SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007)

Summary:

Set in 19th-century London, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street tells the chilling tale of Benjamin Barker, a man unjustly exiled for 15 years by a corrupt judge. Returning to London under the new identity of Sweeney Todd, he discovers his wife poisoned herself after being raped by the very judge who condemned him, and his daughter is now the judge's ward.

Fueled by a burning desire for vengeance against those who wronged him, Todd reopens his old barber shop above the pie shop of the eccentric Mrs. Lovett. Together, they devise a gruesome plan: Todd will exact his bloody revenge on his customers, and Mrs. Lovett will find a macabre new ingredient for her notoriously bad meat pies, leading to a darkly comedic and horrifying enterprise.

Keywords: Sweeney Todd, 2007, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Musical, Horror, Thriller, Revenge.

Plot:

Benjamin Barker, a barber, is falsely convicted and exiled to Australia by the corrupt Judge Turpin, who lusts after Barker's wife, Lucy. Fifteen years later, Barker returns to London as Sweeney Todd, accompanied by the naive sailor Anthony Hope. He learns from Mrs. Lovett, owner of a failing pie shop below his old barber premises, that Lucy poisoned herself after Turpin raped her, and their daughter Johanna is now Turpin's ward. Enraged, Todd reopens his barber shop, determined to exact revenge, starting with Turpin and his accomplice, Beadle Bamford.

Todd's initial attempt to shave Turpin is thwarted, leading him to expand his murderous scope. He begins slitting the throats of his customers, and Mrs. Lovett proposes an unholy alliance: she will bake the bodies into her meat pies, which quickly become a sensation across London. As the body count rises, fueled by Todd's growing madness and Mrs. Lovett's twisted affection, Anthony attempts to rescue Johanna from Turpin's clutches. The plot culminates in a brutal confrontation where Todd finally kills Turpin, only to discover that Mrs. Lovett had concealed the truth about Lucy, who had not died but was the insane beggar woman he had just murdered. In a final act of despair and fury, Todd kills Mrs. Lovett before being killed himself by Toby, Mrs. Lovett's young apprentice, who had witnessed her crimes.

Cast (Lead Roles):

• Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd / Benjamin Barker
• Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett
• Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin
• Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford
• Sacha Baron Cohen as Signor Adolfo Pirelli
• Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony Hope
• Jayne Wisener as Johanna
• Laura Michelle Kelly as Lucy Barker

Crew:

• Director: Tim Burton
• Screenwriter: John Logan (based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim, Hugh Wheeler, and Christopher Bond)
• Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, John Logan
• Music: Stephen Sondheim (original score), Danny Elfman (score adaptation/additional music)
• Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
• Editor: Chris Lebenzon

Release Info:

• Original Release Date: December 21, 2007 (USA)
• Language: English
• Genre: Musical, Horror, Thriller, Drama
• Running Time: 116 minutes
• Accolades: Academy Award for Best Art Direction; Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Johnny Depp).