December 23, 2007
A Private Screening
I attended a private screening of Sweeney Todd this morning.
Just kidding. I went to the 10:15 showing and the only people in the auditorium besides me were a middle-aged couple. This was a disappointment, because I was most curious to see how an audience would react to the movie. OTOH, it meant that there was not a single distraction from an audience member, which might be a first. Before the fifteen minutes worth of trailers, there were three, count 'em, three separate requests to turn off cell phones. Is this normal these days?
As to the movie itself, I was expecting to like some things and dislike others, but overall I was very pleased with the whole thing. Of course, the "singing" is awful, so I won't get the recording, but I'll probably spring for the DVD when it comes out.
Johnny Depp, whom I've never liked, did his usual impersonation of an oak tree, and it worked better in this film than usual. Helena Bonham Carter did a terrific acting job, although her voice was sometimes drowned out by the orchestra.
Casting Toby as a youngster was an excellent decision, and it made "Not While I'm Around" a genuinely moving and affecting number. And even creepier once we realize what Mrs. Lovett has in mind.
I have to concur with others who have noted that the gore content was nothing like what the advance reviews led me to expect. This was cartoon violence. The blood was an impossible shade of red. For the life of me I don't think this deserved its R rating. I'd have no hesitation in taking children to see this film, and I'm normally hyper-critical of violence in films aimed at kids.
It seems to me that Burton was going for the scare factor, which is why he de-emphasized the comic elements. Overall, I'd say that he succeeded.
BTW, the fact that the orchestral music during the opening and closing titles had no instruments carrying the tunes of the songs leads me to think that these arrangements were made with the expectation that there would be vocals. It was actually fun to hear the music played that way.
And to close on a mild *SPOILER*:
The decision to have Sweeney leave Johanna alone, rather than having her escape, was interesting. It indicated that Sweeney thought that with the Beadle and the Judge dead, his work was done. It also gives him just a wee bit more sympathy going into the final scene, especially given that earlier he had intended to kill Toby on two different occasions.
Posted by jt at December 23, 2007 03:11 PM