New Sweeney Todd Trailer — Page 2

Best12, that trailer was far from "kiddie". Yes, the narration was a tad lighter, but I think it made for a nice little paradox with the darker visual images on the screens. SWEENEY does have a slight comical side, and I think this trailer fit very well with the cynical feel of the play. Evil people may be mean, but who says they can't be funny?

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Speaking of bloody, Taka, the ending od Grey's Anatomy was absolutely crazy!

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Updated On: 11/22/07 at 10:29 PM

Best 12, if you object so strongly to that new trailer, you might have slit your own throat over the giddy "he SHAVES them! She BAKES them!" tagline in the TV commercial for the original Broadway production.

The film does need to reach a wider demographic to be a success, which is what we all want. You may disagree with the approach, but the various trailers are an education process to try to describe what is a very difficult property to categorize. This one shows a bit more of the comic tone of the piece, and some of the music, which is, of course, as much a part of the property as the vengeance plot and the throat slashings that were prominent in the other trailers.

You also seem to think that people have not seen the previous two trailers, or know what an audience might expect going in from a film starring Johnny Depp or directed by Tim Burton that features a blood splattered logo. I also think your response to the trailer verges on the hysterical.

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in that "A Little Priest" bit, shouldn't Mrs. Lovett have sang a harmony?

You're absolutely right. I was disappointed when I heard that, actually.

"Yes, the narration was a tad lighter, but I think it made for a nice little paradox with the darker visual images on the screens."

THAT's the point, stupids!! It's a JOKE. They're making fun of this movie about a serial killer opening on Christmas Day. You may not think it's effective but nothing about that trailer made it appear to be a light comedy.

I disagree, sondhead. I wasn't left with that impression at all so I watched it again after reading your post. There wasn't one thing that played against the lightness of the narration that would make it a joke in the way that you suggest. It was all swirling capes and dancing. There was not a single drop of blood, no slashing, not even a menacing look, no mention of pies or revenge or any of the things that would be needed to make it a play against the narration as a joke.

If what you suggest is indeed what they were going for, I think they did a pitiful job of it and failed miserably, especially considering the goldmine of contrasting material they had to choose from to make that work.

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""in that "A Little Priest" bit, shouldn't Mrs. Lovett have sang a harmony?"

She did. But it's barely audible in Helena Bonham's wispy little voice."

Sounded like Unison to me. oh, well...

"This advertising format will probably be discontinued soon after they recieve the reception to it from their target audience. They do this with all films- testing the most effective marketing trailers."

They totally did that with "The Mist" The first theatrical trailer I saw played up the whole sacrificing the boy because we've gone crazy angle, which said to me "I DON'T want to see crazy people sacrificing a boy to some mist," but since then I've only seen cool trailers about what is in the mist, and now I want to see it (but I'll close my eyes during the crazy people parts!)