Comments on: Reel Politique: Movie Review, Sweeney Todd

By: D.F. Powers

D.F. Powers — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:12:01 +0000

A quick P.S. to my comment, above: About Helena Bonham Carter — She won me over. Her Mrs. Lovett was a sexy corpse of a woman. Whereas Lansbury had provided a sort of burlesque comic-relief in the role, Bohnam Carter’s Mrs. Lovett had much more pathos. Hers was a woman who obviously had been beaten-down into a state of malaise by years of hard-scrabble struggle to survive. And, although the superb young Ed Sanders out-sang Bonham Carter in the achingly beautiful duet “Not While I’m Around”, the tears in Bonham Carter’s anguished eyes, at the end of that song, haunted me as I left the cinema. Fantastic work, Helena!

By: D.F. Powers

D.F. Powers — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:28:08 +0000

I had to sit through two screenings of “Sweeney Todd” to erase my memories of the Broadway cast (I saw it in 1979 with Anglela Lansbury and Len Cariou in the leads.) But I came to appreciate the unique approach of the cinematic “Sweeney Todd” and to judge it on its own merits. Yes, Depp and Bonham Carter are superb actors, and their untrained, light singing voices somehow suit the intimacy of the silver screen. One thing I wish the film had is a greater sense of fun with the waltz number, “A Little Priest” (in which Todd and Mrs. Lovett are imaginging what various types of “professionals” would taste like as meat pies). The Broadway Todd and Lovett were clearly entertaining themselves with their speculations, laughing through the song. But in the film, the scene was less “black comedy” and merely “black” in tone. This is true, generally, of Burton’s approach to the whole film. Nevertheless, I loved every moment of the movie. Bouquets to all!

By: JMW

JMW — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:35:54 +0000

Helena Bonham Carter really was great. Fine, fine cleavage notwithstanding, she stole several scenes from the uncharacteristically leaden Depp.