Not as excited about Sweeney Todd as I was.
Slight spoilers if you know absolutely nothing about Sweeney Todd. I don't think there's anything here that isn't in the trailer.
Quick note: For those who don't know, Sweeney Todd, coming to theatres Dec. 21, is a movie version of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning Broadway musical. Sweeney is the Demon Barber of Fleet Street -- a man wronged who wants revenge on those who wronged him.
So I was playing around on the Sweeney Todd Web site. I've been waiting for the movie for a long time now, really looking forward to it. But it's also been tinged with nervous anticipation -- will they be able to pull it off? I love Johnny Depp, and I didn't want him to screw this up.
Well, thank goodness, he hasn't. At least not from what I've heard. If you go to this link and click "Enter site", another window will open. In the top right corner is something called Audio -- click on it, and you can listen to parts of some of the different songs. I'm pleasantly surprised with Depp -- he's not bad. It's a hard role to sing, and what little I've heard impresses me.
However. Helena Bonham-Carter.
It's unfortunate that her and Burton are a thing because she's going to be hearing a lot of director's couch comments. She's awful -- she can't sing -- it's more of a fast talking, and there's no power at all behind it. Not to mention she sounds like she is trying to hurry through the lyrics as fast as she can so she can stop singing -- she doesn't seem to believe she should be singing, either.
She just annoyed me in "Bit of Priest" and "Worst Pies in London". And I'm even trying to cut her a break -- Angela Lansbury defined that role, and she's who I hear in my head when I listen, but I was willing to give someone else a chance. When I first heard Carter's name, I thought it could be a bit of inspired casting -- provided she could sing. Yeah, well, I will now be going to the movie dreading her moments.
All I can hope is that she can bring something to the role besides her singing. Except that I really feel like Mrs. Lovett is almost a sweet woman who's a bit demented -- she clearly loves the boy and has a thing for Sweeney, and thinks they can all be a happy family of sorts, with a few murders thrown in here and there -- not a demented woman who's scary, which is how I think Carter will play it -- Bellatrix does Mrs. Lovett.
On the other hand, listening to Alan Rickman in "Pretty Woman" didn't upset me. Does he sound like an actor singing? Yes. But it doesn't annoy me. He sounds like Snape singing, which turns me into a giddy fan girl inside.
Of course, you can listen to "Green Finch" if you wish to torture yourself. I hated it in the production I saw, and I hate it here, too. And I have no idea who the girl is who sings it, only that she is slightly better than the soprano who sang it on my soundtrack.
So now I'll still see it opening weekend, but some of the air has been let out of the balloon for me. What do you guys think? Am I being too hard on her? Anyone agree with me?
Comments (3)
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Eh, I'm still excited. I think die-hard fans of the Broadway show need to resign themselves to the fact this is a Tim Burton vehicle, not a faithful reproduction of the play.
It's "Sleepy Hallow" all over again. You can't enjoy the film if you can't stop thinking "What a massacre of this literary classic!" But once you let go, it's a fun, gorgeous film.
This justification only works with Tim Burton, though. The "Bridge to Terabithia" film makes me contemplate murder.
Posted on December 4, 2007 3:42 PM
There's constructive criticism and there's just being down right rude and you're just rude. Yes Johnny does a good job and so does Alan but I think Helena does a great job to say she blatantly wasn't a singer before this film. Yes she tries to rush some of the lyrics and yes she sounds like she's talking but have you tried singing with an accent, especially when the accent she uses in the movie is completely juxtaposed to that of her one in real life, but that's her. If she was that bad then she wouldn't have beaten any other actresses to the part and there were some good ones.She had to audition like everybody else, whether she was Tim's partner or not. Maybe the reason you like the sound of Johnny and Alan's voices so much because they sound like the voices they used in past roles Johnny like Jack Sparrow and Alan like Snape.I know and god I hope you know that she is a brilliant and very versatile actress she did a damn good job. There's only one person who can be the real judge of how she does. Let's see what Sondheim thinks shall we?
Posted on December 14, 2007 4:15 PM
Tanya, I have to say, I haven't tried singing with an accent -- because I know I can't sing. And if you take a role in a widely anticipated movie, you have to know people are going to put you under a microscope and pick you apart. She's a brilliant actress -- and she should have stuck to her day job.
We'll just have to agree to disagree.
Posted on December 14, 2007 6:25 PM