Sweeney Todd is an AMAZING movie!!! I soooo wish I had seen this performed on stage. Of course, at least with the movie version, I get to see Johnny Depp any time I so choose!!! And I choose to do that every semester with all of my 113 classes, so I typically get to watch it an average of 3 times a semester....it has yet to get old!!!!
It's a literary person's dream as a story. It has a wonderful point about the single-minded determination of revenge NOT being such a good idea. It has surprises. It's funny in an ironic way. There are tons of ironies that make the story so much more interesting than your typical slasher story. The visual images throughout the story truly set the stage for not just the story (the plot) but also the dark tone of the whole story. It actually has a PLOT! So many slasher stories we get nowaways are just slasher movies for the sake of slasher movies, but this story is a slasher movie with a true story!!! It even has music! I know that's what turns many people away from this particular story, but it's a major part of the appeal for me!
I love every person who sings in this movie! I didn't expect any of them to be able to hold his/her own when I first heard who would be playing the major roles, but every actor/actress truly does an amazing job! Granted, the "Johanna" song where Anthony is wandering through the streets of London singing "I feel you Johanna" is probably one of the most annoying sounds on earth, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be that way.....it's effective...that's for sure!!!!!
The story is full of wonderful personification--what with the razors being Todd's FRIENDS and the barber's chair being the instrument that sends people to their doom like the grim reaper! And the pies! Oh, don't forget the irony of the pies being personified!!!! Oh, that's so not supposed to be funny......but it SOOO is!!!!
Of course, Arsenic and Old Lace is a sweet laugh-out-loud funny story about serial killing that is overly obvious in its attempt to make light of a very serious subject while Sweeney Todd is more subtle in the parts that are comical. They're not REALLY laugh-out-loud funny in the same way as Arsenic and Old Lace, but at the same time, I find myself going ahead and giving a good belly laugh anyway. One of my favorite parts is just after Todd has killed Perelli....Mrs. Lovett comes in the room and begins to berate Todd for killing Perelli. Todd tells her that Perelli had not only recognized him, but that Perelli expected half of Todd's wages to keep his secret; so he HAD to kill Perelli. Mrs. Lovett then says, "Well, that's a whole other matter" as she proceed to steal Perelli's money purse!!!
And who can stop from laughing when Todd and Mrs. Lovett discuss killing folks in order to have "meat" for pies?!
Oh, Sweeney Todd is just so wonderful!!!!
I really liked the "I feel you Johanna" song. I kept singing it whenever the song kinda came up again. (Singing in head: ....I feel you Johanna...) I got to say that was the only song I like from the movie most. :)
ReplyDeleteAs an English student, after your blog?, there is no need for Cites?
ReplyDeleteSadly I have to come clean and confess I've caught myself singing the songs from this movie when not in the presence of others. Its definitely one of my top musicals of all time. Who ever thought Johnny Depp could sing so well? Guess there's another reason for him to be held so highly in the female community, and make us males loath his very existence.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I would love to see this in a live performance. I went out and bought it simply for my obsession for Johnny Depp but was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually loved this movie and have even converted a few people over to feel the same about it as I do. The first time I watched it some parts confused me a bit but were later rectified as we learned more of the story. It was a very horrible thing that Todd ended up killing his wife without knowing who she was, but later got the revenge he had so desperately wanted. Depp's singing in this movie was completely surprising and I think he fit the role of Sweeny Todd perfectly!
ReplyDeleteInteresting "A Rose for Emily" that you say something about my NOT including any citation for my sources. Do I think they should be included, even for a blog? Yes, I do. Then why don't I? Like so many of those who do blog, I'm lazy and don't want to.
ReplyDelete