Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Based on the Broadway musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler, and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this film tells a dark story of revenge, and certainly does not glamourise the concept.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) returns to London after some time away. The last time he was in London, he worked as a barber, one of the best in the city. He was married and had a young daughter named Johanna.

But before he went away, his wife died, and his young daughter - still just a baby - was taken by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) and raised as his ward.

Todd has returned to London with only one thing on his mind: revenge.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) and Judge Turpin
(Alan Rickman).

Returning to his old place of business, he finds the downstairs shop is now a pie shop, run by the eccentric Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who is finding business difficult given the shortage of good quality meat for her pies.

With Todd's thirst for revenge, and Lovett's desperate need for pie filling, the two hatch the most evil of plans. Any and all of Todd's customers who come to him for a shave have their throats slit by his razor, and their bodies are sent down to the floor below, where they are turned into meat for Lovett's pies. Yes, you read that right, I warned you the story was dark.

Their first victim is the charlatan Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen), a rival barber who sells a concoction called "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir", which he claims can regrow hair on a bald head. Pirelli recognises Todd from his previous life, and threatens to expose him. Furious, Todd kills him, and their sinister plan is underway.

Todd takes on Pirelli's former apprentice, a young boy named Toby (Edward Sanders), as his own apprentice, and little by little, begins to do away with customer after customer, all the while trying to get back his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener), who is in turn being pursued by potential wooer Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and Toby (Edward Sanders).

Meanwhile, Lovett's pie business is flourishing, with customers queueing around the block for her latest pies, completely unaware what - or who - they are consuming.

The screenplay, by John Logan, follows the plot of the original musical quite closely, with only a few minor changes. A few of the songs from the musical have been omitted (I assume for time considerations), but overall, the plot and flow has been maintained. It is good to see that all of the best songs from the musical are still there, including my personal favourite "A Little Priest".

Sondheim's songs - apart from those few omissions - are still intact, and as magnificent as ever. The cast - at least the ones who sing - do a great job in their performances. Baron Cohen in particular does an incredible job as Pirelli, but the chemistry between Depp and Bonham Carter - admittedly established over many previous projects together, in collaboration with director Tim Burton - is fantastic, and the two of them can both sing well.

Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen).

The cinematography, by Dariusz Wolski, is very good, with the majority of the film in near-total darkness. There are plenty of shadows, and plenty of darkness, as one would assume given the themes of the film. Combined with Dante Ferretti's production design, this works to convey the seedier side of Victorian London in a truly immersive way.

The performances of the entire cast are fabulous, and the cast's ability to sing - admittedly some very difficult songs in terms of vocal range - is brilliant. The majority of the 'dialogue' is sung, so an ability to sing was clearly a prerequisite in terms of casting, but everyone seems quite comfortable in their roles.

Director Tim Burton - quite possibly the best choice to bring such a macabre story to the screen - has done an incredible job, and made one of Sondheim's more obscure musicals much more accessible to a wider audience. It may be an incredibly uncomfortable film to watch, but it is nonetheless brilliant.

9 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

Based on the worldwide bestseller that started a phenomenon, this film is a true delight, and a joy to review.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) lives with his aunt and uncle and cousin. They keep him in the cupboard under the stairs, and mistreat him constantly.

On the evening of his 11th birthday, a strange visitor - a incredibly large man named Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) - tells Harry that he is a wizard, and he has been accepted to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Upon arriving at school, Harry learns there is so much more to his life than he ever knew. Not only does he come from a well-known wizarding family, he himself is famous as “the boy who lived”, the boy who defeated one of the most powerful dark wizards ever - Voldemort, or He Who Must Not Be Named - as a baby.

There is much for Harry to learn in his first year: the rules and gameplay of wizarding sport Quidditch, at which he is a natural of course, dealing with difficult teachers such as Potions master Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), and most importantly, the value of his two closest friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

One of the first things I must say about this film is that the casting is absolutely fabulous. This (and indeed the future films in the series) is a veritable ‘who’s who’ of British acting greats. Be it Richard Harris as Dumbledore (later replaced when he sadly passed away after the second film), Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, Zoë Wanamaker as Madam Hooch (the flying instructor), or any of the rest of the cast, there are some amazing performances here. (Obviously, I will be reviewing the remaining films in the franchise, keep reading in coming months for those).

Another point I want to make is the quality of the adaptation. Screenwriter Steve Kloves has done an incredible job of translating J. K. Rowling’s novel to the screen. Almost everything that happens in the book happens in the film. It does help that the first book in the series is rather short, and apparently simple (though fans will know by now there was a lot more going on in that book than we knew at the time!), and doesn’t have a lot of complex subplots as later books did.

The score by John Williams is absolutely magical, no pun intended. Of course, any score by John Williams is bound to be good. One only has to look to the later films (and even the later Fantastic Beasts franchise) and hear Williams’s themes and leitmotifs used and re-used to know just how iconic and brilliant they are.

Director Chris Columbus has made a truly magnificent film here. Columbus works especially well with young and/or inexperienced actors, and has been able to bring out the best in his young cast particularly. He would go on to direct the second film in the series as well, before pulling out to make room for other directors, in order to spend more time with his own growing children.

I realise that in the United States, this film was released with the title ‘Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone’, but as any sensible person would realise (particularly by now, with all the books and films finished), the Philosopher’s Stone is an actual verifiable part of alchemical history and a vital element of this book/film and indeed later parts of the series, while the Sorceror’s Stone is nothing, and refers to nothing.

This may not have been the best film in the series, but by being the first, it was our first introduction to Harry Potter and his adventures, and as such, is a very special and important part of the series.

8 1/2 out of 10.