DVD_Connoisseur

(2013-06-12 08:44:38)

Atmospheric and gripping period drama from the BBC

The BBC's production of "Sweeney Todd" is television magic. Beautifullyproduced and containing memorable performances from Ray Winstone, DavidWarner and Essie Davis, this is unmissable drama entertainment.Winstone's Todd is something of a sympathetic figure rather than anout-and-out screen monster. His initial acts of kindness at the startof the film contrast sharply with his psychopathic actions later on.It's a marvellous role for Winstone and he delivers a truly believableperformance in the part.From beginning to end, this is splendid stuff and I'm curious to checkout the additional footage of the "Director's Cut".9 out of 10. The production really captures the atmosphere of VictorianLondon and goes to show that the BBC still has the ability to delightand astound in equal measure.

gashamaloo

(2013-06-11 18:20:53)

Mostly a superb TV movie

Being a huge fan of the macabre (especially serial killers) I was veryexcited to hear this was coming on TV with one of my favourite actorsportraying Sweeney. I had shortly before finished reading a biographyof Sweeney Todd and enjoyed the film enormously right up until the lastfew scenes. I'm not going to ruin the film for others by saying exactlyhow it was ruined for me, except to say that the movie ending - as faras I am aware - contained certain factual differences.That said, the ending they chose - if you don't know the full story -is probably excellent, and I would heartily suggest that it gets aviewing. Performances by all cast members was great, and Ray Winstonewas fantastic.

(2013-06-11 07:09:16)

Totally Different

This review is from: Sweeney Todd - The Director's Cut (DVD) This British version is totally different and not for everybody. No musical score - all drama. It's an extremely well-acted depiction of a descent into madness. Be warned.....it is bloody.

IridescentTranquility

(2013-06-10 18:32:46)

Gory but deep

Watching a drama about a character known as the legendary "Demon Barberof Fleet Street" did give me some idea of what I was in for when I satdown to watch Sweeney Todd just after Christmas. Having said that, itwould have been all too easy for the writers and producers to write atwo-hour script of wall-to-wall slaughter, and I'm glad that theydidn't. (Not only because I have no stomach for overtly gory scenes,but because I like to watch something with a little substance to it.)I watched Sweeney Todd with my mum and, as she pointed out, there was apart of Ray Winstone's Todd that was very benevolent. It might sound atodds with the legendary image of Todd, but to Mrs. Lovett he wascapable of well-meaning kindness. (It was very convenient, surely, thatTodd knew Mr. Lovett was abusive towards his wife just before Mrs.Lovett called him to assist her ill husband.)I haven't yet found out much about the real-life (or should that belegendary?) Sweeney Todd, but I think the scriptwriters did well toflesh out a back story for the character. He may have shed more bloodon screen than Hannibal Lecter did in The Silence of the Lambs (thethroat-cutting scenes - tastefully shot, though they were - I tried toavert my eyes from, gory scenes aren't my thing at all) but Toddclearly wasn't always a maniac, a murderous barber on the prowl, as onemight expect. I recognised the beginning of his descent from man tomonster when I felt a lot of sympathy for his father as Todd put a stopto him ever being able to give evidence against his own son.Once the accidental killings occurred and Todd found a rather novel wayof disposing of his victims, it took a little longer than you mightexpect for him to descend into the twisted way of thinking that madehim end the lives of so many. Mrs. Lovett was clearly very close toTodd's kinder side, close enough that she was mystified that hermultiple lovers never came back to her after a visit to Todd's shop. I had hoped that the ending might have been a little more positive, butinstead both Todd and Mrs. Lovett seemed condemned to a morepredictable fate. I'm still undecided whether Todd's final end was alittle too obvious, or whether it was a clever way of showing that hewas wily enough to gain his jailers' trust enough to be able to end hislife in the way that the law dictated.

Lily Ross

(2013-06-09 15:56:36)

Sweeney Todd in reality not the fairytale that we grew up with...

I watched this when it first aired on BBC television and, coming fromLondon and having grown up with the Sweeney story, I was quite excitedat the prospect of this version. It seemed a good idea because Sweeneybegan as a Victorian comic book story anyway,so dramatising it for amodern audience is the logical next step.When I saw it, I thought it was very good. It did not, however,recapture that youthful, dark fairytale quality that I loved (and allchildren love) but it did create very real characters. The story isactually disturbing in the sense that Sweeney, who is himself themurderer, is character you feel sympathy toward. This televisionproduction is as a previous reviewer said 'not for all tastes', but ifyou get caught in the story and put it into the context that aVictorian London was actually reading this amazing tale, then this filmwill get you snared in it web like Sweeney got his victims in thebarber's chair. For fans of this programme: You'll probably rememberthat this was billed as a 15 or so certificate for BBC 1 when it aired,but an 18 certificate directors cut is on release and is supposedlyvery good so watch out for it!

(2013-06-09 07:08:23)

"Why? Because I Could...And Then I Couldn't Not..."

London, The Eighteenth Century: Sweeney Todd (Ray Winstone) ekes out an existence as a surgeon barber on the streets of an overcrowded British Metropolis which has been transformed into a purgatory of poverty, deprivation, despair and feculence by the ceaseless, implacable forces of the industrial revolution. Todd himself is a lonely, reclusive man who is haunted by the indignities suffered during a twenty year tenure inside the city's notorious Newgate prison (after being wrongly convicted of a crime for which his ne'er-do-well father was actually responsible). One foggy evening, an abrasive jailer from the prison enters Todd's shop and, during the course of his shave, engages the fragile barber in a boastful conversation concerning the conditions inside the prison. In one climatic moment, twenty years of repressed rage explodes to the homicidal fore and Todd's straight-razor is put to devastating use. The jailer is Todd's first kill, but before his reign of terror is over, he will be very far from the last... If you only watch one screen adaptation of the legend of "Sweeney Todd", eschew the rest - including the big budget musical directed by Tim Burton - and make it this television adaptation from 2006.Why?Because, pound for pound, it is the most profoundly disturbing, brilliantly acted and subtly rendered portrait of this mythical murderer to yet make it to the screen.Ray Winstone is nothing short of a revelation as the morose, emotionally scarred child-man whose compulsive need to kill is driven as much by his own trauma and sense of existential emptiness as his sense of nihilism. And yet even in the depths of his homicidal impulses, Winstone manages to imbue the character with a profound sense of remorse, a touching innocence and even a twisted sense of morality. It's a magnificently nuanced performance which is underplayed to perfection by an actor generally not allowed to express such subtlety onscreen in his usual "tough guy" roles. Winstone is ably supported by a cast that includes the luminescent Essie Davis, veteran actor David Warner and "Mad-Max-In-Waiting" Tom Hardy who all perfectly portray the various innocents inadvertently drawn into (and transformed by) Todd's heinously magnetic sphere of influence.The filth and poverty of Eighteenth century London is expertly rendered onscreen with Bucharest convincingly standing in for the city. One is almost overwhelmed by the stale scent of perfumed wigs, failure and grime which seems to permeate the film. The violence of Todd's murders are also convincingly, but not gratuitously, evoked - as are the more barbarous medical practices of the time (a scene in which a character has a Kidney Stone removed - sans anaesthetic - managed to make me wince despite the lack of any onscreen gore).But what sets this adaptation apart from the rest is the realism with which the director treats his subject matter. Simply put, the only other film which has rendered such a hypnotically convincing and multifaceted vision of psychopathology is John MacNaughton's profoundly brilliant and deeply disturbing film Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer (20th Anniversary). Indeed, this vision of Sweeney Todd shares much in common with that film in terms of it's themes and it's examination of the motivations and existential ennui of its occasionally sympathetic, deranged protagonist: like Michael Rooker's "Henry", we can see how this character has been molded, even if we cannot stomach his murderous proclivities or really believe (just as he cannot believe) that there can ultimately be any kind of redemption for him. There is still much conjecture over whether the character of Sweeney Todd, who was originally rendered in the 'Penny Dreadful', "The String Of Pearls", had his basis in the conduct of an actual man. Thanks to the Sondheim musical, the Burton film and over a century of mythology, the bombastic "Demon Barber Of Fleet Street" is the prevalent image of the strange character. But as Todd observes in the course of this film, "if there is hell, it is the one that we make for ourselves" and accordingly it would seem to follow that if there are demons, they are most certainly the ones with which we torture (and make of) ourselves.Hauntingly good stuff. I recommend this adaptation over all of the others unreservedly.

gftbiloxi

(2013-05-27 05:02:54)

Interesting But Somewhat Slow Variation On The Famous London Story

Although some have tried to argue that he was an actual person, itseems likely that the story of a throat-cutting barber named SweeneyTodd arose first as a bit of urban myth that was developed into an 1846story titled THE STRING OF PEARLS by writer Thomas Prest. A year laterthe story was adapted to the stage as SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OFFLEET STREET. It proved a popular ticket, and in age that knew littleof copyright law, versions of the play were soon springing up all overthe place, each one tweaking the story a little bit in the process.Consequently, it is almost impossible to say that any one particularversion is "more authentic" than any other.In this particular version, filmed for BBC in 2006, Todd (RayWinstone)is a barber who spent twenty years in prison for a crime hedid not commit. Released, he finds himself shaving a prison guard andon sudden impulse slits the man's throat. One thing leads to another,as you might say, and he soon makes the acquaintance of bake-shopworker Mrs. Lovett (Essie Davis); his fondness for her not only leadshim to set her up in her own business, but to supply the occasional cutof meat as well. The twist to this particular version of the story isin the relationship between Todd and Lovett, the latter of whom is moresinned against than sinning.The script is quite clever, essentially winding most of Todd's motives(including his interest in Mrs. Lovett) around his own mistreatmentwhile an inmate of the notorious Newgate prison, and both Winstone andDavis are extremely impressive in their performances. But for all theblood, and there is aplenty, and for all the sex, and there is some,the film looks exactly like what it is: a made-for-television movie. Itis also rather slow and quite often a bit too "stiff upper lip" for itsown good.The DVD release offers a good transfer but, excepting cast credits,nothing in the way of bonus material. Those interested in the variousdirections the story has taken will find it intriguing, but most otherswill likely be only mildly interested.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

(2013-05-26 16:13:11)

Excellent performance by Winstone...

By far the best I have ever seen him do, unusually subtle & restrained. In many scenes he bears an uncanny resemblance to Charles Laughton, a perfect touch for this part & a real improvement over doll-boy J. Depp.The film itself is well-done, a somewhat different take, though it gets rather one-note-ish after a while. Still, a fascinating watch.

Jackson Booth-Millard

(2013-05-26 14:59:30)

Sweeney Todd

This is nowhere close to the spectacle and splendour of the TimBurton/Johnny Depp horror musical, but it is certainly a good regular,British adaptation. It is pretty much the same story in Burton'sversion, except he isn't grieving over a dead wife (there's a twist tothat in Burton's version), no victims are made into meat pies, and thelead character kills himself in the end instead of someone killing him.Basically Sweeney Todd (Ray Winstone) is your normal everyday surgeonand barber, and having flashes of a horrible childhood past he suddenlystarts murdering his male customers. In amongst the slaughter he has alove for pie maker Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Essie Davis), who is okay nottoo long after finding out Todd's dark secret, and this certainly showswhen she is not bothered about the state of her deteriorating face.Eventually he gets to the point where he was bound to be caught, and heis arrested by Sir John Fielding (David Warner), and sentenced tohanging. In the final sequence however, he gives himself a final shave,and then slices. Also starring Harry Potter's David Bradley as Todd'sfather, Paul Currier as Thornhill, Tom Hardy as Matthew Payne, JessicaHooker as Polly and Ben Walker as Tobias. Winstone is pretty good, butobviously not more than Depp, the violence obviously is not as graphicand over-the-top as Burton's, but quite fun to watch. Good!

(2013-05-26 06:07:46)

Excellent Adaptation

If I could have given this non-musical version of the original SWEENEY TODD Broadway production 4 1/2 stars I would have--it is that close to perfection. The reworking of the Todd/Mrs. Lovette relationship is fascinating. In this version Mrs. Lovette is much more a sympathic victim than the monster so delightfully played by Angela Lansbury in the original musical. Nonetheless this drama retains--even expands upon--the essential gruesomeness of the plot. Here Todd's psychotic urges are really frightening. The end is a bit of surprise--and fits perfectly.

(2013-05-18 16:40:10)

What about making a shave tonight?

Of course, this film made from BBC Television doesn't have the same opulence in comparision with the musical version, starring Johnny Depp. Instead, it has a good cast and it is greatly performed as well. I liked it.

Simon Hedges

(2013-05-18 05:30:21)

Historical Evidence?

This was a reasonable production of an excellent musical, but Irecommend the George Hearn / Angela Lansbury version every time.In a previous comment, alan_cricketman4 from Belfast UK, states: "I canunderstand producers using artistic licence and having to cut detailsand chronologically alter events etc., but to change the facts of sucha well known and well documented case is just downright silly. Isuggest that very little research has been applied here (by producersand reviewers alike) and a good website to browse, and learn furtherdetails on the case, is "Court TV CRIME LIBRARY"."I fact, Sweeney Todd was universally accepted to be an 'urban myth' upto about 1993, due to the lack of other evidence. In 1993, a new book,was published. Of this book, Wikipedia says: "In his 1993 book Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber ofFleet, the horror and crime story writer Peter Haining argues thatSweeney Todd was a historical figure who committed his crimes around1800. However, other researchers who have researched his citations findnothing in these sources to back up what Haining claims they said".I realise that Wikipedia is not always entirely accurate, but I thinkit is fair to say that what Mr Haining has done is researched a theoryabout the origin of Sweeney Todd, which is worthy of consideration, butfar from accepted historical truth.

Andrew Pelechaty

(2013-05-15 06:36:20)

The old-school story of Sweeney Todd

While most people know 'Sweeney Todd' from the Stephen Sondheimmusical, this UK production depicts the original story of Sweeney fromthe 18th century melodramas, adapted from 'The String of Pearls'newspaper serial and various other penny-dreadfuls at the time, withone major difference. While the early plays and penny dreadfuls paintedSweeney as a stereotypical, melodramatic villain, who the Victorianaudience took delight in booing, Ray Winstone's version is closer tothe musical. Winstone plays Sweeney as an honest barber who slits thethroat of a Newgate Gaoler who boasts of mistreating kids (earlierSweeney had given money to some kids hanging out the window), hauntedby memories of his own twenty years spent in Newgate. Once he tastesthat first kill, he can't stop ("I did it because I could...then, Icouldn't not"). Along the way, he meets Mrs. Lovett, and saves her froman abusive relationship, and an infection which threatens to kill her,though he repels her advances. Eventually, he buys a shop for Mrs.Lovett's pie business - next to his barber shop - and comes up with theperfect way to get rid of the bodies stockpiling under his shop andhelp Mrs. Lovett; use the flesh of his victims for her meat pies.However, the plan comes unstuck when the nearby church is engulfed bythe stench of the dead. By the end of the movie, Sweeney is a shell ofa man, tortured by guilt over his crimes.While arguments exist over whether Sweeney actually existed, this filmgive an interesting account of Sweeney the man and why he became thedemon barber.

Will R

(2013-05-14 19:43:02)

Great film in all respects.

This is a great film! It has good period costumes, the charters andacting are convincing, the set is simple and the scenes flow from oneto the other. I found myself feeling vary involved in the film.I am usually disappointed by films set in the past and feel that thisis the perfect example of what I like in a period film with the hardaccents and the attention to detail of the clothing and furniture. The Acting was excellent by the actors of all the main characters andit is a great story of life of London's past.I will find it interesting to see the Johnny Dept version of this film.I am expecting Hollywood to make a mess of it.It was also fun because it was grim but not gruesome so my wife couldwatch the whole film.This is a classic style horror film with a lot to it.

richieandsam

(2013-05-14 09:54:42)

Good film, but not Rays best...

SWEENEY TODD.It's not bad.I have seen the Tim Burton version of this story and absolutely lovedit. I am a massive Tim Burton fan, and in fact it is one of myfavourite Tim Burton movies.This version of the story was made before Tim's version. It was madefor TV apparently and stars Ray Winstone as Sweeney Todd.Ray is alright in this, but there are times where he is not verybelievable in this film. I like Ray, I think he has made some greatfilms, but maybe this one was not for him. They could have foundsomeone better to play Sweeney.There are some really great supporting cast in this film though... ithas got Essie Davis playing Mrs Lovett. Essie does a great job. I feltsorry for her a lot of the time in the movie. It also has David Warner,Tom Hardy and David Bradley in it... David Warner is brilliant asalways, Tom Hardy plays a detective really well and David Bradley playsSweeney's father. David Bradley is great in this... but have younoticed how in every film he looks the same? Haha! He is always gonnabe Filch to me. JThe effects were alright in most places, but there were a couple oftimes where I thought the blood looked too unrealistic. Way too thick,it looked like paint.There were quite a lot of changes in the story in this one compared tothe Tim Burton version, but they are both similar also.I will give this movie 7 out of 10...I really enjoyed watching this movie and love the story... but it isnot Ray's best work.For more reviews please like my Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie-Reviews/456572047728204

(2013-05-14 00:54:07)

Sweeney Todd

This review is from: Sweeney Todd (Amazon Instant Video) I only got it because Tom Hardy was in it i didnt see this version of Sweeney Todd yet i seen the one with Ben Kingsley and Joanna Lumley, and i like seeing that movie maybe on my day off i'll see it

(2013-05-11 10:46:12)

Product returned

As this product was advertised to me on the basis of my interest in the musicals of Stephen Sondheim (note tag suggestions below), I thought it was a version of the Sondheim musical. When this proved, upon receiving the product, not to be the case and I returned it.Tag Suggestions: broadway, musicals, musical, original cast recording, dvd, gabriel spahiu, sondheim, based on the play, musical theatre

(2013-05-10 22:47:43)

Well done.

The best way I can think of to describe this movie is that it resembles a really good episode of Masterpiece Theater that happens to be rated R for violence, gore, and sexual themes. It does get a little slow at times, but is in general a well done movie with a well-written script.

gavin6942

(2013-05-04 15:14:33)

A Solid English Interpretation of the Classic Tale

Sweeney Todd, a resident barber of London, has an urge inside of him tokill. As it grows and grows, he comes to fancy a young woman whom hecannot have -- both because she is married and because he is notphysically capable. As they grow closer, he lets her in on his secretand a macabre friendship is born -- one a butcher and the other a makerof meat pies.Ray Winstone is perfect as Sweeney Todd. I don't know him from muchoutside of "The Proposition" (which everyone loves, but I founddisappointing). He has the look of a man worn down by time andheartache, cold enough to kill but sad enough to drive us to sympathy.Other people may picture Todd differently, but I think this look fullycaptures the darkness and emptiness of the man. All the characters havea very dirty look to them, which I also like -- no perfect conditioningin the hair and daily bathing rituals. I like it raw, and this filmgives it to me.This is not a musical version but simply a film with a dark tale totell. It interests me to see how this one was presented. As Iunderstand it, the original story came from the 1820s or 1840s. Yet,this film version touches on themes like abortion and the completeabsence of God, which I would presume to be quite heavy for the time(though I may be mistaken).The denial of God, morality and such is the driving force of this filmcompared to other versions. It's nihilism through and through, which islike the perfect medicine for someone like myself who was raised onheavy doses of Nietzsche, Kafka and Kierkegaard. Horror films oftentouch the evil in the world and what drives it, but few films -- horroror not -- really get to the deeper philosophic roots of themeaninglessness of the world in our modern time. Some have tried ("DarkCity" comes to mind) but this one really hits the spot.With the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp version having just been released,I presume the BBC version of "Sweeney Todd" will not get as much of achance. But I would advise you to check it out and compare -- one is amusical, one is not. And Burton, while dark, has his own way of lookingat the world. So you're not really seeing the same film twice so muchas viewing an entire world fro ma different perspective, something Ithink is healthy for all of us to do time and again. Give this one ashot, it packs a wallop you cannot deny.

lastliberal

(2013-05-04 10:42:35)

You make your own hell.

I loved the story of Sweeney Todd after seeing Johnny Depp do themusical number. I loved it so much I am looking for other versions.This one is outstanding.Unlike Depp's version, this one with Ray Winstone (The Proposition, TheDeparted, Sexy Beast, Beowulf) is a truer picture of the dark and grimyLondon of the 18th Century. It is so bad, that you have to cover yournose with a handkerchief when you approach the beggars in the jail togive them a penny.Sweeney did not set out to kill anyone. He was visited in his barbershop by a jailer that brought back old memories. He killed him withoutthinking and each time got easier. He becomes attracted to a pie makerMrs. Lovett (Essie Davis - Charlotte's Web, Maggie from The Matrixsequels). In the course of that relationship, we are introduced toabortion, spousal abuse, and atheism. She is married at the time, butas barbers were also surgeons (without anesthesia, I might add) hedispatches her husband in the process of removing a stone.They become friends as he is unable to perform, and he sets her up inher own pie shop. She has a steady stream of lovers which he dispatchedand presents to her as meat from his brother. She is clueless as towhat is going on. This is a far different version than I have seenbefore and you are really hooked to see what is going to happen. Thereare some side stories involving a policeman, and Sweeney's father thatreally added to the mystery.Winstone and Davis were superb, as was David Warner as the localMagistrate.The only complaint I had was not really every seeing Mrs Lovett's pies.As Sweeney peeked in on her trysts, we just got to see the guy on top.They could have given us a little peek.This was slightly better than the Ben Kingsly version, but there aremore to see, including another musical.