“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is perhaps the most violent musical you will see and definitely the best of its genre in recent years. As in any other musical, the characters of “Sweeney Todd” transform from talkers to singers as the story develops, but this time director Tim Burton avoids the pitfalls of his own “Corpse Bride” and many other musicals. Singing is simply how these characters communicate, not an obligatory storytelling device or a superficial opportunity to insert clever play on words and images. Any weakness in songwriting or vocal talent can be overlooked in favor of how these songs convey meaningful character traits and relationships.
The soundtrack may not fare as well without the film. Leading actor Johnny Depp, though not the bearer of embarrassing vocal pipes, is not a technically wondrous singer. Neither is actress Helena Bonham Carter. (And neither is villain expert Alan Rickman. Certainly not.) Moreover, the melodies themselves are not original or memorable in a strict musical sense.
But the way these songs interact with images and illustrate themes is unforgettable. In one scene, Todd (Depp) seats his clients in the haircutting chair and splits open their throats with a pristine razor as he sings about the daughter who was taken from him as a baby: “I’d want you beautiful and pale the way I dreamed you were.”
The above scene is just one example of the film’s numerous breaks into song. In other films, such an abundance of singing can be annoying, unnecessary or distracting. Here, the songs create a consistent rhythm of characterization. They aren’t the overachieving efforts of a film team trying to make the biggest musical on the screen.
Most performances are exaggerated but fit well into the world Burton has imagined. You can sympathize with Depp, laugh at him and become repulsed by his inner darkness. Carter – whose Nellie Lovett uses the corpse meat from Todd’s slayings as the winning ingredient of her pies – often steals scenes from Depp. Rickman shows again why he is the man to call for despicable and entertaining villainy (watch “Die Hard,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and “Quigley Down Under” if you haven’t).
Unfortunately, two fairly important performances are as uninteresting as they come: Jayne Wisener (Todd’s daughter Johanna) and Jamie Campbell Bower (sailor Anthony Hope, who wants nothing but Johanna’s love). Both characters are one-dimensional anyway, so Wisener and Bower didn’t have much to work with. Even worse, this subplot of romance has no significance for the overall story and ends predictably.
Still, Burton turns in his best directorial job of the decade. Repetition is used for great effect, such as Todd’s throat-slit victims falling through a trapdoor and headlong to a basement floor. Blood looks like paint. At one point Lovett and Todd leave reality and enter a setting of new color during song. The only problem with Burton’s direction is his occasional and very obvious use of computer generated effects. According to a New York Times article, Burton wanted to use green screen – like “Sin City” – for the film at first. Thank Satan he didn’t.
Ultimately, the gloomy conclusion of “Sweeney Todd” is the razor that cuts deepest considering the prevalent humor of the film. You might feel betrayed and covered in blood and without any reason at all. This feeling typifies the most effective tragedies, those that startle us from hope. This bleakness is rare for musicals, and the genre is better for it.