedly, “Sweeny Todd” walks a fine line, and criticizing the plot may sound like quibbling. It is evident that Burton is trying to balance many different elements, continually shifting from comedy to horror, and social commentary to tragedy. What results is a strange brew of melodramatic musicality… But too much melodrama spoils the drama and dulls the comedy, so ultimately “Sweeny Todd” loses his “cutting edge.”
Grade: B-
What does “Burtonesque” mean to you? Burton’s best film? I say “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.”
Post your thoughts.
