Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for a good musical. That's why I absolutely adore 2007's Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collabo, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Because the truth is, Sweeney Todd doesn't feel like your typical musical. In fact, it's one of the most offbeat musicals I think I've ever seen in my entire life, which is very on brand for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. And, while I know it's an adaptation of an actual musical from Hugh Wheeler with music from Stephen Sondheim, I feel like Burton and Depp added something special to this already bizarre story.
So, why is this film adaptation so good, and how did Burton/Depp knock it out of the park? Well, you're about to find out.
First Off, All Of The Main Actors Actually Sang Themselves...And It Sounded Great!
Have you ever watched the movie adaptation of Les Misérables? Well, while some feel the movie missed the mark completely, I’ve always thought that it was pretty good, even after a rewatch (Though some have been less forgiving). That said, while I still think the film succeeds in many regards, the singing could be a lot better.
Case in point, Russell Crowe. I remember watching this movie with my wife, and she would cringe every time he sang. When I asked her why, she said it was “appalling,” which I didn’t understand until I listened to Philip Quast sing “Stars,” and then I thought, Oh, my God. Why did they even hire Russell Crowe? He’s not even close! (Even though he did try, which counts for something).
However, I think the singing in Sweeney Todd works better with this particular cast. For example, the song where Sweeney Todd sings to his blades really works here. Now, the performers I’ve seen play Sweeney Todd have typically been beefier men than Johnny Depp, so their baritone voices work. That said, Depp is not beefy. He’s lithe and almost wiry, so I wouldn’t expect a baritone voice to come out of his mouth. I believe he's considered a baritenor, which works for this particular version of the story, given the actor.
Helena Bonham Carter is also wonderful with the accent she gives off here. Her voice even sometimes cracks, which sounds super authentic. What’s actually interesting is that Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen are in both Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd, but I think they’re both better in the latter, which I think proves my point. The singing here is more effective.
Johnny Depp Was Nominated For Best Actor For His Performance And Deserved The Nod
Now, I know I just mentioned that Depp does a great job singing in this film, but he also does a spectacular job acting in it as well. In fact, when I wrote an article a while back ranking every Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaboration, I put Sweeney Todd at number two, which was above even Ed Wood, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s just that Depp is so good as Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd that his performance really stands out in both of his and Burton's filmographies.
And, I think it’s because Johnny Depp has to go through so many emotions in this film’s 116-minute runtime. The story of Sweeney Todd is an interesting one. A crooked man of the law named Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) falsely accuses our protagonist, Benjamin Barker, of crimes that he didn't commit and has him shipped to Australia. Turpin's intention is to steal Barker's wife, but she's driven to end her life after the deed. In turn, Turpin adopts their daughter, and in time, falls in love with her (gross!).
Barker returns to London as a changed man (with a new name), and is now out for vengeance. The thing is, even though he’s literally murdering people in his barber’s seat, we actually sympathize with him to a certain extent, and I think it’s mostly due to Depp’s charm. We admire his newfound enthusiasm for murder, and Depp makes it feel justified with his acting.
It’s not a weird performance, but it’s a weird scenario, and Depp eases into it perfectly. He’s really good, is what I’m trying to say.
Alan Rickman Is Always Great, But This Particular Performance Is A Stand Out
I’m going to say something that could probably be considered a “warm” take, but nobody played a villain better than Alan Rickman. Nobody. Absolutely crushing it in his first major movie role as Hans Gruber, Rickman ruled because he could play smarmy bad guys who always seemed to think they were better than everybody else. That is, of course, until they realized that they were completely out of their depth.
We saw it in Die Hard, we witnessed it in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and we saw it in the Harry Potter movies, in which we initially think he’s a villain, only to learn that he’s a hero. Well, in Sweeney Todd, there is not a heroic bone in Rickman's body. In fact, this may be his most dastardly performance of his career, just because he uses his power so unjustly, literally putting people in jail without any real reason besides the fact that he doesn’t like them.
For example, Judge Turpin gets Todd out of the picture, does horrible things to his wife (which drives her to suicide), and then, as if things weren't bad enough, later courts their daughter, whom he’s taken under his wing, and wants to marry her.
And, he’s just so oily and awful. There’s a certain charm to him, but it’s the charm of a scoundrel. Not only that, but he even has his own hype man in Timothy Spall’s Beadle Bamford, who actually has my favorite song in the whole movie. But, yeah. I love Alan Rickman, but I hate him in this film, which means he must have done a good job. I approve!
The Set Design Really Transports You To The Time And Place
Another aspect of Sweeney Todd that just works is the grungy London setting, as the Victorian-era costumes and designs just fit so well. This is likely why it won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction (but lost Best Costume Design to Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which I guess is fair. Those costumes were amazing).
Anyway, Burton, who is no stranger to setting stories in the past (see: the excellent Sleepy Hollow), did another great job hiring people who could make these characters feel like they're living and breathing in old-time London. The streets look dirty, the interiors are cramped, and the area feels authentic.
And, this is important because it shows the close attention to detail that went into the making of this movie. There are scenes where I genuinely forget that I'm watching a film, as my mind is just transported to London. But, not a nice London, mind you, but rather, the kind where I feel like I want to take a shower every time I see it.
The set design and costumes make this one of the best settings I've ever seen, and I understand why this film is often considered one of the better modern musical adaptations, which is really important because this movie honestly could have been a disaster, but it wasn't, which is a true testament to how much work was put into this film.
So, what do you think? Are you also a fan of 2007's Sweeney Todd? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
