Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [2007] | ![Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dAILiRq1L._SL75_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Tim Burton
Actors: Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham-carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £23.99
Buy New: £10.74
You Save: £13.25 (55%)
New (22) Used (8) from £10.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 119
Format: Box Set, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 111
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
EAN: 7321902211756
ASIN: B0012YG7R8
Release Date: May 19, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: ** Mint Condition Disc (AS NEW) Complete with Instruction Manual & Box ** In Stock now & ready to be dispatched - Quality packaging used for delivery & all items sent via Royal mail. Purchase with confidence from Direct Video Services a 25 year established retailer. Call 01273 727838 for any queries.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
After years of rumours, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show's mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it's a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton's frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber's partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It's no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd's brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humour of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages--"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others, but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film's depiction of a Victorian London hellhole, with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood, also looks and feels right. The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don't think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it's hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there's no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. --David Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 How bad was this? July 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a terrible film. Burton can't do musicals. No one can sing properly. The lyrics are dire and it was such a drag to watch. Stuck half way between a stage musical and a film. The movie has those great indulgent Tim Burton touches but even Depp and Carter can't save it. Rickman was good though. Thought it a bit too blood lust in places. Not his best effort.
Great Sweeney but too bad about Mrs Lovitt July 7, 2008
This is a triumph for Burton and Depp but too bad about Mrs Lovitt. The direction is tight as a drum, and, although I am a fan of the full stage production, I didn't miss the music that was cut because it was not necessary for a film. Depp executes a role-defining characterisation and sings excellently giving the music a modern feel through his pop/rock style. Sacha Baron-Cohen was also nothing short of fabulous as was the young boy.
For the most part the acting is right on the money. The biggest exception was, unfortunately, the character of Mrs Lovitt. Mrs Lovitt is a pivotal character and her part requires an actor/singer who can act the songs using her voice, which requires some experience and technique. It isn't really a character to do for one's first musical. Unfortunately Ms Bonham-Carter does not generally sing everything in tune. The 'Poor Thing' scene is beautifully shot but difficult to listen to.
Some of the extras on the DVD are quite good, particularly Sweeney's London. The 'making of ...' sections (Usually my favourite) are chock full of Burton rationalising his choice of non-singers - although the major singing parts, apart from Mrs Lovitt, ARE primarily actor/singers.
Boring July 5, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
It should have been good but it was dull and boring. I'm glad I did not buy this.
 Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd July 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Well, well, well, what can I say? After seeing this film the first time I got hooked and I watched it over and over and over again.
You see, with most films you can watch them two or three times and that's it. But with Sweeney Tood, much like a CD, you can watch more than two or three times as it's the music that captivates you, in the same way you can listen to a CD more than two or three times. It's more like a visual musical concept album, with 70% singing and 30% talking.
On top of that the scenery is breathtakingly dark and gothic, as you'd expect from a Tim Burton film. The characters are not trained singers, but by all means they're not bad at all. I was very impressed with it all, as it was Johnny Depp's first time singing, he obviously has (another) huge talent which has been hidden away until he gave it a shot in playing the role as The Demon Barber.
Now a lot of people have complained in other reviews that they did not know this was a musical and were disappointed when they saw that it was. But don't a few other Tim Burton films have a lot of music and singing? Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride...
I'm not afraid to say I wouldn't have been as hooked on Sweeney Todd had it not been a musical so, for me, the music and singing bettered it.
It's not all slash and horror either, in fact there is not much blood at all in this, the story goes much deeper than slitting throats - it's a very sad love story with a huge craving for vengeance. And the ending is... well... I'll let you see for yourself. Let's just say it's quite unforgettable.
Just short of Perfect June 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I like the myth of Sweeney Todd, I quite like musicals and I love the combination of Burton and Depp; so why not a 5 I hear you cry.
Well, the setting is brilliant; the atmosphere is typically dark and Burtonesque. The casting is spot-on, I can't think of a single character in this film that could have been portrayed any better, even Sacha Baron Cohen slipped into the part perfectly. And finally the tale is told extremely well with some nice twists and plenty of gore.
What annoyed me were the songs, most of them were pretty good and some were great; maybe Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall should have been excused from singing though. I just felt that there were too many songs and not enough dialogue, it's a small niggle and I still like the film, but be careful if you don't like musicals, because more than half of the film is song.
4/5
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