gothic comes back to the big screen in tim burton's latest beautiful macabre (and very well-deserved) golden globes best picture winner sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street. burton tags along his usual cast: his sweetheart helena bonham carter and my sweetheart, johnny depp.
so i'm not in the mood to create a synopsis; and i also think it's a lot better if you see this film with no clue whatsoever on what it's about -- you're gonna be in for a shocking treat. but these are my thoughts:
*** it helps that burton did the job semi-musical (but that's a little expected since this movie is adapted from a musical); he unveils the darkest plots and tells them in an almost friendly way. the film certainly has a wealth of humor, but dark, wicked humor mind you.don't be deceived; don't you dare bring your kids here.
*** i gasp in horror as depp realizes how his revenge consumed him in a morbid discovery that he killed his own wife with his own blade no less and sends her crashing to the ground, head first. in the context of tragedy, however, it is the most beautiful i've ever seen. depp's slit throat, blood gushing out of him, blood streaming down to his wife's face, blood pouring down from his mortal rival, blood in the sewer, bloody hands, bloody clothes, bloody corpses everywhere -- beautiful.
*** i smirk at the clever madness of helena bonham carter's character. what a calculating woman. and i thought she insists to "keep that lady out!" during the grand opening of her "meat" pies because she's a beggar, it didn't cross my mind she's actually depp's lost love!
sweeney todd has all of burton's familiar and trademark elements -- especially the gore, and the black (in form and in wit) -- and if you pay attention you will not miss the homage to his previous films: the showdown between johnny depp and sacha baron cohen takes you back to edward scissorhands, helena bonham carter's daydreaming is reminiscent of charlie and the chocolate factory (with respect to costumes) and the overall tone and color reminds you of corpse bride, only we now have the characters in their breathing form. personally, i think this movie placed burton at his most accomplished; sweeney todd is one hell of a twisted delight.
just make sure you come to see this when all your tasks are done; i watched this and i could not think of anything else; i didn't want to do anything else. sweeney todd is asphyxiating as it is entertaining. i want to remember all the lines and choke on every one of them and strangely, i don't want to forget the tragedy -- again, what a beautiful, rare execution. and yes, gentlemen, go get that haircut and shave if you need to... you would not want to meet a barber in the next few weeks.
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