GrinGrinnyGhosts
Mouseketeer/VB Programmer In Training
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2006
- Messages
- 489
On 12/30/07 I saw in the movie theaters "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and the lead role was given to Johnny Depp and the movie was good! (This Movie is Not Recommended to People under 10) The Reason Why This Movie is Not Recommended to People under 10 is:
MPAA (The Motion Picture Association of America_: Rated R for graphic bloody violence.
- This Contains Spoilers Contunue If You Want -
Sex & Nudity
In a flashback, it is implied that Judge Turpin and others at a party rape Sweeney's wife, Lucy. However, nothing is shown except Turpin opening his overcoat and bending over her, and is not explicitly mentioned by any of the characters, only vaguely hinted at. Judge Turpin expresses a wish to marry his ward, Johanna, who is Todd's daughter. Judge Turpin is an older man, and Johanna is a teenage girl, so it could imply pedophilia. Turpin keeps a book of drawings with 'everything you possibly think of doing with a woman' in it, though these drawings are not shown.
Violence & Gore
There is a good amount of blood, hence the 'graphic bloody violence' warning. Sweeney slits the throats of his customers with his razor blades. Large amounts of blood spray out like a hose in half of the victims, while the other people's blood oozes out slowly. Two men are beaten rather brutally, one is knocked unconscious by repeated blows to the head with a tea kettle, the other is whipped with a cane, though remains conscious. Todd stabs a man in the throat a few times with his blade and blood sprays all over him and the camera. Many of the victims are thrown down a shoot into a baker's basement, and the sounds of bones crunching and skulls shattering are heard. In one instance, a man's head is smashed open on the ground, though the shot does not last long. It is implied the bodies are cut up and baked into pies. A dismembered toe is shown, as is a rather long shot of a pile of bloodied limbs.
Profanity
The only profanity in the film is used in song, where the title character describes a '...hole in the world like a great black pit, and it's filled with people who are filled with sh*t.' This line is used twice. Mild profanity is also used in another song in which the title character uses the word 'piss' to describe a miracle elixir, referring to its odor.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking
Characters drink ale and beer, among them a minor who later cuddles with the bottle.
Frightening/Intense Scenes
The themes of the film are vengeance, murder and cannibalism. The throat slittings are extremely disturbing, often very graphic, and one is performed by a minor. Cannibalism is very prevalent --many people are shown unknowingly eating and enjoying pies made out of human corpses, and you do see the raw, ground "meat" used to make the pies. Todd also stabs a man in the neck very brutally, and two men are beaten badly, one to the point of unconsciousness.
My Review (Note: Might Contian Spoilers): Nightmare on Fleet Street
"If you were fortunate enough to see this Sondheim gem on the stage then stay far way from this souless production. Sondheim's score deserves better treatment and so does his audience. Thanks to Depp's flat unidimensional portrayal of Todd the guilty pleasure of living the maniacal comic fantasy of a tragically inverted personality has been completely eliminated from this adaptation. Carter's uninspired and barely passable vocal stylings don't help at all. There is no fun here. All we're left with is a tragic tale with enough bloodletting to gag Freddy Kruger with charaters we're relieved to see too slowly eliminated from our misery. The only thing more tragic than Tim Burton's vision is the vocal performances by Depp and Carter. If you listen to Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury on the original Broadway recording you'll see what's missing (as well as the opening and closing numbers) and a production that makes this film version pale by comparison. Sondheim has an unfortunate history when it comes to screen adaptations of his work and this is just another one to heap on that pile. Such is the real tragedy in what promised to be one of the finest, if not THE finest, film adaptations ever. RIP Sweeney."
MPAA (The Motion Picture Association of America_: Rated R for graphic bloody violence.
- This Contains Spoilers Contunue If You Want -
Sex & Nudity
In a flashback, it is implied that Judge Turpin and others at a party rape Sweeney's wife, Lucy. However, nothing is shown except Turpin opening his overcoat and bending over her, and is not explicitly mentioned by any of the characters, only vaguely hinted at. Judge Turpin expresses a wish to marry his ward, Johanna, who is Todd's daughter. Judge Turpin is an older man, and Johanna is a teenage girl, so it could imply pedophilia. Turpin keeps a book of drawings with 'everything you possibly think of doing with a woman' in it, though these drawings are not shown.
Violence & Gore
There is a good amount of blood, hence the 'graphic bloody violence' warning. Sweeney slits the throats of his customers with his razor blades. Large amounts of blood spray out like a hose in half of the victims, while the other people's blood oozes out slowly. Two men are beaten rather brutally, one is knocked unconscious by repeated blows to the head with a tea kettle, the other is whipped with a cane, though remains conscious. Todd stabs a man in the throat a few times with his blade and blood sprays all over him and the camera. Many of the victims are thrown down a shoot into a baker's basement, and the sounds of bones crunching and skulls shattering are heard. In one instance, a man's head is smashed open on the ground, though the shot does not last long. It is implied the bodies are cut up and baked into pies. A dismembered toe is shown, as is a rather long shot of a pile of bloodied limbs.
Profanity
The only profanity in the film is used in song, where the title character describes a '...hole in the world like a great black pit, and it's filled with people who are filled with sh*t.' This line is used twice. Mild profanity is also used in another song in which the title character uses the word 'piss' to describe a miracle elixir, referring to its odor.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking
Characters drink ale and beer, among them a minor who later cuddles with the bottle.
Frightening/Intense Scenes
The themes of the film are vengeance, murder and cannibalism. The throat slittings are extremely disturbing, often very graphic, and one is performed by a minor. Cannibalism is very prevalent --many people are shown unknowingly eating and enjoying pies made out of human corpses, and you do see the raw, ground "meat" used to make the pies. Todd also stabs a man in the neck very brutally, and two men are beaten badly, one to the point of unconsciousness.
My Review (Note: Might Contian Spoilers): Nightmare on Fleet Street
"If you were fortunate enough to see this Sondheim gem on the stage then stay far way from this souless production. Sondheim's score deserves better treatment and so does his audience. Thanks to Depp's flat unidimensional portrayal of Todd the guilty pleasure of living the maniacal comic fantasy of a tragically inverted personality has been completely eliminated from this adaptation. Carter's uninspired and barely passable vocal stylings don't help at all. There is no fun here. All we're left with is a tragic tale with enough bloodletting to gag Freddy Kruger with charaters we're relieved to see too slowly eliminated from our misery. The only thing more tragic than Tim Burton's vision is the vocal performances by Depp and Carter. If you listen to Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury on the original Broadway recording you'll see what's missing (as well as the opening and closing numbers) and a production that makes this film version pale by comparison. Sondheim has an unfortunate history when it comes to screen adaptations of his work and this is just another one to heap on that pile. Such is the real tragedy in what promised to be one of the finest, if not THE finest, film adaptations ever. RIP Sweeney."
