It isn’t often that a movie based on an acclaimed stage musical is granted an 18 certificate for ‘strong bloody violence’, but that’s wisely the case with this superb 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray release of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Tim Burton’s masterful rendition of composer Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical could well be the director’s best work – he’s arguably not matched it since. The same can be said of star Johnny Depp, who is staggeringly good as the titular murderous barber, who first became popular in Victorian ‘penny dreadfuls’, immediately became the stuff of nightmares, and has remained so ever since.
When this movie was released back in 2007, Warner Bros seemed to downplay the fact that it was even a musical at all, with the trailers not containing much musical content. Shame on them for their lack of faith in Burton’s immaculate vision. The truth is that the score is breathtakingly good and performed with gusto by the enthusiastic cast. Helena Bonham Carter matches Depp’s impact in her role as Todd’s accomplice in mayhem, the equally deranged pie maker Mrs Lovett, whose song The Worst Pies in London leaves no one in doubt that her culinary skills are more deadly than delicious.
As usual, Burton is no slouch when it comes to hiring strong British supporting players, apparent here with the likes of Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, and the late Alan Rickman all making their presence felt in eye-catching performances. Victorian London is vividly portrayed and the set design and costuming rival Carol Reed’s 1968 Oliver! in their efficacy, filling the screen with period authenticity and style.
There’s no denying that Sweeney Todd is very bloody indeed, and the graphically portrayed murders are gruesomely enhanced in all their 4K glory. It would be no exaggeration to say that the film has never looked better than it does on this comprehensive package from Warner Bros.
The bonus content is also impressive; there’s a whole raft of featurettes that include plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of this stellar production, covering every aspect of its journey to the screen. Even if you’re not a fan of musicals, there’s so much to enjoy in this magnificent film, a textbook example of how this sort of material works when handled by a master filmmaker at the peak of his game. It’s simply Burton at his best.
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET is available now on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray.
