Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Stephen Sondheim (musical) and
Hugh Wheeler (musical) ...

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Musical | Thriller

Tagline:

Never Forget. Never Forgive.

Plot:

The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Person On Fire | Serial Killer | Child Abuse | Loss Of Loved One

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Sweeney Todd
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Mrs. Lovett
Alan Rickman	...	Judge Turpin
Timothy Spall	...	Beadle
Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Pirelli
Jamie Campbell Bower	...	Anthony
Laura Michelle Kelly	...	Beggar Woman
Jayne Wisener	...	Johanna
Ed Sanders	...	Toby (as Edward Sanders)
Gracie May	...	Baby Johanna
Ava May	...	Baby Johanna
Gabriella Freeman	...	Baby Johanna
Jody Halse	...	Policeman
Aron Paramor	...	Policeman
Lee Whitlock	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Sweeney Todd (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Malaysia:18PL | USA:R (certificate #43914) (cut) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-18 | Italy:VM14 | Greece:K-17 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Japan:R-15 | Spain:13 | South Africa:16LV | Taiwan:R-18 | Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 | Hong Kong:III | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:16 | Czech Republic:15 | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Israel:18

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

Helena Bonham Carter was pregnant throughout filming with her and director Tim Burton's second child, and she insists (accurately) that the size of her breasts noticeably changes throughout the film, as filming was done out of sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of shaving cream on Turpin's face changes between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anthony Hope: I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders, from the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru. But there's no place like London.
Sweeney Todd: No, there's no place like London.
Anthony Hope: [spoken] Mr. Todd?
Sweeney Todd: You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Pirelli's Miracle Elixir

Sublime

As it happens more often than not, greatness is relegated to some obscure angle. In a year of brilliant opuses by the Cohen Brothers and PT Anderson, this Tim Burton film shines as the best from every angle. It's not just that Burton creates another superb, dark universe with Dante Ferretti's complicity or that Johnnt Deep breaks new ground, or that Helena Bonham Carter surprises us with a complex, marvelous realistic parody. The film touches visually a very private cord. Ed Wood managed that but Tim Burton with "Sweeny Todd" elevates it to the purest form of art. He will be punished for that, as Ed Wood was in its day. Disappointing grosses in a world that worship grosses will make it appear as a sort of a failure. My advise to you is run to see it wherever you can find it. Try to see it in a big screen with great sound. You will fly and dream and be taken away by the masterful hands of Tim Burton and the glorious faces of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.