Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982) (TV)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Directors:

Terry Hughes
Harold Prince

Writers:

Christopher Bond (play)
Hugh Wheeler (musical)

Release Date:

12 September 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama | Thriller | Horror

Plot:

Benjamin Barker alias Sweeney Todd, returns to London after being deported to find out what happened...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Barber | Murder | Trapdoor | Imprisonment

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Angela Lansbury	...	Nellie Lovett
George Hearn	...	Sweeney Todd
Cris Groenendaal	...	Anthony Hope
Sara Woods	...	Beggar Woman
Edmund Lyndeck	...	Judge Turpin
Calvin Remsberg	...	The Beadle
Betsy Joslyn	...	Johanna
Sal Mistretta	...	Pirelli
Spain Logue	...	Birdseller
Walter Charles	...	Passerby
Michael Kalinyen	...	Jonas Fogg
Roy Gioconda	...	Company
Skip Harris	...	Company
Duane Morris	...	Company
Patricia Parker	...	Company

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd (Australia)

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14A | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles County Music Center - 135 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Pictures

Trivia:

Though Angela Lansbury won the 1979 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett on Broadway, this production is the national tour, filmed while in Los Angeles.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the end, during the curtain call, a camera man can be seen in the rafters, stage left.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Man: [singing] 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. He trod a path that few have trod, Did Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996)

Musical Theatre doesnt get detter than this !

Dark and bleak sets, thrilling music that cuts through your spin like aknife (or razor) a perfect cast lead by broadway greats Hearn and Lansbury. This is exciting theatre flawlessly transferred to the small screen. Sondheim is the most talented songwriter of our age and Todd is his Masterpiece, from the Brechtian opening ballad to the darkly humorous Act I finale- "A Little Preist" where Lovett and Todd fantasize about the victems that will wind up in their meat pies , this play never ceases to thrill,excite and satisfy. Betsy Joslyn also excels as Johanna, even she, as the plays ingenue seems slightly mad.Edmund Lyndeck turns in a bravado performance as the corrupt Judge who lusts after Joslyn and is the subject of Todd's vendetta. Lansbury and Hearn command the show as only two great actor/stars can do. Other musical highlights include Todd's "johanna" Lovett's "worst pies in london" and the Act II opening 'GOD THATS GOOD", And that is a title to describe this production !