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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) DVD Review
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) DVD Credits:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) Directed by:
Tim Burton
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) Written by:
John Logan
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) Cast:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Laura Michelle Kelly
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) DVD Release Date:
31st March 2008
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) Synopsis:

The story of Sweeney Todd is of a wrongfully imprisoned barber in Victorian England who sets out to seek revenge on the judge who imprisoned him. The plot is foreshadowed in the first lines of the opening number: "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd./His skin was pale and his eye was odd./He shaved the faces of gentlemen/Who never thereafter were heard of again."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) DVD Review:

Tim Burton is known and mostly renowned for his style. Some are to hip to enjoy the decadent style and colors (or lack thereof) in Burton’s films, claiming that he steals from Italian horror director Mario Bava. Even if there is some truth in these beliefs I see it as no reason why Burton is any less enjoyable when given good material. Unfortunately Burton can also easily be just as terrible when the script is bad. He has a tendency to get lost in the visual details during filming, and more than just Planet of the Apes (which Burton himself admits was a bad idea) suffers from narrative problems. Even so, it was Burton’s vision which created The Nightmare Before Christmas and he made Edward Scissorhands, so it is difficult not to excuse him his faults. Some of this are sure to shine in Sweeney Todd for those looking to find fault, but stylistically it is even more entertaining than usual. Burton has outdone himself in the gritty world of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The source material has been tackled before, just a few decades ago, but Burton really delves in and enjoys the disgusting world of London. Burton casts long-time collaborator Johnny Depp as the title character who has returned for revenge. Todd was once a barber with a wife and a happy life, but that is taken from him, leaving him nothing but revenge on his mind. He sets up a new barber shop with the plans of luring the villains into his shop to die. Below him is a meat pie shop run by a devilish woman Miss Lovatt played by Helena Bonham Carter, who makes it abundantly clear she did not get the role because she is sleeping with the director. In truth Sondheim himself gave final approval on cast, and it just happens to be a cast of non-singers, who all get through decently enough.

The 2-disc special edition DVD of the film contains more than a few special features, but the trick is picking out the significant bits in the bunch. The first disc has some great rehearsal footage with Burton and his two leads, as well as the recording sessions. The rest of the special features are on the second disc, which is packed with more than enough. There is footage from one of the press conferences, a fun collection of witty remarks from Burton, Depp and Bonham Carter while the rest just sit there. There Featurettes looking into the possible truth behind the story as well as a featurette with Sondheim describing his discovery of the old tale and adapting it to a musical. “Sweeney’s London” is a featurette about the history and culture in London during the times of Sweeney Todd. There are also featurettes about the designs and the blood and death created by the special effects artists.

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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