Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

What would you do if you were taken away from your family, from your beautiful wife and daughter by a powerful man (ironically a judge)? What would you do if you found out that your wife poisoned herself to flee from misery? Sweeney Todd would powder his face white, darken his eyebags, dye his hair and sing in a broadway voice ”I’ll have my vengeance!”

I’m not a fan of musicals. The only musical I love is Singin’ in the Rain. But here comes Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and I’d say it’s one of the best musicals I’ve seen. Considering this was directed by Tim Burton, it is expected that “darkness” and bizaareness, if not macabre, will deluge the film’s ambience. Operatic as it is, with the grand musical scoring, I find the songs lovely and well, sweet. I can still hum “No one’s gonna harm, not while I’m around….” Creepy! Rarely does a film become successful in integrating horror, drama, musical and comedy at the same time. With great performaces from Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (remember the weird girl in Fight Club?) and great cinematography, it brought a new meaning to what a great musical is.

In other words, this Demon Barber is highly recommended. Just avoid the bloody pies.