I have a long history with Sweeney Todd. I’ve seen the play twice, the original with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, and a recent, truly excellent, version at ACT in San Francisco. I just saw the movie and have some mixed feelings about it, although overall it was well worth seeing

The film version, directed by Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp as Sweeney, Helena Bonham-Carter as Mrs. Lovett, and the marvelous Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, just won two Golden Globes. Depp won Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical and the film won Best Picture for Comedy/Musical. The movie has the typical Burton look, almost cartoon-ish in places and visually very striking.

Depp was his usual accomplished self, giving a masterful performance even while his English accent was borrowing from Jack Sparrow. Bonham-Carter was a departure from the usual Mrs. Lovett, much younger and more attractive. Her singing voice is not, however, up to the task of Sondheim’s music although she gives it a good shot. Rickman as Turpin is really depraved and creepy (those fingernails, ewwww.) Timothy Spall, recently seen as Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is memorable for his repulsive Beadle, and Sacha Baron Cohen is truly funny and slimy, as “Signor” Pirelli. I might have whacked him too, given the opportunity. Look out for Jamie Campbell Bower, who played Anthony Hope, who has great voice.

I have two problems with the movie. It leaves out some significant pieces of the original music and having recently seen the play, I really felt the loss. Sondheim’s music is memorable, to the extent that “Have a Priest” keeps on popping into my head around lunchtime! The other is that I felt the barber chair scenes were repetitive. I got the point the first time, I didn’t need to keep on seeing bodies falling into the bakeshop from the chair. The friend who was with me, who had also seen the play recently, said she kept recasting the movie in her head, with Rickman as Sweeney. It would have been interesting that way, and he can do a great villain!

All in all though, it’s a good movie with some fine performances.