Sondheim Talks Sweeney Todd Film (Details)

[MovieDan82]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:09am

Taken from IMDB board: Sondheim appeared on an Aussie TV show last night to promote Company. He talked a little about the Sweeney film...


Host: And it's now translated to film, I believe, Tim Burton has just directed Johnny Depp?

SS: Yes, indeed, filming was finished just... two weeks ago.

Host: And what sort of imput did you have into that process?

SS: Well, the screen-writer John Logan came to me, he'd done his adaptation of it, and I put in my two cents worth. Obviuosly you can't do the full piece because it would take too long, and so you have to do some - I hope - judicious cutting, and so he'd done some of that. I thought some of that was too judicious, and some of it not enough and so there are songs that have been cut and there are cuts within songs. But generally it's pretty much the score. The plot is very little changed - there are details of the plot which have been changed, but it's pretty faithful to the piece. Now, the whole style in which it's being told and the acting style is different than a stage acting style, it's much more of a film noir, low-key acting style, but the transition into the music seems to me to work. Now, it hasn't been put together, yet, so I've only seen, you know, seen it in - no pun intended - slices, and it's got a lot of blood in it, and that's fine by me, it's a very bloody movie.

Host: And I didn't realise Johnny Depp could sing...?

SS: 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.

Updated On: 8/6/07 at 11:09 AM

[uhkthxbye2]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:16am

Thanks for posting that! I'm SO excited to see this.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:19am

I was hoping he was "musical".

[desiree armfeldt]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:25am

hahahahaha!

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 2:33pm

"I was hoping he was "musical"


Funny. No talk of Helena at all. Lame interview but thanks for posting what little we can hope for. It is how things go. You would think the show reaks with blood! The way it always comes up whenever you hear talk of this. I would hate to have worked wardrobe. This will affect ratings I bet. Though it really should be R because it is about revenge and murder. Give it an R and all the PG'ers will still be there but some of the G'ers might be scared away.

I will see it with trepidation. I hope I won't be too disappointed.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 4:52pm

I can't tell you how much Sondheim giving his approval on these aspects of the film has raised my spirits.

I look forward to this movie even more than I did before, and that's saying something.

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 4:58pm

Yes Sondheim's approval has only made me more excited for this movie, I can not wait!! I really hope a trailer arrives soon!

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 4:58pm

"he was very musical, and he sings too."

Why does the wording of that fill me with dread?

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 5:55pm

humbug, I thought the same thing. It's such an ambiguous statement....as opposed to him just saying one way or the other if he thinks Depp is any good.

I've not read a lot of Sondheim interviews....is he usually pretty diplomatic, or does he speak his mind?

[folkyboy]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 6:14pm

he's got a mouth. i think he'd say if he was disappointed, frankly.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 7:19pm

Well of course Depp can sing. ANYBODY can sing. The question is how well? I guess we'll find out in December...

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 7:20pm

Yes, he's got a mouth, but he's also extraordinarily clever with words (would we be Sondheim fans if he weren't?). There are SO many other ways he could have made that statement that the sheer...faintness of his comment seems quite dire.

Hell, I'm very musical, and I sing, too, but nobody in their right mind would let me sing anywhere outside my shower.

Depp sings a bit in Chocolat and I was very....underwhelmed by his vocal abilities. I'm sure for ordinary stuff he's just fine, but for Sondheim....and not just any Sondheim, but SWEENEY?? I guess we have to put a lot of trust and faith in the recording engineer.

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 7:51pm

I was at the show "An Audience with Stephen Sondheim" which was on the 2nd of July. He talked MUCH more about Sweeney Todd, but a lot of it was cut for TV. He said stuff cuts made in the songs "Johnanna", "God, That's good!" and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" (The reprises I assume). He didn't talk about the cast much.

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:02pm

Didn't Depp lyp synch someone else's voice in 'Cry Baby'? I don't think he is very vocally strong... and he's playing Sweeney... Ah, well, I'll just have to keep faith and try to keep my hopes high.

[MovieDan82]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:05pm

Spill some more!

[MovieDan82]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:09pm

Listening to a live BBC interview with Sondheim right now.

quick notes:

Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant in film. Sondheim saw tape of SBC singing, blown away. Sondheim fan of Ali G, SBC was his choice for the role. SBC is "not camp" in the film, "creepy", "sleazy", and sinister".

Sondheim approved of Carter but not Depp. Depp came with the project.

I'll post more in a sec.


Updated On: 8/6/07 at 08:09 PM

[MovieDan82]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:15pm

Sondheim approved of all “smaller parts”

Sacha Baron Cohen has “a real voice” Role to be baritone.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:36pm

Thanks for sharing the info!

Hmmm...

Maybe Sacha should have played Sweeney.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:38pm

Has he said anything else about Johnny, MovieGuy?

Thanks so much for telling us this!

[glimpseofstocking]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:38pm

Ohhh, film noir. Can't wait to see it.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:44pm

Thanks. It sounded in one interview that SBC was struggling with shaving and cutting and it was going to be a problem. Now I feel a little better about that. I was just concerned how much they cut back the songs. He sounded kind of disappointed about the score in the first interview posted here.

Johnny may be re-recording some stuff in post production. We will have to hope for the best. It looks good!

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:50pm

I think it's going to be amazing and it's exciting to have Sondheim's approval. I am confident in Johnny's abitilies...

He did lip sync in Crybaby, except the part close up on him in the car but in general I believe his talents will rise to the occasion.

[MovieDan82]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:51pm

I’ve noticed that Sondheim dishes differently from interview to interview. Just having finished listening to his live BBC interview, I have to say he was clearly goofing on Depp in classic coded Sondheim way.

Depp (pause) umm… (longer pause) Depp came with the project. I approved all the other parts.

Yet in the other interviews he’s given in the past few days he’s praised Depp, but always manages to add that he was in a real rock and roll band and everything.

… then informs the interviewee that he was only the backup singer.

You wait for the laugh, but it never comes.
Updated On: 8/6/07 at 08:51 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 8:53pm

I wish SS would appear on talk shows in the US!

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 9:00pm

I wish to God that if it isn't working (in the editing room) they'd just call in a "perfect match" ghost singer and DUB him on the iffy parts.