Recipe for a mouth-watering meat pie

Yesterday, we revisited the imaginative world of Tim Burton, who tried his hand at a major movie musical a la "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Here are the primary observations we came away with:

WHAT DID YOU FIND SURPRISING, REFRESHING OR EVEN SHOCKING ABOUT SWEENEY TODD?

·       Unlike the Broadway stage musical, this film version has been described as more realistic, less madcap and humorously over the top, and more of a revenge fantasy with gruesomely dark elements.

·       The volume of blood shed is surprisingly high, even for a contemporary R rated film; the film contains numerous throat slashings in close up and visually gory depictions.

·       Depp is not known for having a singing voice, but you could argue that he acquits himself nicely in this role for a novice.

·       After a string of box office and/or critical failures, including Mars Attacks!, Planet of the Apes, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, fans and critics considered this movie a return to form for Tim Burton.

·       This is actually the 9^th film adaptation of the urban legend story of Sweeney Todd, which began circulating in early 19^th Century Britain. It’s also the third attempt at filming an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 stage musical source.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FILM’S GREATEST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES?

·       Good casting featuring top actors who create strong performances here, despite Depp’s lack of singing experience.

·       Strong emotional underpinnings: we understand Todd’s revenge motivation and loathe Judge Turpin.

·       Memorable sets, musical numbers and period costumes.

·       Masterful lighting scheme and sumptuously dark cinematography that emphasizes rich grays and eye-popping reds.

·       However, while Burton is gifted at depicting fantasy elements and colorfully expressive visual stories, he’s not as experienced as a director of musicals, and this may not be his forte.

WHAT ARE SOME FAMILIAR TROPES, PATTERNS AND MOTIFS FOUND IN MANY TIM BURTON MOVIES THAT ARE REPEATED IN SWEENEY TODD?

·        “Fish out of water” eccentric main protagonists who don’t quite fit into the world they live in: think of Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, Ed Wood, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. These are outsiders who will not be denied or ignored, who wish to fit in with others but cannot deny their own nature to do so

• Exaggerated, fantastical powers or circumstances that propel the protagonist

·       The creation of wondrously fabricated and surreal worlds that don’t follow the conventions of the world we know: these are highly stylized, exaggerated, expressionistic environments that bear little resemblance to the real world: Think of the outlandish architecture and scale of his Gotham City, the German Expressionism-influenced off-kilter angled universe of The Nightmare Before Christmas, the cartoonish landscapes of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, etc.

·       A witch: in this film, the role of Mrs. Lovett; in Sleepy Hollow, it’s Lady Van Tassel; in Alice in Wonderland it’s the Red Queen

·       The innocent blonde babe in the woods: Johanna in Sweeney Todd; Vicki Vale in Batman; Katrina Von Tassel in Sleepy Hollow; the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland

·       Flashbacks: Todd’s reminiscence of his beloved family before they were torn away from him; Ichabod Crane’s nightmare dream of his mother’s death; the multiple flashbacks in Big Fish

·       Repeat castings: Depp, Bonham-Carter, Christopher Lee and Jeffrey Jones are among the actors who continue to appear in many Burton films

FILMS AND STORIES SIMILAR TO SWEENEY TODD

·       Les Miserables, another tale about a man who is harshly persecuted and whose family is taken away from him.

·       Django Unchained, another over-the-top revenge fantasy flick.

·       The Phantom of the Opera, a grand guignol cousin to this tale and character

·       Repo! The Genetic Opera, a 2008 American horror musical rock opera