Compare and Contrast: Patti Lupone and Micheal Ceveris in 2006; Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter this year.
The Pictures tell a story ... Sweeney on film is a grim, blood-drenched, grim, adequately (mostly) sung, grim, gorgeous, grim, scarey and a bit grim.
It's hard for me to guage it. I liked it but it didn't feel as satisfying as the stage versions. The number of songs cut and the increase in speaking (though not ridiculous as in Rent) are distracting to me but worked to keep the movie a reasonable length.
I will say, again, that I am sure that a completely sung-through movie is less 'artificial' than one where people suddenly break into song every so often. I know Hollywood is petrified by 'the musical' as an art form (cf the entire add campaingn for Sweeney) but no favors are being done by underlining how strange singing is by only using it sparingly.
But all the humour is gone. Some of this may be the result of Bonham-Carter's singing which is thin and free of emotional complexity. I read that her performance is 'more internal' than previous, but it's mostly just underdeveloped. She can be quite funny, but not here. And for whatever reason, Burton didn't seem interested in much humor anyway. Even Sacha Baron-Cohen's scene ( a role that is high camp on stage) is dark and muted.
So, it's a different work. It's a fine one too. The screen allows for some really fabulous, slasher flick dying and body disposal. The character of Tobias, a club-footed, half-wit late-teen on stage is now a boy of about 10, The young lovers are more beautiful (Hollywood) and a lot less ditsy. And Alan Rickman is always a joy.
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