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.

West Side Story (1961)

One of the better Shakespeare adaptations out there, this film tells the story of warring gangs in New York City’s West Side.

Does the story sound at all familiar? That’s right - in case you didn’t already know - this is a modern retelling of the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and quite unashamedly so.

On the streets of New York City, there are two gangs fighting for the same patch: the Jets and the Sharks (who are predominantly of Puerto Rican descent).

One of the members of the Jets gang, Tony (Richard Beymer), meets a Puerto Rican girl, Maria (Natalie Wood), at a school function one night, and the two fall in love.

There’s a balcony scene, there’s a fight between Tony and Maria’s relative Bernardo (George Chakiris), an exile of sorts, and of course, the final tragic ending. I’m not worried about spoilers, I mean, come on, the play’s been out for centuries, but seriously, this film (and the musical it’s based on) follows the plot of Romeo and Juliet so closely, it doesn’t even seem worth describing the plot any further.

The Broadway show this film comes from was - and continues to be - a hit. With music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents, it never fails to delight audiences.

This film is a great adaptation of the musical. And yes, it is an adaptation, not simply a filming of a performance. From a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the film - directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, who directed the show when it opened on Broadway - is actually made as a film.

I think it does work well as a film. The production design sets the scene really well, and places us in the New York of the 1950s (this is when the story is set, not when it was made).

The song and dance numbers are very well choreographed, and performed by the entire cast. Highlights - at least in my opinion - have got to be America and I Feel Pretty. You’ve heard me say it before, but Sondheim is a genius when it comes to writing lyrics. Even this - which was his first Broadway show - has the distinctive touch of his amazing ability to rhyme things you had never thought of. Add to that music by the god of 20th century composition that was the great Leonard Bernstein, and you know the result is going to be incredible.

Two of my favourite characters in this film are Baby John (Eliot Feld) - because he reminds me of me in a lot of ways - and police officer Krupke (William Bramley), who even gets a song named after him (another one of the greatest songs in the history of musical theatre).

Even when you watch this, knowing how it’s going to end (if like almost every school student in the world, you have studied Romeo and Juliet at length), it is an incredibly entertaining experience. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll sing along (if you know the songs well enough), and you’ll probably want to see it again and again.

7 out of 10.

Into the Woods (2014)

All your favourite classic fairy tales collide in this feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical with songs by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.

The intertwining of the various plot lines and characters is quite intricate, and I won’t go into great detail of them all here, but you are definitely in for a treat.

Or that would be true if you were just watching the show on Broadway. But somehow, this film version doesn’t quite measure up, despite an all-star cast, and usually brilliant director.

The show itself is very good, with clever dialogue and staging, and of course (as with any occasion when Sondheim puts pencil to manuscript paper) fantastically creative music that pushes boundaries and lyrics that boggle the mind with their incredible rhyming schemes.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the film version. This feels like a mostly unnecessary addition to the ever-growing catalogue of Broadway show to film adaptations, and very few of the cast deliver their best in my opinion. (Please feel free to disagree with me in the comments, or whatever; I always appreciate the opportunity to discuss films and put my position to anyone who will listen, even if we may not see eye to eye on everything).

James Corden and Emily Blunt (playing a baker and his wife) - both of whom have proved themselves before in musical roles - fail to steal the show in the way these characters should. Rather, their bickering and arguing just becomes more and more tiresome as the film goes on, and their performances more and more grating.

Even those oft-lauded royalty of film, Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, are less impressive than their previous films might lead one to believe.

The film is quite dark throughout (I mean dark as in low-light, in a cinematic sense), which while it suits the underlying themes of the show overall, feels a bit much after two hours of near darkness.

The only saving grace of this film version in my view is the music, which is of course identical to the music of the Broadway show.

If you get the opportunity to see this film, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest you take it. If you get the opportunity to see it performed on stage, make every possible effort to take it; you will enjoy yourself so much more.

5 out of 10.