Being a well-rounded individual in terms of entertainment, I very easily admit to enjoying musical theatre. Well, theatre in general but I especially love musicals. Every year I attend the Dallas Summer Musicals and on those rare occasions I make the trek to New York, Broadway shows are inevitably on my itinerary. As such I have seen a great many shows, but I have yet to have the opportunity to see Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Oh I’ve heard the original cast recording with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou and of course, and relish every moment of it. It also doesn’t hurt that I have an affinity for things dark and scary making the experience all the greater. One of these days I will make it to a theatre to see it live.

That said I have to call your attention to the recent collaboration between director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp. It seems that Burton found the subject matter of “Sweeney Todd” to be right up his alley of things dark, scary and humorous. The problem was, how in the world would he be able to work with his mostly non-singing stable of favorite actors?
In the 1940’s there would be no question of simply hiring in singers to dub over the actors’ songs, but in this day and age it is unheard of outside of the occasional animated feature.

Making this possibility even more of a challenge, those of you might not be aware that Sondheim’s approach to music and lyrics make for librettos that are much more difficult to sing than your average musical. He writes songs that often contain vocally acrobatic movements that often change style, speed and syntax with every line. These are not songs for the vocally challenged. However, Burton charged ahead with this seemingly impossible task, casting Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the leads, and as the film was in production I waited with baited breath as to the outcome.

My wait came to an end several months ago as I was invited to an early screening. Interestingly enough my 14 year old son wanted to accompany me, even though his only experience with musicals included “Jekyll & Hyde” & “The Lion King” before he was 9 and “Spamalot” last year. I really didn’t think he’d ‘get into’ “Sweeney Todd”, but far be it from me to keep him from experiencing culture. I only hoped that Burton’s pet project would deliver a film that would properly capture the medium of musical theatre and his actors could deliver on Sondheim’s challenging score. Thankfully Burton and company succeeded beautifully on both counts.

I imagine there are more than a few of you who aren’t familiar with the story so I can give it to you in a nutshell (while trying not to give too much away). “Sweeney Todd” tells the tale of a young barber who is sent away to prison, for no other reason that the town’s judge desire for his wife. The barber returns 15 years later and understandably has desires of his own. A desire to reunite with his wife and daughter… and to have his revenge. Once he learns the fate of his family, his obsession for revenge turns to more insane endeavors. The story takes many interesting twists and turns, most notably with the arrangement made between Sweeney and Mrs. Lovette (Carter), his only friend and owner of the meat pie shop beneath his. It is arrangement that benefits both, and improves the taste of the meat pies.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is not only the best film that Burton has directed in the last ten years, but a film that deserved to be nominated for (and win) more Academy Awards than it was up for. 2 nominations and 1 win falls far short of what I feel this film should have earned. Not being nominated for Best Picture alone was insulting, considering some of the films that were. Walking out of the theatre that night, I was once again excited by the prospect of going out to see a movie. Of late I have preferred the comfort (and quiet) of my own living room, but the experience of seeing this movie on a big screen was fun, frightening and exciting. The audience, including my son, was totally caught up in the events.

As it was a Tim Burton film, I was not at all struck by the production design as I expected it to be dark and brooding to the point of gorgeous. What caught me was how well the music transferred to the film and how wonderful the actors sang their respective songs. This is not to say that Depp, Carter or Alan Rickman are outstanding singers… admittedly if they were to attempt to sing live from a Broadway stage they wouldn’t be up to the task. However, in this medium their acting overshadowed any lack of singing prowess. They simply sang better than average, allowing their characters to take over. And they did an incredible job. So much so that immediately after seeing the film I had to get the soundtrack, which both my son and I listen to almost daily even now. The musical performances are absolutely mesmerizing.

But again I have to mention the acting, which above all else, steals all of the audience’s attention. Depp, who is still shy of an Academy Award win, completely throws himself into the character of Sweeney Todd. But this is usually the case for any role he takes on. He is able to evoke the madness of grief and the sorrow of loss, often within the same line of a song. His is tormented performance worthy of his nomination. Carter is a delight as Mrs. Lovett, though she doesn’t seem as demented as the character really calls for. Alan Rickman’s take as Judge Turpin is also very complex in that he makes you feel for the character one moment and delighting in the possibility of his demise the next. Timothy Spall as Beadle, the assistant to the judge, is a despicable little weasel of a man. It is the type of part Spall is able to embody with ease.

The two big surprises from the film come in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen and Ed Sanders. Cohen, whom most audiences know as Borat and Ali G, appeared as Signor Adolfo Pirelli and nearly stole the film with his performance. I had no idea going in that he was even in the movie and loved every moment he was onscreen as a foppish barber, and the one person who could give away one of Sweeney’s big secrets. 15 year old Ed Sanders stars as Pirelli’s assistant Toby, and though this is his first film he delivers a professional performance in what becomes a pivotal character of the film.

I had previously picked up Dreamworks' 2-disc DVD set for “Sweeney Todd”, which I have already watched more than 10 times. But as glorious of an experience as that was, I'm finally ready for the Blu-Ray arena. And after watching the Blu-Ray version of "Sweeney Todd" I doubt I'll ever go back to DVD again. Ths difference in the imagery is akin to the differnece between VHS and VDV. The visuals are almost shockingly vivid, almost to the point that I felt I could reach right into the picture. We're not talking 3-D, just a clarity that surpasses anything I've seen in the home video market. I'm sure many of you have already enjoyed the beauty of Blu-Ray, so you probably think I'm crazy, but this was amongst my first and I'm still blown away by it.

Making this release even more desireable is the inclusion of several extra features, also presented in HD. There is a behind the scenes featurette that shows quite a bit of the rehearsal footage and recording sessions. It only runs a little under 30 minutes, but is a nice introduction to the features. You’ll also find an additional making of featurette, some film footage of a press conference for the film, and a montage of movie stills. But wait folks… that’s not all!! There is also an interview with Depp and Burton conducted by Moviefone, a look at the film’s Academy Award winning design work, and a feature all about London of the time. There is even a look at the myths surrounding whether or not Sweeney was real, or based on a real person and another focusing on the bloody special effects.

But the best of all is a terrific interview with Stephen Sondheim, which focuses primarily on his working with Burton and why so much of the original music was excised. I would hope this interview would put to rest any deatractors of the film who are upset by the changes. Sondheim's words put those decisions in perfect perspective and even allowed me to be further impressed by what had to be done to better adapt it to the screen.

After careful consideration, I think “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” should have been the Best Picture of 2007, nomination or no. The combination of Sondheim’s music, Burton’s directorial eye, the cast’s performance, the garish special effects, and the film’s overall design delivered a film that is abounding in dark humor and tragic consequences.

Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
Extras: “Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd: a Behind the Scenes Look”, Sweeney Todd Press Conference, Sweeney Todd is Alive, Musical Mayhem, Sweeney’s London, The Making of Sweeney Todd, Grand Guignol, Designs for a Demon Barber, A Bloody Business, Moviefone – Unscripted with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, The Razor's Refrain, Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, 5.1 Dolby True HD
Studio: Dreamworks
Release Date: 10/21/2008
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Sweeney Todd (Blu-Ray) an A+.