Posted on: April 19, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Sweeney Todd 2-Disc  Special Edition / 2008 Warner Bros / 116 Minutes / http://www.dreamworks.com /

It has been over 70 years since the last film adaptation of Sweeney Todd was made, and considering how short the period is between remakes of films nowadays(take, for example, The Hulk, which only took 5 years to cycle around), I think Warner Brothers and Dreamworks were okay to make a new version of the film. Johnny Depp reprises the creepy/dark character that ey has played in a majority of eir films, but this time, the film actually calls for it! Sweeney Todd, for those individuals that are not intimate with the film, the legend, or the musical of the same name, was the nom de plume of Benjamin Barker.

Barker was a skilled barber and was founded falsely guilty of a crime. This is because Judge Turpin longed for Barker’s wife, and rapes eir after Barber goes away to a penal colony. Todd’s desire to hurt Judge Turpin after opening a barber shop is what drives eir lust for blood, and what drives much of the dramatic tension present during the film. The “2 Disc Special Edition” is what individuals should look for; there is just so much in the way of added information that will allow viewers to gain a sense of the history of the character and how ey was portrayed in the last seventy years in various media formats. This means that there is footage from recording sessions and dress rehearsals, among a number of featurettes to placate individuals before or after seeing the film.  While individuals may not like the fact that this film does not provide an alternative for the widescreen format on this special edition (I hate having boxes where there could be footage), the fact that there is such a rich history provided for by “Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of The Demon Barber” and “Sweeney’s London” should abate any complaints.

Johnny Depp is great in eir role as Sweeney Todd, while Tim Burton is completely in eir element in this Victorian England. The packaging further gives individuals a semblance of the time in which the film was set; the rusty and bloody blades present on the slipcase act as a frame for a distraught Depp, with a picture of eir wife and child in the background. If you have seen the musical, give this movie a shot, and if you like Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter, pick up this edition.

Rating: 7.0/10

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