(Updated 8/24/08)
(Check the Johnny Depp Rocks! Home Page for any breaking news. Also visit the Reviews and Articles page for more great stuff! And check the Photo Galleries to see posters, stills, screencaps and other great images relating to the film!)
This page is dedicated to
the film
production of Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, featuring Johnny
Depp's first singing role.
General Information:
Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd (The Demon Barber
Of Fleet Street) debuted on Broadway in 1979, starring Len
Cariou in the title role and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett.
The musical, which tells the tale of a murderous barber and
his sinister partnership with a bakeshop owner, has become a highly
acclaimed
and extremely popular show all over the world, including a recent
Broadway run starring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone.
The 2007 film production, starring Johnny under the direction of Tim Burton, was officially announced on August 16, 2006. Rehearsals and voice recording began in late 2006. According to the Production Notes on the Sweeney Todd Official Movie Site, the music was recorded in 4 days at London's Air Studios, with a 64 piece orchestra-- the largest ever assembled to play the score. The music was conducted by Paul Gemignani and overseen by Sondheim himself. Then, after rehearsals in Sondheim's presence, the songs were recorded in London over a six week period in November and December of 2006.
Filming began on February 5, 2007. On that day, a 2 page Variety ad announced the film and listed several members of the cast in addition to Johnny. The official production dates for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street were Feb. 5 through May 11. The film was given an MPAA rating of R for "Graphic Bloody Violence." All of the cast members did their own singing, and the music was scored for a 78 piece orchestra. Here is a Playbill article that gives info about the $50 million dollar production, the cast and the crew. The theatrical trailer was attached to films such as Beowulf, Martian Child, American Gangster, The Heartbreak Kid, We Own The Night, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age; it provided the first taste of Johnny's singing, as well as a glimpse of the look of the film.
The first clip shown to the public was an 8 minute segment shown at the 64th Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2007 as part of "Tim Burton Day." Nick Vivarelli of Variety reports: "Singing 'My Friends' Depp proved he can carry a tune, dueting delightfully with Bonham Carter, herself debuting as a chantoosie." Mastidon from Ain't It Cool News adds "Johnny Depp then starts to SING!!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Johnny sings on camera. Not a body double. Not an animated figure. But Johnny himself. And I'm here to tell you he has a killer voice. I wish I had a recording of the lyrics for you. Johnny sings a love song to the razor blade as he holds it in his hand! The song is about how happy he is to finally have the blade in his hands for his sweet revenge. Towards the end of the song, Helena joins in and they sing a duet to a knife!!!!! The scene ends with Jonny holding the knife in his hand and he says "Now, my arm is complete!" On that day, Johnny also presented Tim with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. On October 23, a small audience in LA was treated to an advance screening of the film. The response was almost overwhelmingly positive. Fans in New York then had an opportunity to see a "first look" of Sweeney Todd as part of Fresh Blood: An Evening With Tim Burton at Lincoln Center, on November 14. Three long clips from the film were shown, including My Friends, Epiphany and Johanna. Audience reaction to the clips was said to be very enthusiastic! Tim was on hand to answer some questions, though Sweeney Todd was not touched upon too deeply. Thanks to pourtant of IMDb and Laura for their reports!
The film had its premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 3, 2007. Johnny and Tim attended the premiere as well as private screenings in New York on December 2 and in LA on December 5. The film was released in 1,249 theaters in the US on December 21, 2007. It made about $18.7 million in its first 7 days of release and hit the $50M mark on its 6th Saturday. Its widest release was in 1,507 theaters. Its domestic cume after 13 full weeks (through March 20) stood at $52.9M. This total has put the film in 49th place for 2007 films. It was also in 10th place for musicals 1974 to present until July 2008, when Mamma Mia! entered the top ten and lowered Sweeney Todd to 11th place.
There were also some international premieres in early 2008. On January 8, Johnny and Tim attended the Japanese premiere in Tokyo, and they were joined by most of the cast for the British premiere in London on January 10. Tim and Johnny also attended the French premiere in Paris on January 16. Tim went on to attend events in Madrid on January 21 and Rome on January 23. The film opened at #1 in Japan, Taiwan, the UK and France, and spent one weekend (Jan. 25-27) at the top of the Overseas Total Box Office with over $18M earned in that weekend alone. The film has made a total of $100.4M overseas.
The Region 1 DVD was released on April 1 in 1 and 2 disc versions. More information about extras and cover art is available on DVD Active. The DVD has made $33.9M in sales and at least another $34.2M in rentals. (Dollar figures for rentals were no longer tracked after June 1, 2008, but the film remained in the Top 50 rentals through the end of June, according to Box Office Mojo/Home Media Retailing). The Region 2 DVD was released on May 19. A Blu-Ray release is scheduled for October 21, 2008.
On December 5, 2007, The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street one of the Top Ten Films of 2007, and also named Tim Burton Best Director for the film. Congratulations, Tim! The NBR was the first major award organization to name its winners during the awards season. Subsequently, the film won 2 Golden Globe awards, including Johnny for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. Due to the WGA strike, there was no awards ceremony, but Johnny gave a statement accepting the award:
Visit the Sweeney Todd Official Movie Site for all sorts of goodies, such as snippets from many of the songs, a gallery, videos, production notes, notes on the cast and crew, wallpapers, screensavers, buddy icons and banners! Also visit the Sweeney Todd MySpace page for even more goodies, and a MySpaceTV Sweeney Todd Video Channel, which contains trailers, TV spots and a great short video of Johnny discussing Sweeney Todd and singing in a recording studio! In addition, there is a Sweeney Todd Official UK Movie Site.
Awards and Honors:
Please visit the Johnny Depp Rocks! Sweeney Todd Reviews and Articles page!
Multimedia:
A Sweeney Todd- specific Photo Gallery is now open on Johnny Depp Rocks! This allows all posters, production stills, and other Sweeney Todd-related images to be shown together! Click on the thumbnail below to enter!
Also visit the following sites that have gathered the various trailers, TV spots, and featurettes that have popped up so far:
TimeOut London offers a free "audio tour" of Sweeney Todd's London, with clips, interviews and music. It can be downloaded here!
Nick Hutson of the MusicalTalk website attended the November 26, 2007 Sweeney Todd press junket in London. There is a podcast available of the event, including interviews with Johnny, Stephen Sondheim, Tim Burton and others. Click here to visit MusicalTalk, and click on podcast 0057 in the podcast window in the upper right!
Paramount has provided some downloadable links to share with all! You can now download the hi-def trailer (though it's HUGE at 155 MB) or the standard trailer (a more manageable 55 MB), a poster, and the first two production stills by Leah Gallo. There are also 9 movie clips in large and medium resolution. Enjoy!
Soundtrack Information:
Nonesuch Records released the Sweeney Todd soundtrack on December 18, 2007. It entered the Billboard 200 Chart (the chart dated January 5, 2008) at #56, peaked at #16 in its fourth week, and remained in the Top 200 for 24 weeks. It spent the first 8 weeks following its release in the Top 100, and then re-entered the Top 100 for 3 weeks following the DVD release. It has also stayed in the Top 25 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart for 29 weeks, including 8 weeks in the Top Ten. You can find various chart positions by date at the Billboard site here. Here are the chart positions in chart form (click to enlarge):
Billboard 200 Billboard Top Soundtracks
You can hear sound clips of all the tracks on Amazon. There are two formats to the soundtrack: a "Soundtrack Highlights" disc and a "Deluxe Complete Edition"; the latter is packaged with an 80-page bound booklet, with lyrics and photographs. A comparison of the track listings for the two versions is as follows:
Performance credits from the film:
(click to enlarge)
In a February 26, 2007 press release from Dreamworks, Sondheim spoke publicly about the film for perhaps the first time, expressing much enthusiasm for the project: "Sometimes a story or stage production has to wait a long time until the right people come together to turn it into a motion picture. That's what has happened with 'Sweeney Todd' and I'm excited as well as confident that it will be a first-rate and startling movie." Burton adds, "I've always wanted to do a musical and 'Sweeney Todd' is my favorite. Stephen's blend of humor, horror and emotion is something that has always connected with me."
In the spring, he mentioned the Sweeney Todd film in an interview while in Cincinnati to receive an award. He spoke about the unique issues that pertain to the film medium as opposed to stage. An excerpt from the interview and a link to the audio version are available on the Stephen Sondheim Society site.
On July 6, 2007 in Sydney Australia, Sondheim briefly mentioned the film: "There are songs that have been cut, and cuts within some of the songs, but generally it is pretty much the score... the plot is very little changed ... It is pretty faithful." The report, in The Australian, also said, "Johnny Depp sings his way through the title role: the actor played in a rock band before becoming a star of television, then film." Click for article. In another Australian television interview (available only in Australia), he said of Depp: "Everybody forgets he started in a band. He was a band singer before he became a tv star. He was not the lead singer, but he was a backing singer, he was very musical, and he sings too."
Sondheim was interviewed by Norman Lebrecht of BBC Radio on August 6, and spoke briefly about Sweeney Todd. He mentioned that he was not involved in the casting of Johnny-- Johnny was already attached to the film when Sondheim became involved. However, Sondheim did have a say in casting most of the other roles, including Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett and Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli, and he spoke very favorably of both actors.
On September 27, 2007, Roger Friedman from FoxNews.com reported that Stephen Sondheim told him he has seen the film, and he likes it. “It’s not the Broadway show,” he warned me. “It’s only an hour and 45 minutes. A lot of the score has been cut. They’ve made it its own thing. You have to go in knowing that. But what they’ve done is great.”
Brendan Lemon attests in his blog entry of October 4, 2007 that Stephen Sondheim "really really" likes the upcoming film version of Sweeney Todd: "[Sondheim] says that Johnny Depp gives a terrific, chilling performance."
The 2007 film production, starring Johnny under the direction of Tim Burton, was officially announced on August 16, 2006. Rehearsals and voice recording began in late 2006. According to the Production Notes on the Sweeney Todd Official Movie Site, the music was recorded in 4 days at London's Air Studios, with a 64 piece orchestra-- the largest ever assembled to play the score. The music was conducted by Paul Gemignani and overseen by Sondheim himself. Then, after rehearsals in Sondheim's presence, the songs were recorded in London over a six week period in November and December of 2006.
Filming began on February 5, 2007. On that day, a 2 page Variety ad announced the film and listed several members of the cast in addition to Johnny. The official production dates for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street were Feb. 5 through May 11. The film was given an MPAA rating of R for "Graphic Bloody Violence." All of the cast members did their own singing, and the music was scored for a 78 piece orchestra. Here is a Playbill article that gives info about the $50 million dollar production, the cast and the crew. The theatrical trailer was attached to films such as Beowulf, Martian Child, American Gangster, The Heartbreak Kid, We Own The Night, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age; it provided the first taste of Johnny's singing, as well as a glimpse of the look of the film.
The first clip shown to the public was an 8 minute segment shown at the 64th Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2007 as part of "Tim Burton Day." Nick Vivarelli of Variety reports: "Singing 'My Friends' Depp proved he can carry a tune, dueting delightfully with Bonham Carter, herself debuting as a chantoosie." Mastidon from Ain't It Cool News adds "Johnny Depp then starts to SING!!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Johnny sings on camera. Not a body double. Not an animated figure. But Johnny himself. And I'm here to tell you he has a killer voice. I wish I had a recording of the lyrics for you. Johnny sings a love song to the razor blade as he holds it in his hand! The song is about how happy he is to finally have the blade in his hands for his sweet revenge. Towards the end of the song, Helena joins in and they sing a duet to a knife!!!!! The scene ends with Jonny holding the knife in his hand and he says "Now, my arm is complete!" On that day, Johnny also presented Tim with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. On October 23, a small audience in LA was treated to an advance screening of the film. The response was almost overwhelmingly positive. Fans in New York then had an opportunity to see a "first look" of Sweeney Todd as part of Fresh Blood: An Evening With Tim Burton at Lincoln Center, on November 14. Three long clips from the film were shown, including My Friends, Epiphany and Johanna. Audience reaction to the clips was said to be very enthusiastic! Tim was on hand to answer some questions, though Sweeney Todd was not touched upon too deeply. Thanks to pourtant of IMDb and Laura for their reports!
The film had its premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 3, 2007. Johnny and Tim attended the premiere as well as private screenings in New York on December 2 and in LA on December 5. The film was released in 1,249 theaters in the US on December 21, 2007. It made about $18.7 million in its first 7 days of release and hit the $50M mark on its 6th Saturday. Its widest release was in 1,507 theaters. Its domestic cume after 13 full weeks (through March 20) stood at $52.9M. This total has put the film in 49th place for 2007 films. It was also in 10th place for musicals 1974 to present until July 2008, when Mamma Mia! entered the top ten and lowered Sweeney Todd to 11th place.
There were also some international premieres in early 2008. On January 8, Johnny and Tim attended the Japanese premiere in Tokyo, and they were joined by most of the cast for the British premiere in London on January 10. Tim and Johnny also attended the French premiere in Paris on January 16. Tim went on to attend events in Madrid on January 21 and Rome on January 23. The film opened at #1 in Japan, Taiwan, the UK and France, and spent one weekend (Jan. 25-27) at the top of the Overseas Total Box Office with over $18M earned in that weekend alone. The film has made a total of $100.4M overseas.
The Region 1 DVD was released on April 1 in 1 and 2 disc versions. More information about extras and cover art is available on DVD Active. The DVD has made $33.9M in sales and at least another $34.2M in rentals. (Dollar figures for rentals were no longer tracked after June 1, 2008, but the film remained in the Top 50 rentals through the end of June, according to Box Office Mojo/Home Media Retailing). The Region 2 DVD was released on May 19. A Blu-Ray release is scheduled for October 21, 2008.
On December 5, 2007, The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures named Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street one of the Top Ten Films of 2007, and also named Tim Burton Best Director for the film. Congratulations, Tim! The NBR was the first major award organization to name its winners during the awards season. Subsequently, the film won 2 Golden Globe awards, including Johnny for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. Due to the WGA strike, there was no awards ceremony, but Johnny gave a statement accepting the award:
"I
would like to thank my beloved friends at the Hollywood Foreign Press
Association for bestowing such an honor on me. It is a
humbling experience, especially in the company of such talent. For many
years the HFPA has supported my work and for that I have always been
truly grateful. While this is indeed a happy day for me, I am overjoyed
at the recognition the film as a whole is receiving. TIM [BURTON] is a
dear friend and a true artist whose vision and skill inspire us all. He
is a genius. Without his unwavering trust and support, I would not be
anywhere near where I am today. Also, big thanks and respect to HELENA
[BONHAM CARTER], whose simply staggering performance as Mrs. Lovett is
a wonder to behold. I must send a behemoth salute to the wonderful crew
and cast of 'Sweeney Todd' and all at Dreamworks/Paramount and Warner
Bros. Pictures. In addition, I'd also like to extend my sincere
gratitude to, first and foremost, my cherished friend and agent of
forever ago, TRACEY JACOBS; the extraordinary man and producer, RICHARD
ZANUCK; the mastermind STEPHEN SONDHEIM; and, of course, my precious
family, VANESSA, LILY-ROSE and JACK, for all of their love, support and
pure and absolute happiness everyday. Overall, I believe it to be a
proud achievement for everyone involved and on behalf of us all, I
thank you."
On
January 22, 2008,
Johnny received his third career Best Actor Oscar nomination for Sweeney Todd
(following
nominations for 2003's Pirates
Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black
Pearl and 2004's Finding
Neverland). Johnny's reaction to the nomination,
as
reported by The
Insider Online, was:"My
sincere thanks to the Academy for this kind nomination. It
is both an honor and a privilege to be aligned amongst such ability. My
endless gratitude also to TIM BURTON and the entire cast and crew of
'Sweeney Todd,' without whom, I would not be here today."
Visit the Sweeney Todd Official Movie Site for all sorts of goodies, such as snippets from many of the songs, a gallery, videos, production notes, notes on the cast and crew, wallpapers, screensavers, buddy icons and banners! Also visit the Sweeney Todd MySpace page for even more goodies, and a MySpaceTV Sweeney Todd Video Channel, which contains trailers, TV spots and a great short video of Johnny discussing Sweeney Todd and singing in a recording studio! In addition, there is a Sweeney Todd Official UK Movie Site.
Awards and Honors:
Beginning
with the National Board of Review, various organizations have honored Sweeney Todd
among their yearly awards and nominations. Here is a sampling!
Other awards and honors
Top Ten of 2007 Lists (films ranked 1 through 10 or in order)
Major awards and
nominations
- National Board of Review: WINNER: Best Director, Tim Burton. Gala event was held to honor winners on January 15, 2008.
- Broadcast Film Critics Association (Critics' Choice Awards) Awards were presented January 7, 2008. No wins.
- Nominated: Best Actor: Johnny Depp
- Nominated: Best Acting Ensemble
- Nominated: Best Director: Tim Burton
- Nominated: Best Young Actor: Edward Sanders
- Nominated: Best Picture
- Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) Awards were presented via televised press conference January 13, 2008.
- WINNER: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp
- WINNER: Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
- Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical: Helena Bonham Carter
- Nominated: Best Director – Motion Picture:Tim Burton
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) (Archive temporarily unavailable) Awards were presented February 10, 2008. No wins.
- Nominated: Make Up & Hair
- Nominated: Costume Design
- Initial longlists (15 contenders in each category): Leading Actor: Johnny Depp, Leading Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, Adapted Screenplay, Make Up & Hair, Special Visual Effects, Sound, Costume Design, Production Design, Music
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars) Awards were presented February 24, 2008.
- Nominated: Performance by an actor in a leading role: Johnny Depp
- WINNER: Achievement in art direction: Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
- Nominated:
Achievement in costume design: Colleen Atwood
- Initial
shortlist for Makeup (7
contenders)
Other awards and honors
- National Movie Awards (UK) Awards to be presented September 8, 2008
- Nominated: Performance - Male (Johnny Depp)
- Nominated: Performance - Female (Helena Bonham Carter)
- Nominated: Musical
- SyFy Portal Genre Awards
- WINNER: Best Actor/Movie (Johnny Depp)
- Nominated: Best Actress/Movie (Helena Bonham Carter)
- MTV Movie Awards: WINNER: Best Villain (Johnny Depp)
- Teen Choice Awards: WINNER: Movie Villain (Johnny Depp)
- Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror Films (Saturn Awards)
- WINNER: Best Horror Film
- WINNER: Best Costume (Colleen Atwood)
- Nominated: Best Actor (Johnny Depp)
- Nominated: Best Actress (Helena Bonham Carter)
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Alan Rickman)
- Nominated: Best Direction (Tim Burton)
- Nominated: Best Writing (John Logan)
- Nominated: Best Make-up (Peter Owen, Ivana Primorac)
- Washington DC Area Film Critics Association: WINNER: Best Art Direction
- Phoenix Film Critics' Society: WINNER: Best Achievement in Production Design, WINNER: Best Achievement in Costume Design, WINNER: Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role - Male (Edward Sanders)
- St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association: WINNER: Best Score, RUNNER UP: Best Visual Effects, NOMINATED: Best Picture, Best Director
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society: WINNER: Best Costume Design, WINNER: Youth In Film Award (Male-Edward Sanders),
- Houston Film Critics Society: WINNER: Best Director, Tim Burton
- San Diego Film Critics: WINNER: Best Production Design Dante Ferretti
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle: WINNER: Outstanding Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association: RUNNER-UP: Best Production Design (Dante Ferretti)
- Evening Standard British Film Awards: WINNER: Best Actress: Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd/Conversations With Other Women
- American Cinema Editors (ACE Eddie Awards): WINNER: Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical): Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E.
- Costume Designers Guild: WINNER: Best period film (Colleen Atwood)
- International Cinephile Society: RUNNER UP: Production Design (Dante Ferretti). NOMINATED: Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Cinematography, Editing
- Visual Effects Society: NOMINATED: The Old Bailey: "Created Environment In a Live Action Motion Picture."
- Art Directors Guild: NOMINATED: Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film in 2007, Period Piece: PD: Dante Ferretti
- Motion Picture Sound Editors: NOMINATED: Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Music – Musical
- Young Artist Awards NOMINATED: Best Performance In A Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor - Comedy or Musical (Ed Sanders)
- New York Times Oscar Ballot: WINNER: Best Actor (Johnny Depp) 31%, WINNER: Art Direction (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo) 30%. 3rd PLACE: Costume Design (Colleen Atwood) 22%
- Moviefone Oscars 2008: WINNER: Best Actor (Johnny Depp) 39%
- Oscar Igloo Online Community Awards: WINNER: Best Director (Tim Burton), WINNER: Best Costume Design, WINNER: Best Art Direction, WINNER: Best Score (Original or Pre-Recorded). NOMINATED: Best Picture, Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Cameo/Limited Performance (Sacha Baron Cohen), Best Child/Young Performance (Edward Sanders), Best Editing, Best Sound.
- 2007 GoldDerby Film Awards: WINNER: Art Direction (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo). NOMINATED: Motion Picture, Director (Tim Burton), Lead Actor (Johnny Depp), Lead Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup/Hair, Sound Editing/Mixing.
- Blockbuster and e-rewards Oscar survey: WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Johnny Depp)
- Fandango Fan Favorite Awards: WINNER: Top Screen Psycho (Best Reason To Bolt The Doors): Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd
- Vanity
Fair Little Gold Men: NOMINATED: Ultimate Badass: Sweeney
Todd (warning:
contains major plot spoilers for Sweeney
Todd, No
Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood)
Top Ten of 2007 Lists (films ranked 1 through 10 or in order)
- National Board of Review: Top Ten
- New York Film Critics Online (reported on comingsoon.net): Top Eleven
- New York Magazine: "Almost-Best Pictures (Bloody)" - shared with There Will Be Blood
- Kurt Loder, MTV: one of 5 films listed after winner Michael Clayton as other best of the year
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society: Top Ten
- Phoenix Film Critics' Society: Top Ten
- Lou Gaul, Philly Burbs Top Ten (nine runners-up to No Country For Old Men)
- Kim Voynar - Cinematical.com (AWFJ site) Top Ten
- Jennifer Merin - New York Press - Documentaries.About.com (AWFJ site) Top Ten
- Susan Granger - SSG Syndicate (AWFJ site)Top Ten
- Thelma Adams - US Weekly (AWFJ site) Top Ten
- Jim Slotek, London Free Press Top Ten
- Bob Mondello, NPR Top Five
- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune Top Eleven
- Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger Top Ten
- Andy Klein, LA City Beat Top Ten
- Keith Uhlich, Village Voice/LA Weekly Top Ten
- Dennis Harvey, IndieWire poll Top Ten
- TC Kirkham, popcornnroses/subject:cinema Baker's Dozen
- Kim Brown, popcornnroses/subject: cinema Top Ten
- Priscilla Mack, Community Times Top Ten
- Larry
Katz, Community Times Top Ten
- Logan Hill, Village Voice/LA Weekly #1
- David Poland, Village Voice/LA Weekly #1
- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone (Oscar pick)
- Richard
Roeper, Ebert & Roeper (Oscar pick, tied with Daniel
Day-Lewis and George Clooney)
- David Ehrenstein, Village Voice/LA Weekly #2
- Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly #3
- Ray Pride, Village Voice/LA Weekly #3
- Nathan Rabin, The Onion AV Club (IndieWire poll) #5
- Jonathan
Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader (IndieWire poll) #5
Formal Reviews,
Soundtrack Reviews, and other Articles:
Please visit the Johnny Depp Rocks! Sweeney Todd Reviews and Articles page!
Multimedia:
Photos:
A Sweeney Todd- specific Photo Gallery is now open on Johnny Depp Rocks! This allows all posters, production stills, and other Sweeney Todd-related images to be shown together! Click on the thumbnail below to enter!
Videos:
- Jonathan Ross interviews Johnny and Tim
- The Sun interviews Jayne Wisener and Jamie Campbell Bower about the film and Johnny
- David Poland from Movie City News interviews Tim
- Moviefone Unscripted interview with Johnny and Tim (don't forget to also click on the bonus clips on the right side of the page, for additional questions and answers!)
- Various clips from CanMag (find the clips at the top of the "Trailers & Clips" list)
- 30 minute behind the scenes clip from Apple
- Behind the scenes from Movifone
- Opening credits courtesy of BroadwayWorld.com or on YouTube
- Stephen Sondheim clips on Nonesuch Radio, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
- BroadwayWorld.com: Sweeney Todd from Stage To Screen, hosted by Richard Ridge, Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3
- The CW's "First Look" at Sweeney Todd
- Entertainment Tonight
- Access Hollywood (this video will forever be a classic! The interviewer accidentally stated that Tim and Johnny had been working together for "Ten Decades", resulting in the two of them barely being able to contain their laughter. Lots of jokes about IVs and Preparation H ensued!)
- E!'s Daily 10 (on YouTube)
- The Today Show
Also visit the following sites that have gathered the various trailers, TV spots, and featurettes that have popped up so far:
- http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com (The official site)
- http://www.myspace.com/sweeneytoddmovie (The official MySpace site)
- MySpaceTV Sweeney Todd Video Channel
- Comingsoon.net
- IESB.net
- TheMovieBox.net
Audio:
TimeOut London offers a free "audio tour" of Sweeney Todd's London, with clips, interviews and music. It can be downloaded here!
Nick Hutson of the MusicalTalk website attended the November 26, 2007 Sweeney Todd press junket in London. There is a podcast available of the event, including interviews with Johnny, Stephen Sondheim, Tim Burton and others. Click here to visit MusicalTalk, and click on podcast 0057 in the podcast window in the upper right!
Paramount Downloads:
Paramount has provided some downloadable links to share with all! You can now download the hi-def trailer (though it's HUGE at 155 MB) or the standard trailer (a more manageable 55 MB), a poster, and the first two production stills by Leah Gallo. There are also 9 movie clips in large and medium resolution. Enjoy!
- Sweeney Todd Script (an early version from Dec. 2006)
- http://paramount2007.com/site/index.html
(select "Sweeney Todd" in the upper right corner, then click "Download
the script")
- Sweeney Todd Trailer –
- Hi Def
- Standard Def
- Sweeney Todd Movie Poster and 2 Images –
- 9 Movie clips in large and medium resolution –
- http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_epiphany_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_epiphany_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_howlongtillpirelligetsback_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_howlongtillpirelligetsback_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_littlepriest_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_littlepriest_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_myfriends_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_myfriends_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_notwhileimaround_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_notwhileimaround_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_pamperyou_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_pamperyou_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_sweeneytoddnow_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_sweeneytoddnow_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_thecontest_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_thecontest_med.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_youganderdatmyward_lrg.mov
http://downloads.paramount.com/mp/sweeneytodd/ST_youganderdatmyward_med.mov
Soundtrack Information:
Nonesuch Records released the Sweeney Todd soundtrack on December 18, 2007. It entered the Billboard 200 Chart (the chart dated January 5, 2008) at #56, peaked at #16 in its fourth week, and remained in the Top 200 for 24 weeks. It spent the first 8 weeks following its release in the Top 100, and then re-entered the Top 100 for 3 weeks following the DVD release. It has also stayed in the Top 25 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart for 29 weeks, including 8 weeks in the Top Ten. You can find various chart positions by date at the Billboard site here. Here are the chart positions in chart form (click to enlarge):
Billboard 200 Billboard Top Soundtracks
You can hear sound clips of all the tracks on Amazon. There are two formats to the soundtrack: a "Soundtrack Highlights" disc and a "Deluxe Complete Edition"; the latter is packaged with an 80-page bound booklet, with lyrics and photographs. A comparison of the track listings for the two versions is as follows:
| Deluxe Complete Edition | Soundtrack Highlights |
| Opening Title | ----- |
| No Place Like London | No Place Like London |
| The Worst Pies in London | The Worst Pies in London |
| Poor Thing | Poor Thing |
| My Friends | My Friends |
| Green Finch & Linnett Bird | Green Finch & Linnett Bird |
| Alms Alms | ----- |
| Johanna | Johanna |
| Pirelli's Miracle Elixir | Pirelli's Miracle Elixir |
| The Contest | The Contest |
| Wait | Wait |
| Ladies and Their Sensitivities | ----- |
| Pretty Women | Pretty Women |
| Epiphany | Epiphany |
| A Little Priest | A Little Priest |
| Johanna | Johanna |
| God, That's Good! | God, That's Good! |
| By the Sea | By the Sea |
| Not While I m Around | Not While I m Around |
| Final Scene | ----- |
Performance credits from the film:
(click to enlarge)
Comments from Stephen Sondheim:
In a February 26, 2007 press release from Dreamworks, Sondheim spoke publicly about the film for perhaps the first time, expressing much enthusiasm for the project: "Sometimes a story or stage production has to wait a long time until the right people come together to turn it into a motion picture. That's what has happened with 'Sweeney Todd' and I'm excited as well as confident that it will be a first-rate and startling movie." Burton adds, "I've always wanted to do a musical and 'Sweeney Todd' is my favorite. Stephen's blend of humor, horror and emotion is something that has always connected with me."
In the spring, he mentioned the Sweeney Todd film in an interview while in Cincinnati to receive an award. He spoke about the unique issues that pertain to the film medium as opposed to stage. An excerpt from the interview and a link to the audio version are available on the Stephen Sondheim Society site.
On July 6, 2007 in Sydney Australia, Sondheim briefly mentioned the film: "There are songs that have been cut, and cuts within some of the songs, but generally it is pretty much the score... the plot is very little changed ... It is pretty faithful." The report, in The Australian, also said, "Johnny Depp sings his way through the title role: the actor played in a rock band before becoming a star of television, then film." Click for article. In another Australian television interview (available only in Australia), he said of Depp: "Everybody forgets he started in a band. He was a band singer before he became a tv star. He was not the lead singer, but he was a backing singer, he was very musical, and he sings too."
Sondheim was interviewed by Norman Lebrecht of BBC Radio on August 6, and spoke briefly about Sweeney Todd. He mentioned that he was not involved in the casting of Johnny-- Johnny was already attached to the film when Sondheim became involved. However, Sondheim did have a say in casting most of the other roles, including Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett and Sacha Baron Cohen as Pirelli, and he spoke very favorably of both actors.
On September 27, 2007, Roger Friedman from FoxNews.com reported that Stephen Sondheim told him he has seen the film, and he likes it. “It’s not the Broadway show,” he warned me. “It’s only an hour and 45 minutes. A lot of the score has been cut. They’ve made it its own thing. You have to go in knowing that. But what they’ve done is great.”
Brendan Lemon attests in his blog entry of October 4, 2007 that Stephen Sondheim "really really" likes the upcoming film version of Sweeney Todd: "[Sondheim] says that Johnny Depp gives a terrific, chilling performance."
Just for fun!
Fans
Hillary and Hannah Hindi have some awesome YouTubes of skits featuring
various Depp characters and other famous movie characters.
The
most recent 2 installments show what happens when Sweeney Todd and Mrs.
Lovett run into Jack Sparrow and Will Turner. Check it out!
(Also
check out the previous 9 episodes, which are lots of fun though they
don't include Sweeney).
The Hillywood Show: Episode #10 on YouTube
The Hillywood Show: Episode #11 on YouTube
The Hillywood Show: Episode #12 on YouTube
Eleni's New York bakery made Oscar Nominee cookies for the Awards season! From Entertainment Weekly:
Vanity Fair's Little Gold Men has held "This Year’s Ultimate Badass Competition" among Oscar contenders Sweeney Todd of Sweeney Todd, Anton Chigurh of No Country For Old Men, and Daniel Plainview of There Will Be Blood. The three characters competed in such categories as "Most Brutal Murder Method" and "Signature Badass Line". Check out the results of the competition here! (Spoiler Warning: the article gives away major plot spoilers from all three movies! Be forewarned!)
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone has some harsh words for the Screen Actors Guild for snubbing Johnny in the Best Actor Category. Read his warning to AMPAS: "Oscar, don't be stupid" that was published in the January 24, 2008 Rolling Stone Issue:
A fan has made some cool "Lego Sweeney" YouTube videos of scenes from Sweeney Todd! (Note that the scenes contain some minor plot spoilers). The film cast does the singing. See the clips here!
The Hillywood Show: Episode #10 on YouTube
The Hillywood Show: Episode #11 on YouTube
The Hillywood Show: Episode #12 on YouTube
Eleni's New York bakery made Oscar Nominee cookies for the Awards season! From Entertainment Weekly:
Vanity Fair's Little Gold Men has held "This Year’s Ultimate Badass Competition" among Oscar contenders Sweeney Todd of Sweeney Todd, Anton Chigurh of No Country For Old Men, and Daniel Plainview of There Will Be Blood. The three characters competed in such categories as "Most Brutal Murder Method" and "Signature Badass Line". Check out the results of the competition here! (Spoiler Warning: the article gives away major plot spoilers from all three movies! Be forewarned!)
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone has some harsh words for the Screen Actors Guild for snubbing Johnny in the Best Actor Category. Read his warning to AMPAS: "Oscar, don't be stupid" that was published in the January 24, 2008 Rolling Stone Issue:
A fan has made some cool "Lego Sweeney" YouTube videos of scenes from Sweeney Todd! (Note that the scenes contain some minor plot spoilers). The film cast does the singing. See the clips here!
- Pirelli's Miracle Elixir
- Pretty Women
- Epiphany
- A Little Priest
- The Contest
- excerpts from By The Sea and Worst Pies In London