List Price: $29.99You Pay Only: $16.99 You Save: $13.00 (43%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
EAN: 0097363500643
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Dreamworks Video
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Dreamworks Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: April 01, 2008
Running Time: 116 minutes
Sales Rank: 304
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Theatrical Release Date: December 21, 2007
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Editorial Review:
Product Description: Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller 'Sweeney Todd.' Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge not only for that cruel punishment but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who 'shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.' Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett Sweeney's amorous accomplice who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman who portrays the evil Judge Turpin who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.System Requirements:Running Time: 116 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 097363500643 Manufacturer No: 350064
Amazon.com: After years of rumors, it turns out that Tim Burton was the perfect visionary to film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, and the result is a macabre and moving musical movie as enthralling as anything Burton has ever done. The show's mix of gothic horror, Grand Guignol, very dark humor, and witty and beautiful music never was the stuff of traditional musical comedy, but it's a powerful work, and perhaps the richest of the late 20th century. In the movie, Burton's frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp, plays Todd, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 19th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber). Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton mainstay, is Mrs. Lovett, the barber's partner-in-unspeakable-crime. It's no surprise that Depp is an excellent choice to convey Todd's brooding intensity and volcanic rage, but he can also sing a score that is so challenging it has often played in opera houses (though not with the same style as the Broadway original, Len Cariou, and he occasionally lapses into pop style). Bonham Carter is small of voice and lacks the humor of the original Broadway Lovett, Angela Lansbury, but she sings on pitch, in rhythm, and in character at the same time, which is no small feat for a Sondheim show. Aficionados will regret the loss of certain musical passages--'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd' is just an instrumental overture and the chorus is gone altogether, among others--but the reassuring presence of orchestrator Jonathan Tunick and conductor Paul Gemignani ensures that the music feels right and sounds great. And the film's depiction of a Victorian London hellhole--with cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and costumes by Colleen Atwood--also looks and feels right.
The excellent cast is filled out by Alan Rickman as the villainous Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as his seedy Beadle, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) as a rival barber, Jamie Campbell Bower as the young lover Anthony, Jayne Wisener as his object of affection, and Ed Sanders as the young Toby. For fans of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who don't think they like musicals, Sweeney Todd should be a revelation (though not for the squeamish, as the gore is intense and completely appropriate). For fans of Broadway and Sondheim, it's hard to imagine getting a better adaptation than this. The fact that there's no newly composed Oscar-bait song sung by a Josh Groban-type over the end credits only makes it better. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - A musical i actually like
Sweeny Todd is one of my favorite movies of the year. The movie is the combined effort of regular collaborators Tim Burton, Jonny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film has Tim Burton's signature style all over it with its dark macabre look, its dark macabre romance, and its dark macabre everything else. But that's okay because it works.
Probably the first thing people will notice about the movie is that it's a musical. Though you don't usually think of serial killers and musicals at the same time, Sweeny Todd really makes it work and the music, credited to Stephen Sondheim, is excellently written. The performances in Sweeny Todd are very good as well. Jonny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter work wonderfully together while Alan Rickman and young newcomer Ed Sanders do extremely well also.
This is a great movie and I highly recommend it. The level of violence may get to some people (not many these days) but if that doesn't bother you then by all means, see it. I didn't really like musicals as a kid so if I can enjoy this as much as I did than I'm sure you can too.
Rating: - Garbage
I was totally disapointed after the hype over this movie I thought it was total trash. At no stage did anyone tell me this was a musical and if I had that info I would not have brought it. I am a firm fan of Johnny Depps work but this movie has driven me past my limit. The only musical I like is THE SOUND OF MUSIC and I don't think the Von Trapp family cut anyones throut. Tim Burton you suck.
Rating: - Fantastic surprise
When I heard who was in this production I will admit I was hesitant to go see it on the big screen. I was therefore wonderfully surprised at the result. The acting, the costumes, the set designs, and the singing are great. This is the most true to the story production I have yet to sing and my favorite off all the versions I have seen and own. Treat yourself, this is great. Cudo's for all involved.
Rating: - Doesn't live up to the hype
I sat all the way through this movie, the entire time wondering when it was going to get good. It didn't. I will confess that the music was very well written and quite beautiful -- which is why I'm rating this movie 2 stars instead of 1. But other than that, the whole thing was awful. The plot, the character development (or lack thereof), the lyrics -- all ridiculous. If you haven't seen it, I can sum it up in one sentence (spoiler warning): A wronged man comes back from his prison sentence, goes crazy and kills everyone, including his wife, and then is killed by his own blade. Oh, the irony.
Seriously, you can find a better use for this movie than to watch it. Set it on fire or something. It'll be more entertaining.
Rating: - A weak and dissapointing film
"Sweeny Todd" is a failure on far too many levels to merit the accolades it has garnered from the press. Its dark photography and over the top set design try to imbue the film with atmosphere, but the techniques employed are so self-conscious as to have the opposite effect. The result is a visually flat, monochromic film without flair or genuine imagination.
Johnny Depp's acting performance is the film's only saving grace, but a singer he is not. Then again, he is Pavarotti compared to the rest of the cast, especially Helena Bonham Carter, whose voice is so thin that she sounds like an ailing Minnie Mouse on helium. With her rat's nest hairdo, she looks like a female counterpart of Tim Burton, which is a shame since she is an exceptional actress and (otherwise)easy on the eye.
Tim Burton's direction is so clumsily stylized that it becomes a parody of itself. Ultimately, his helmsmanship gives us a film with all the dramatic tension of a Viagra commercial. Speaking of which, there is no hint of chemistry between Depp and Bonham Carter, which ultimately renders their evil collaboration meaningless and as flat as the rest of the film. Blood is no substitute for cinematic skill. Leave to gore to George A. Romero, who does it with flair and style, two characteristics "Sweeny Todd" lacks in spades.
However, if you enjoy camp or merely suffer chronic insomnia, "Sweeny Tood" may be just the film for you.
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