Sweeney Todd

My brother and I went to see Sweeney Todd yesterday for Christmas. It was lovely. Very bloody like the actual musical. I remember watching the version with Angela Lansbury as the Meat Pie lady. She had a wonderful accent and singing voice. It wasn't a very good filmed version, but then again I never enjoyed watching plays or musicals on the television. It seems empty. Like it is missing hundreds of pieces of furniture or props or people.

Tim Burton's style has always been to use the colours of black and white excessively and bringing high contrasting colours into that bleak world. Oh and pale characters. Johnny Depp is always soo pale in Burton's movies. I caught glimpses of Edward Scissorhands during one of the song montages. I like how bright and unrealistic the blood was as everyone's necks were being cut open. Everything else was pale blues, blacks, whites, etc.

The singing was very very nice. I had no idea all these actors can sing and sing well! Especially Johnny Depp. I had to constantly remind myself that he actually sang in a film musical when he was very young. Does anyone remember Cry Baby? Those tears and that voice. He has kept it well. Helena Bonham Carter surprised me because I had never heard her sing before. She seemed like the type of person who would sing punk music. I think her disturbing personas in Burton's movies have skewed my point of view of her. She's soo good at what she does --I just wish I could see her in more contrasting roles. The voice that surprised me the most? Alan Rickman. He had very few singing lines, but my god, the smoothness of his voice. I thought his speaking voice was good, because of not only the accent, but the way his voice reverberates. Bubbly comes to mind when I think of Alan Rickman's voice. It can be menacing or it can be extremely soothing. It's the way he slows down his speech and focuses on the endings of each word that gives me chills. Maybe his teeth scare me too. Then again, everyone's teeth in this movie scares me.

The movie itself is 2 hours long, but I did not look at my watch at all during the entire performance. That's a good thing with me. I normally look at my watch thinking when is this movie over or when will we get to the good part. I originally wanted to go watch Alvin and the Chipmunks because I grew up watching the cartoon. They introduced me to music. I used to listen to them sing Achy Breaky Heart and Beat It or The Purple People Eater. I think I made the right choice in going to watch Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber on Fleet Street.

(Afterwards, in the subway station, I was standing at the DeKalb station and there was a sign that said "Fleet Street" and right underneath it was "Albee Square". I wonder if there is any relation to musicals and theatre right there.)

I have been looking for the lyrics to the movie soundtrack, but to no avail. Someone on IMDB said to buy the 80 page deluxe Soundtrack. I'll have to take a look into it.