Sondheim on Sweeney (Film)

"IT has got a lot of blood in it and that's fine by me," says Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim of director Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. The film version of Sondheim's musical about the demon barber of Fleet Street finished filming in Britain a couple of weeks ago.
A self-confessed movie buff, Sondheim says writer John Logan asked him for his opinion on the screenplay. He understood that filming the whole musical would make the film too long: some of the cuts were judicious and some not. "There are songs that have been cut, and cuts within some of the songs, but generally it is pretty much the score," he says. He was speaking at Sydney's Theatre Royal last Friday. "The plot is very little changed ... It is pretty faithful." Johnny Depp sings his way through the title role: the actor played in a rock band before becoming a star of television, then film. The cast includes Helena Bonham Carter (as Mrs Lovett), Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin), Timothy Spall (Beadle Bamford) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Signor Adolfo Pirelli). Sondheim says he has never been tempted to write for film: "Film is a director's medium and I would not have the patience to direct even if I had the talent for it."



All The Stuff on Sweeney I Posted, But Here's The Link.

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Updated On: 7/12/07 at 09:52 PM

So do you get the feeling KISS ME might still be there? I can see songs like AH, MISS and WAIT getting cut. But KISS ME is just to spectacular to cut. I can kind of deal with cutting the quartet. But the duet has to be there. And if the quartet is there..I'll be one happy boy.
But if BY THE SEA gets cut..that would be a tragedy. I assume they'll keep that number. Though it doesn't really advance the plot, it's a hell of a song.

^After hearing her sing on the "Corpse Bride" soundtrack, I feel like her singing could go either way.

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I imagine that most of the songs retained for the OBC hilihhgts disc would be used in the film, with the exception of the quartet at the end of "Kiss me/Ladies in Their Sensitivities." And if they were to cut any of Levett's numbers, I'd expect "Wait" to be the one to go. I hope "City On Fire," or at least part of it, makes it to the screen.

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Updated On: 7/12/07 at 10:48 PM

I really hope they didn't cut By The Sea. It's my favorite number in the show, and I think it's really central to the character of Ms. Lovett.

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although "city on fire" is not that cinematic (very discriptive and more suitable for the stage), I can't see burton cutting that song. the lyrics are pure Burton.- so dark and macabre, i can't see burton choosing to cut that.

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You should ask SeanMartin. He knows all when it comes to Sondheim. He reads between the lines.

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Does anyone know how they will excuse the singing in this? Will all songs take place on the stage at the Globe?

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That's simple enough.

When they sing "He heard the music that nobody heard," Johnny will look straight into the camera and wink.

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You're welcome!

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Nope, wasn't me. I was never adamant. I just allowed that sometimes people are right on this board and that it had been mentioned that the shooting script that was going around had some cuts in it. Never claimed to be in a recording studio. Never claimed to be able to read between the lines, either.

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^No, I heard they're just going to reuse "Learn To Be Lonely."

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How are you that gullible? Come on, it's me.

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