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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical.
2007 · Directed by Tim Burton · 116 min · Drama · Horror · Screenplay in the scene database · 15 frames
Tagline
Never forget. Never forgive.
Plot
In 1846, Benjamin Barker, a barber, arrives in London, accompanied by young sailor Anthony Hope. A flashback reveals that sixteen years prior, Benjamin was falsely convicted and exiled to Australia by the corrupt Judge Turpin, who lusted after Benjamin's wife, Lucy ("No Place Like London"). Benjamin adopts the alias "Sweeney Todd" and returns to his old barber shop on Fleet Street, situated above Nellie Lovett's failing meat pie shop ("The Worst Pies in London"). Recognising Benjamin, Mrs. Lovett tells him that once he was exiled, Turpin raped Lucy at a masquerade ball in his home and drove her to suicide before adopting the couple's daughter, Johanna, as his ward ("Poor Thing"). Todd vows revenge and re-opens his barbershop after Mrs. Lovett, who is unrequitedly in love with him, presents him with his old straight razors ("My Friends").
Anthony becomes enamored with Johanna after seeing her sing by a window above the street ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"). A beggar woman warns him about Judge Turpin ("Alms! Alms!"), who invites Anthony into his house before setting his henchman and personal bailiff, Beadle Bamford, upon him. The Beadle throws Anthony into the street and beats him with a cane, but Anthony vows to return and rescue Johanna ("Johanna").
Rival barber and snake oil salesman Adolfo Pirelli is publicly humiliated by Todd at a shaving contest in front of Bamford ("Pirelli's Miracle Elixir/The Contest"). At his barbershop, Todd is distressed that Turpin has not yet arrived after The Beadle promised he would visit before the end of the week. Mrs. Lovett encourages him to calm down and come up with a plan ("Wait").
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: John Logan
- Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
- Edited by: Chris Lebenzon
- Music: Stephen Sondheim
- Production design: Dante Ferretti
- Produced by: Richard D. Zanuck, John Logan, Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes
Cast
- Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd
- Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett
- Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin
- Timothy Spall as Beadle
- Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony
- Laura Michelle Kelly as Lucy / Beggar Woman
- Jayne Wisener as Johanna
- Ed Sanders as Toby
- Gracie May Weldon as Baby Johanna
Production
- Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: DreamWorks Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, The Zanuck Company, Dombey Street Productions
- Budget: $50,000,000
- Box office: $153,384,272
- Themes: widow, asylum, confession, razor, villain, musical, beggar, based on play or musical, child in peril, cane
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