It's great when something you look forward to for a long time actually meets or exceeds expectations. So it was with Tim Burton's version of Sweeney Todd, which I--and countless other fans of the musical--have been anticipating for years.The film stays essentially faithful to the stage show but it is a leaner, darker, more focused piece of art than Sondheim's masterpiece and it is surely heretical to say it, but I might even prefer this version. A lot of people are complaining about what is missing--some of the songs, the choruses, some of the "charm," but I think a lot of what was cut was that which was necessary to telling the story on stage--songs that covered scene changes, or songs that established character and mood...all of which are redundant when you have rich, naturalistic settings and the ability to read emotion through close-ups.
Almost none of the leads are trained vocalists but while we might lose much of the power of great singers, we gain nuance and the ability of fine actors to shade and shape the lines with an intimacy that is lost in a big theatre. None of the actors are bad singers and all handle Sondheim's music credibly. I'm pretty picky but I was never distracted (well, almost never) by poor intonation or awkward phrasing. The one disappointing song for me was "Epiphany," because I thought it seemed a little less volcanic than it should have been. You often hear critics talk about Sondheim's tricky melodies but that's not really true. Sondheim's vocal lines are very melodic and logical but his rhythms can be tough to master, and hearing the tune against the accompaniment (which is often subtly laced with dissonance) takes some time to understand. But listen to the bass line--it is always strong and logical.
Visually, the film is beautiful, rich, dark, and totally appropriate. Some of the settings are so sensory and tactile I could almost smell the musty air.
I am seeing a touring production of the Sweeney revival this April. I am anxious to compare it, not just to the other productions of the show I've seen, but to the new film version.
