Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Deluxe - Complete Edition Reviews

• 3 Stars for the Soundtrack, an Extra Star for the Immortal Score

  
  By AMXRE0V10VO1J on 2007-12-19
  The just released soundtrack to the film version of "Sweeney Todd" is a rather thin voiced though richly orchestrated version of the classic musical. Whether or not you care for the work of Stephen Sondheim is a matter of taste. The virtues of "Sweeney Todd" have been discussed for thirty years, so let's just cut (pun intended) to the chase. While not a disservice to this seminal piece, the new soundtrack falls far short of other recordings due to some jarring vocal miscasting. Johnny Depp has a fair baritone, and what his voice lacks in professional training is made up for by his intense protrayal. He really ACTS the role in the songs. He's also the first recorded "Sweeney" to speak with an English accent and it works. While a bit thin at the top of his register, Depp sounds just fine in "My Friends" and his duet with Alan Rickman, "Pretty Women", is rather beautiful to hear from two generally non-professional singers. Rickman performs each of his songs with aplomb and Sacha Baron-Cohen is surprisingly effective as Pirelli. In addition, Edward Sanders, the 14-year old with the best voice in the cast, is a delight as Tobias and finally allows the role the resonence it needs because he's the right age. His "Not While I'm Around" is sensational, as are his comical moments in "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir".
  
  The other performers are unfortunately not fully up to the task on CD. Jamie Campbell Bower is somewhat enemic on "Johanna", though he brings a certain vacuosness to his performance that's right for the role and it's nice to have Anthony cast with an actor the right age. Likewise, Jayne Wisener doesn't quite have the pipes or range to bring off the complicated "Green Finch and Linnett Bird", though it's quite appealing to have this frequently over-sung piece performed in character. That brings us to Helena Bonham Carter, a delightful actress who is disasterously miscast in the singing role of Mrs. Lovett. She supposedly got the role not because she is director Tim Burton's companion and mother to his children (yeah...right) but because of her superior audition. Huh? She barely sings above a whisper and seems to hold back in order to maintain her weak vocal control. Mrs. Lovett is the bawdy, no nonsense comic harridan of the piece, but Bonham Carter's performances are totally lackluster. They just lie there. She fares best on the eerie lullaby "Wait", where her diminished vocals suit the gentle temptation of the song. However, gone is the humor of "Worst Pies in London", the maniacal energy of "A Little Priest" and the edgy provocativeness of "Poor Thing". It almost ruins the score. But not quite....
  
  Thankfully, most of the songs from the original production made it into the film, although some are in truncated versions. The cut songs, for the most part, make sense because most were devices of the stage and this is a different medium. Burton reportedly reinstated material the screenwriter initially omitted, and it's a pleasure to get a film version of such a timeless work that doesn't butcher or bastardize the original. Also, the orchestra adds another thirty musicians compared to the 1979 Original Cast masterpiece. And yet, we don't get the usual, souped-up and drippy Hollywood orchestrations. Here the shadings are deeper and more resonant without being sentimental or over-the-top. It's actually understated in a way that serves the piece as a whole.
  
  A mixed bag and a curio at the same time, this soundtrack will remain an unusual effort to present an obviously challenging work. Which, I guess, makes it worthwhile....in a way.
  
  
  
  

• At last! A Film Version of Sondheim That Works!

  
  By AQQFI7YHMRL7S on 2007-12-19
  I received the soundtrack for Sweeney Todd today, and although I have not seen the film yet (it will open in three days), I am more looking forward to seeing the movie than ever. The soundtrack was a pleasant - I shouldn't say "surprise"; I expected to like it - let's say a wholly satisfying experience, for more than one reason.
  
  Firstly, as stated by Mr. Sondheim, be forewarned that the film is not exactly the same as the stage version. That said, the score appears to be as close to the original as one could hope. I only noticed a few cuts and some minor changes here and there in the various numbers, and although (as had been announced) whole portions of the score have been excised for the purpose of trimming the running time, many of the small, subtle changes Mr. Sondheim has made in the lyrics are decided improvements. There is, if I heard correctly on my first listen, a whole verse missing from "Priest". While I lament (as many will) the deletion of some grand moments of wit, especially in the chorus and opening, enough of the original score has been preserved, and preserved well, for me to feel an enormous satisfaction upon my first listen. Although I haven't seen the film yet, I have a feeling (and certainly hope) that the single-disc CD omits some portions of the music that are in the film.
  
  Many have complained already that the singing is a bit weak, but for me, the voices were no problem at all. Many theatre fans and critics consider Stephen Sondheim to be the most accomplished theatre composer of the 20th century. Although lauded as his masterwork, Sweeney Todd is not my favorite Sondheim score, but I never argue with those who praise it as his best work, and they certainly have good reason for their assessment. The problem with a Sondheim score - any Sondheim score - is that his glorious wit and amazing rhymes require very delicate handling, without extensive dramatization or gesticulation; in fact, I have seen certain performers ruin his songs through excessive theatrics. His witty, urbane words and ultra-clever rhymes need only be performed, thank you, and easily stand on their own without overt grandstanding. Any playing for broad comedy tends to detract from his marvelous command of the language, not to mention his amazingly deft rhymes and delicious wit. Thus, in these performances, I found myself thrilled to note that they are put across simply and quietly, with careful enunciation but no unnecessary scenery-chewing, the way I believe Sondheim should be performed. Even so, many could argue that it is difficult to ruin material of this caliber, but I always feel that with Sondheim, the words are all that are really required to put any of his songs over.
  
  It is also a delight to hear virtually all of the cast proffering the appropriate British (and in some cases, Cockney) accents, and for once, the score sounds like it might be actually enacted by inhabitants of 19th century London. Not that I object, mind you, to earlier interpretations of this particular work - all of the previous casts have been outstanding in their way, but what a nice change to hear actors playing Londoners who sound English. But what comes across best in the soundtrack for me is the acting, and Johnny Depp, who I have never been especially fond of, must be singled out. His performance, which is more acting than singing, may not be vocally impressive, but his invocation of the character and spirit of the narrative is perfectly realized, and the early doubts I confess I may have harbored have been completely swept away.
  
  Most joyous to me is that it appears (from the soundtrack, anyway) that someone has finally made a film version of a Sondheim show that actually works, something that hasn't happened, in my opinion, since West Side Story. Too many attempts at filming Sondheim have butchered his score, or changed it for the worse, or been horribly presented, or all of the above. It is my fervent hope that this film will inspire moviegoers who were previously unfamiliar with the talents of Mr. Sondheim to investigate his glorious, literate and oh so satisfying way with words and music. Although I must deliver kudos to the principals involved, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Mr. Sondheim's brilliant score is, to me, the real star here.
  
  Judging by the soundtrack alone, I believe that we may now have a film that has finally done Mr. Sondheim justice. I may die happy yet!
  
  
  

• Well, I loved it!

  
  By A2ASL6DAC9UY02 on 2007-12-25
  I can completely understand why fans of Hearn and Lansbury's Sweeney and Lovett (and same for fans of LuPone and the like) were inconsolable after hearing these tracks. I think, however, the crucial difference isn't the quality of the music, but the medium it was made for. Burton stripped the Broadway out of this show, and it shows. Does this make the performances and tracks bad? Heck no! Quite the opposite, I argue!
  
  Please, however, see the film first. You will appreciate the soundtrack so much more with the visuals accompanying it. And those completely sold on the stage shows should hopefully at least see why Depp and Carter were best suited for the big screen and not the stage... and there's a reason this movie's been getting stellar reviews and appreciation from Depp, Burton, and Sweeney fans alike! Depp, unlike Hearn, plays an emotionally drained and hollow Sweeney, and his voice, unlike Hearn's, is growling and full of contempt and dispassion. Makes you wonder why Depp was never in a rock band.
  
  Carter replaces the jolly, enthusiastic Lovett with a bitter-sweet cynical Lovett, and her voice is arguably the weakest, but her performance is an interesting if not very different take on the character. Alan Rickman's deep, sensuous voice seems almost too perfect for the lecherous judge Turpin, and I found his duet with Depp, "Pretty Women" to be a particular highlight on this album. The real gems, however, are Sacha Baron Cohen and Sanders as Pirelli and Toby.
  
  To conclude, this isn't the Sweeney Todd you've heard before. It isn't better. It isn't worse. It is what it is, which is a solid and moving soundtrack for a well-cast movie. More proof that Tim Burton is a director who understands how to translate a musical to film without losing its core or its appeal to moviegoers. Also, I would recommend this version over the movie highlights CD if just for the finale alone. It is 10 minutes of an emotionally charged performance that you'll want to remember and hear again if you enjoyed the film!
  
  

• A song-by-song review...

  
  By AP6CJAMKZ7GR4 on 2007-12-19
  A note before the review: I have both the original Broadway and the revival recordings of Sweeney Todd, and honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the musical in the first place. Sondheim does wonderful work, but for me, I can't listen to a Sondheim show straight through without getting a bit of a headache. (I can watch the shows just fine, but for some reason, just listening to the songs for a long period of time gives me migraines. o.O;) So I had to listen to this CD with a few breaks. Also note that I have favorite songs that I will probably talk more about than others.
  
  **Edit** (Oo you can edit these things?) I should clarify: This is a review of the soundtrack only, not the film performances. I saw the movie and I completely utterly loved Helena's performance there. In the film, everything (Toby's age and her voice) works. However, *with the soundtrack* I don't feel her voice works as well because of it's wispiness.
  
  Anyway. I reviewed each song individually because I'm sure there are people who are curious as to how their favorite songs turned out.
  
  1) Overture (5/5) - Okay, so this track has no vocals, but boy, is it GORGEOUS. It has a bit of the instrumental of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" in it, for those of us who were sorely disappointed by it's deletion. It is a delicious, delicious track. Organs, cellos, even some ghostly chorus? I can't tell if it's an instrument or not, but it's very haunting.
  
  2) No Place Like London (5/5) - I held my breath during this song waiting for Johnny to start singing. I've been avoiding "spoilers" of his singing voice until I got the CD (including "AHH *flicks off TV* for trailers) and I was greatly surprised. Johnny's voice is not professionally trained, but it honestly doesn't even matter. He knows how to ACT the songs -- even somewhat better than the Sweeney's who have had stronger voices. The "there was a barber and his wife..." section was positively heartbreaking.
  
  3) The Worst Pies in London (2/5) - I was extremely disappointed with Helena Bonham Carter's performance. She certainly looks like a great Mrs. Lovett, but her voice is completely unsuitable, and she sticks out like a sore thumb with her voice. It strains to hold any long or even somewhat high notes, and is very wispy. I would've felt better if she had fun with the songs, but she sounds like she's recording it for a karaoke album track, not the show. :/ She has none of the humor that this song needs.
  
  4) Poor Thing (3/5) - Once again, a disappointment. She just didn't seem to know how to "act" with the songs. It's certainly better than her rendition of the Worst Pies in London, however. A mediocre rendition of a good song.
  
  5) My Friends (5/5) - Any doubts of Johnny's talents were quickly melted away with this song. The first time he sang, "my friend!" I immedietely turned up the volume and sat back and just enjoyed his singing. His voice is... I don't know how to describe it. It's quite hypnotizing and very charismatic. He has these lovely "low" bits to certain notes, and it's like chocolate. Wonderful, wonderful chocolate. This is my favorite song on the entire CD. Helena did all right with this song, not horrible, not terrible, but this song is definately the gem of the soundtrack.
  
  6) Green Finch and Linnet bird (3/5) - This would've gotten a 4/5 if the song weren't absolutely migraine-inducing. I'm not a fan of the "annoying high note" songs in any shows. Jayne Wisener does a great job, however, and I've no complaints about her performance. Her voice does strain a bit on the stronger notes, but her 'acting' of the words makes up for it. Great performance of my least favorite song.
  
  7) Alms! Alms! (2/5) - Err... I'm thinking this will be better when it's coupled with the actual scene, but it just didn't work for me on the soundtrack. She just doesn't sound quite crazy enough to me.
  
  8) Johanna (5/5) - Finally, someone playing Anthony that doesn't sound like he's in his 30s! This is one of my favorite songs of the show, and newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower doesn't disappointment. He's a classic lovesick old teenager/young adult. No complaints or notes about this song, other than it's a "younger" version than most of the renditions of Johanna that Sondheim fans might be used to.
  
  9) Pirelli's Miracle Elixer (4/5) - Edward Sanders isn't a bad singer, but... I question their decision to cast him. In the source material, Tobias is (someone correct me if I'm wrong) 14 at the very youngest. He sounds like a 10 year old and it reminds me more of Oliver! than Sweeney Todd. But if we ignore my bias against the casting of a very young sounding Toby, it's a nice song. It has a catchy melody and Edward Sanders does fine with it.
  
  10) The Contest (5/5) -- Ohh my goodness. I had my doubts about Sacha baron Cohen (aka: Borat) playing Pirelli, and yes there are moments where he sounds pretty much just like his Borat character, and it's sure to draw some laughs and "IS THAT BORAT?" reactions when seen on screen. Did he actually do the singing for this? Because he has some hilarious trills and vibratto.
  
  11) Wait (4/5) -- Finally a decent performance from Helena! It may be that this song doesn't require strong, long notes, and is a bit of a lulling song.
  
  12) Ladies in their Sensitivites (3/5) -- No complaints about this track. Timothy Spell isn't horrible as the Beadle, but he isn't particularily memorable either.
  
  12) Pretty Women (5/5) -- (I'll get it out of the way now: SNAPE. IS. SINGING.) This song has never been one of my favorites, but the interaction between Sna...err... Alan Rickman and Johnny Depp is simply divine. Their voices (although recorded seperately, sadly) mesh very well together. I love that such a lighthearted, upbeat song has such a violent tension underneath it. Their distinct voices have made me a bigger fan of this song.
  
  13) Epiphany (5/5) -- What. Can't. Johnny. Do?! Johnny knows how to sing, act, and act an song. This song is so full of rage, despair, and you can clearly hear it in Johnny's voice. "I will have vengeance/I will have salvation" is so full of raw emotion. "I want you bleeders" gave me chills. He does spectularily well with this difficult song. Add another song to my favorites list!
  
  14) A Little Priest (3.5/5) -- It's not terrible. BUT. Helena's voice is simply too soft for the role. To her credit, she did manage to keep the humor in this song. I can almost see the gleeful smile on Mrs. Lovett's face in this, whereas with the Worst Pies of London, I got nothing but a bored face. Johnny does much better in the song, and Helena definately sounds much better when coupled with his singing.
  
  15) Johanna (reprise) (5/5) -- I was holding my breathe once again waiting for Johnny to start singing. The Johanna reprise has always been my #1 favorite song in this show because of Sweeney's part of this song, and I really thought they would delete this song from the movie, so imagine my shock that it was on the track list! It is a wonderful song on all fronts (although I noticed they got rid of Johanna's singing part - but they also got rid of 'Kiss Me,' from which her part was derived.). Jamie continues with his wonderful rendition of his part, and Johnny is absolutely, heartbreakingly wonderful. If someone was for some reason STILL having doubts about his talent, this song should turn them. There is such a sadness in his voice - sometimes the sadness of the words is lost in a singer's voice during this song, but he carries it through and through. Absolutely brilliant.
  
  17) God, That's Good! (2.5/5) -- No ensemble at all? Hm. They completely got rid of the ensemble part of this song and it felt really weird and empty. They trimmed the song down a lot, getting rid of the ensemble and Sweeney's parts. It just felt "off" and out of place. Why not just have Toby singing the "mrs. lovett's meat pies" part and get rid of her singing? The performances weren't bad but it was just the barest bones of the song.
  
  18) By the Sea (3/5) -- It's all right. She does much, much better with the lightheartedness of this song. I can see her joyfully singing this with her romantic notions of living together with Sweeney. It's not terrible, once again, her voice is so soft and wispy that it can't sing very strongly.
  
  19) Not While I'm Around (3/5) -- I hate to give it a 3/5 score, but why on Earth did they cast such a young Toby? the song is meant to be a desperate romantic, foolish young boy's plea from Toby to Mrs. Lovett, and I just don't get that from this song. It sounds more like "Oliver!" than Sweeney Todd. Edward Sanders isn't terrible, but he sounds very very young in this song, almost like Gavroche from Les Miserables!
  
  20) Final Scene (4/5) -- Would've been 5/5 but for Helena's performance. I won't spoil anything, but it's a very haunting final performance from everybody. Some of it was tweaked from the original Broadway, but I have a feeling it won't matter on the screen. Helena's performance of her part near the end was disappointing. She didn't sound desperate/upset/anything -- just "ohh... I have another line to sing." :/ Which was disappointing. Johnny's final part in the finale is a positively chilling.
  
  OVERALL:
  
  Johnny Depp stole the soundtrack. I was the most worried about his performance going into it, and I was greatly, greatly surprised. I will be listening to the Sweeney-heavy songs the most, I suspect. Helena Bonham Carter was miscast. She's not a bad ACTOR (her Bellatrix Lestrange who had, what, 5 lines in the newest Harry Potter film was the most memorable bit for me!) but her voice was not meant for this part. Hopefully her acting will make up for it. Alan Rickman was a nice surprise as the Judge. The two newcomers for Johanna and Anthony were very nice. And although I disagree with the casting of such a young kid as Toby, he has a nice voice. In general, if you're a fan of Sondheim, you'll probably enjoy Johnny's songs the most and Helena's the least.
  
  
  
  

• Wait for the DVD

  
  By A1CT884F9HEA8Q on 2007-12-20
  Like others, I have all the soundtrack albums of Sweeny Todd with the magnificent vocals of George Hearn, Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury and (perhaps) Patti LuPone and love Stephen Sondheim's score. No comment on Michael Cerveris' recent performance. While my initial reaction from the CD was that Johnny Depp cannot sing and Helen Bonham Carter is even worse, having now returned from seeing the movie, which is far, far better than I'd ever imagined, "genius" as noted by A.O. Scott in the NYT, I stand corrected. In the context of the movie their performances are superb. CD = 1; DVD = 10.
  
  
• Film is Not Theater
  By A2B1ZMKCN46CV0 on 2007-12-19
  Reviewers who compare the film version of Sweeney Todd to the stage production apparently don't understand the difference between the two. In film, you don't sing to the balcony. I find some of the performances on the stage recordings to be over the top and even hammy, especially Patti Lupone's. The recent DVD of the Sweeney Todd recital was a complete disappointment. Tim Burton's film is a masterpiece.
  
  
• Dreadful
  By A1GR80XMMIG5T8 on 2008-01-03
  
  Sondheim wrote "Sweeney Todd" as a MUSICAL WORK. Although Tim Burton has done a wonderful job of creating a VISUAL experience in his movie, he's totally destroyed the musical aspect of the work.
  
  Depp has no voice. He speaks his "singing" parts. Even worse, the register of his voice is too high for the part. In songs like "Johanna", where Sweeney's baritone and Anthony's tenor voices are supposed to play off one another, they just sort of merge together. The whole sense of the music is lost.
  
  Helena Bonham Carter is similarly bereft of any vocal talent. It's sad to hear her whispy little voice wheezing its way through a melody. What she and Depp together do to "A Little Priest" should be grounds for criminal prosecution.
  
  The best voice on the album is the kid play Toby; he's obviously had some stage experience (and voice lessons). Alan Rickman does alright, too, althgouh (once again) he's in the wrong register. (Turpin is supposed to be a bass.)
  
  What I don't understand is why Tim Burton felt the need to use his actors' real voices. The film version of "My Fair Lady" had a voice double singing Audrey Hepburn's part, and it worked very well. Even in Burton's own "Nightmare Before Christmas," he had the good sense to have Danny Elfman sing Jack's part, while Chris Sarandon did the spoken dialog. Wouldn't that have been a better way to preseve the musical integrity of Sondheim's work?
  
  People with no discernable singing skill shouldn't be allowed to masacre complex, subtle musical works simply they're "stars."
  
  Dreadful; absolutely dreadful. Shame on Tim Burton for doing it, and shame on Steven Sondheim for agreeing.
  
  
  
  
• Wonderful Sweeney Todd
  By A2TLXAF4WLT7K9 on 2007-12-31
  I have been listening to Sweeney Todd for almost twenty years - from Angela Lansbury and George Hearn to the present, but there is something magical about this new version. True, the singers are not quite as powerful or polished, but they are so much more in the moment, so much more real. Johnny Depp's first words in "No Place Like London" made it immediately clear that this was something new - a musical that was not just about the tunes. It contained the rage, emotion and pain that allowed us to follow Sweeney from Heaven to Hell. I can't get this out of my head. (The movie is the best thing that Tim Burton has ever created as well.)
  
  This full version includes all of the songs and is the one to get. Well worth the extra money.
  
  Finally, my thanks to Warner for finally getting a clue. People will buy your music if you make it easy for them and stop treating them like criminals.
  
  
• Skip all of Helena Bonham Carter's songs and you'll be fine
  By A3KEZLJ59C1JVH on 2007-12-26
  This deluxe version of the soundtrack to the film "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" contains all of the songs from the movie, along with a bound libretto of sorts featuring song lyrics and photos from the film. Overall, I am very pleased with this CD. It's definitely worth the few extra bucks to get the deluxe version instead of the highlights CD, which only contains 16 songs. As far as the actual music is concerned, the film remains very true to Stephen Sondheim's original Broadway score, which is fabulous. I was disappointed that several songs from the Broadway version were cut from the movie, including "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," which wasn't performed in the film, although the music from the song is incorporated into the opening title and is also used throughout the movie. Another absent tune is the beautiful duet "Kiss Me," and I cannot understand for the life of me why Tim Burton decided to cut that number. Oh well.
  
  Johnny Depp really impressed me in this film, and his singing voice is pretty decent. After listening to this CD, I am even more appalled by Helena Bonham Carter's performance than I was when I was watching the movie in the theatre. She cannot sing at all, and she completely butchered all of Mrs. Lovett's songs. That really upsets me, because Mrs. Lovett is such an amazing part. I usually love Bonham Carter's work, but not this time. (I hate to say it, but it's very obvious that the only reason she was cast in this film is because she happens to be sleeping with the director!) The other cast members did a pretty decent job. Alan Rickman was great as the evil Judge Turpin, and his voice was passable. The duet he sings with Depp on "Pretty Women" was pretty good. I was impressed with newcomers Ed Sanders (Toby) and Jayne Wisener (Johanna), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Anthony) had a decent voice, although I thought he was a little creepy.
  
  There are a lot of great things about this film, and if you enjoyed the movie, I'm sure you'll love the soundtrack. However, I also encourage you to check out the 1979 Broadway cast recording of "Sweeney Todd" so you can compare Angela Lansbury's brilliant performance to Bonham Carter's lackluster one, and also so you can enjoy the songs that never made it to the big screen.
  
  
• Great Recording
  By A2L42M2CXQ1N7T on 2007-12-18
  I am a big fan of Musicals, and I must admit that I had not really been able to get hooked on Sweeney Todd. The stage recordings just didn't do it for me. But I became very interested when Burton was rumored to be involved with the film. And like almost everyone else, I was worried about Johnny's singing abilities. But now after picking this recording up (to give the show another chance) I haven't taken it out of my stereo, all day! In fact while I type this review its playing on my computer! I admit it, I think its great! Johnny and Helena are not Broadway material (you can tell that from the trailers), but they bring something else to their roles. A sense of realism that for some reason connected with me. Their voices are perfect for the roles. Johnny's rough voice in Epiphany, seems so scary, and devilish it is all too perfect. I highly recommend this recording for anyone who is willing to look beyond the stage performers. While it is not vocally perfect, it is fun and I enjoyed it! I look forward to seeing the film!
  
  
• I Love THIS "Sweeney" most of all-here's why!
  By ATXL536YX71TR on 2008-01-13
  I have every version,even the Catalan version, ever recorded of this Sondheim musical.Every one of them offers something new and unique about the performance.I LOVE THIS ONE MOST OF ALL.Here's why?
  
  Because this was recorded for film and not with stage actors, the performances are subtle and not overblown.Depp's "Sweeney" is dark,compelling,concerned with character.His version of "My Friends" is the the most intimate yet,as he "whispers" to his razors that "they will drip rubies" it chills just with the sheer intimacy of it all.He also sings with the proper accent for Todd which others such as Hearn and Cariou never did. Depp's Todd (more akin to Michael Cerveris') is a "Fleet Street" Todd,with the proper "f" sound that replaces the "th".When Depp grimly declares..."at last,my right arm is complete again"...WOW!
  Alan Rickman's wonderfully deep bass is perfection for Judge Turpin."Pretty Women" IS a "wonder" with Rickman and Depp together.The English accent of Rickman is totally befitting for his class and stature.Timothy Spall's Beadle is as clear as a bell and again as he advises Turpin of "a sprinkling of French cologne to enhance the chase", the accent and tone is perfection.All of the actor/singers,Jamie Campbell Bower is crystal clear tenor as he warmly sings "Johanna";Edward Saunders as young Tobey is revelatory with his pure young "Oliveresque" performance of a young child and not as a 20+ stage star!; Jane Wisener as Johanna's time is limited, but her "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" is totally adequate;
  Helena Bonham-Carter will be the most disputed interpretation of Nellie Lovett, no doubt.Again,upon many listenings,there is the temptation to compare her with the stage versions.Ahh, but Carter is not the star of the film as her character has become in all of the stage versions! Carter plays a far more understated Lovett in order to let Depp's Todd be the true center of attention.This is SWEENEY TODD and not MRS.LOVETT.Not to discredit Lansbury and LuPone who have been so often recorded in this role,but Carter "backseats" here and does not arrive "overdone" as her predecessors have!When Carter and Saunders combine for "Not While I'm Around" it is sheer vocal and character bliss.
  Sasha Baron Cohen is a baritone Pirelli,instead of the usual high tenor.Each word is totally clear.His song is streamlined even as it is also customarily done on stage.
  Many songs are streamlined and reworked (even some couplets are totally new)."Kiss Me" is totally omitted, but frankly, not missed by me.The song is not germane or necessary to the film adaptation.
  The new orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick are wonderfully refreshing after nearly 30 years of hearing the old ones.( The 2005 Revial Version is also wonderfully refreshing in it's parred down state)."The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and the "choruses" are now orchestrated and modified as Burton's film is able to change the scenery for us and show us what these songs told us on stage.
  
  Paul Gemignani's tempi are perfection (he has been Sondheim's conductor for 25+ years), and the altering of keys to accommodate the actors is completely refreshing for me, after hearing them the same for so long.The orchestra blows through the speakers and every actor's word is heard clearly.Sondheim approved all of the streamlining as he did it himself.
  
  I love the CD and the 80 page booklet with production notes,glossy film pix and film libretto is well worth the purchase.I wholeheartedly put the film soundtrack along side, and in places over, the others.PURISTS may never embrace it. New converts to SWEENEY will be won.That is the strength of THIS recording! No apologies for 5+******'s here!
  
  For "Sondheads" such as I...if Sondheim, himself, is always able to adapt and re-adapt his own work over the years to keep it fresh and alive,why can't we afford him his right?
  
  For Burton fans such as I...SWEENEY TODD is his all-time favorite musical.Would such a fan disrespect or misinterpret a masterpiece that he worked on along with the composer? Not likely...and not here!
  
  
• Modify your expectations and it's all good.
  By A2J77W8MFL614D on 2007-12-21
  No, it's not Angela and Len. Patti and Michael. Blah blah blah. The orchestrations are phenomenal. Most of the score is intact and the Dies Irae/Attend the Tale music is used to great effect (perhaps evcen greater effect). Depp doesn't need a huge baritone -- it's a movie. His voice is just fine and sufficiently creepy. And can I say that it's nice to have a Sweeney who has an English accent. (Why was Cariou the only one in the whole cast who was from America...?) Depp interprets the role extremely well and gets the notes, the melismas, and the doesn't over-indulge in speak-singing. More importantly, he GETS the role. That's what's most critical. Bonham Carter puts a distinctive stamp on the Lovett character ... actually making her human rather than a caricature. I loved Angela, too. But she was never creepy. It's a choice ... and I like it. Bonham Carter creeps me out in this role. She, too, has a small voice, but it's quite lovely and my reaction to her relationship with Sweeney now takes on a different depth and her eventual (spoiler alert) death seems more poignant and scary. Toby is very good -- he has the most "Broadway" voice of the bunch -- and having the part played by a boy rather than by a man-child, works, too. Baron Cohen does a nice job, too, with the lowered register of his Entrance number.
  
  I 'get' the notion of falling in love with a piece and being nervous about it being reinterpreted. But taken to the extreme (as with the couple of 1-star ratings here), one risks being like the child who can only hear their bed-time story told one way. Get over it. This movie and the accompanying cd are going to be around for a LONG time and will be the single interpretation MOST people will know in about a week. Such is the nature of cinema. Let's hope the new audience that will be introduced to this Sondheim masterpiece will choose to compare and contrast it with an open mind ... unlike the children who have given the 1-star treatment to this cd simply because it ain't what they heard at bedtime.
  
  
• The Perfect Cast
  By A1EGQRB7XOLFC3 on 2007-12-25
  I must admit I was wary when I found out that Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were singing. I already knew that Alan Rickman could sing, though I hadn't heard him in a while and was curious. The three of their voices mixed perfectly with eachother. They were in perfect compliment. Nobody overshadowed anybody else, which I find happens in most musicals.
  
  The orchestral score was brilliant, as always. And, to my joy, the songs were just as well performed.
  
  I liked the fact that the songs were just an extension of the words, so it flowed gently, instead of having a hard contrast between the words and the music.
  
  Perfect!
  
  
• Slashed Sweeney
  By A1SMNK99BI7WTE on 2008-01-05
  To give you an idea how much the score has been cut, the original Broadway cast recording (which concentrates mainly on the sung portions of the score) runs 106 minutes. The film soundtrack covering the sung segments of the film lasts 71 minutes. Several numbers have been cut from the film and there are numerous internal cuts within the surviving songs.
  
  It is curious that Nonesuch has issued the film soundtrack of SWEENEY TODD in two single CD editions, one containing most of the score, and this deluxe edition which has all more of it along with an 80-page booklet of lyrics. Who is going to want the shorter version??
  
  The deluxe set is well packaged and the sound quality is excellent. The decision to have the performers take the pitch down certainly works in movie theatres where the hushed voices help set up the contrast with the moments of bombast.
  
  But along the way something is lost. Sweeney's brooding that eventually explodes in his frightening epiphany should contrast deliciously with the music hall styled performance of Mrs. Lovett. In fact Sondheim composed the score so in the final sequence their contrapuntal singing does NOT go together, with good reason. By bringing the performances down the two characters do not play so violently against each other.
  
  The soundtrack album has its own problems. The most grievous omission is the extended orchestral play out heard under the end titles. It's a real shame that Jonathan Tunick's wonderful orchestrations cannot be savored on CD. Also some the abridgements in the dialogue screw up the way the songs play, notably the "idea" chord when Mrs. Lovett first dreams up the idea of using Sweeney's victims for her meat pies. In the film (as on stage) the chord comes after the dialogue but as mixed for the CD it actually precedes the last spoken line.
  
  Then too, with so much dialogue removed some of the lyrics - which in typical Sondheim fashion extend carry the ideas discussed in the dialogue forward. Of course CD's are for music primarily but in apiece like Sweeney Todd the dialogue and lyrics create one cohesive piece.
  
  Nothing can top the original Broadway cast performance with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou, but for those who enjoy Johnny Depp's virtuoso performance on film, and especially Edward Sanders' sweet-voiced Tobias, this movie soundtrack CD will offer an enjoyable souvenir. And in the end that is about all any movie soundtrack album can be.
  
  
  
• Poor imitation of original
  By A1M70W4OVX72M1 on 2007-12-18
  First I must state I am a huge fan of Sweeney Todd. I have all the cast albums and vocally this is the weakest of the bunch.
  
  Even "A Little Priest" lacked the necessary fun factor present in any production.
  
  There is a reason the movie trailers for this film and been thin on locals. They might scare people away. I am very disappointed.
  
  
• "complete" soundtrack??!??? Not at all.
  By A1O0D01SOE3T35 on 2007-12-30
  THe one-star review has nothing to do with the magnificent orchestrations, sound quality, and packaging. It has everything to do with Nonesuch's boldface marketing lie in presenting "a complete motion picture soundtrack." Gone, for example, is the beautiful and stirring end credit/exit music. How was this omission possible? A huge disappointment.
  
  
• Better Than You Think
  By AUP9LBWCLM2ZD on 2007-12-20
  I am a huge fan of Sondheim and Sweeney Todd and this album is truely worth the money. Of course most of these actors are not singers, but I for one am happy to finally hear a sweet voice for Mrs. Lovett in Helena Bonham Cater and it is perfectly balanced in Johnny Depp, who is tailored for this role. Sacha Baron Cohen in hilarious, Alan Rickman creepy, and Ed Sanders is a great Toby. Laura Michelle Kelly is also great as the begger woman and the only singer in the cast, but everything falls together perfectly. Sondheim fans should be proud if they have the guts to trust other fans to perform the work.
  
  
• Great "musical" soundtrack!
  By A1TS2N5TCNDQHI on 2008-06-10
  After reading the reviews I refused to write anything untill I had heard all the other versions of "Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street." I did see the movie before witnessing and musical of Sweeney Todd so I may be biased but my interpretation is that of a musician. I have studied music for over seven years. After seeing the movie Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet street the first thing I remarked upon was the orchesta. I thought for sure I would see the London Philharmonic orchestra listed at the end of the movie. I was very impressed by the music in the movie and when after researching over 5 different sites to find that the orchestra was local to the set. Now after hearing several stage productions of Sweeney Todd and and the movie I can see why musical originals are upset. Sweeney Todd originally is really an opera instead of a musical where the singing takes over the plot. The vibrato of the singers is overwhelming for the plot and was hard for me to enjoy after being overtaxed by Burton's adaptation. I felt Tim Burton turned the plot into more of a musical/acting piece instead of an opera. He focused more on the portrayl of characters rather than the songs which made it far more enjoyable for more people. I have to give credit to Sondheim for his genius to be interpretted in many different ways.
  
  Those people who had seen the musical were expecting the character of Mrs. Lovett to take the show. This is because of the way it was originally interpretted. According to the original interpretation of Sweeney Todd, it should have been named Mrs. Lovett's pie shop. Her songs are the most difficult and important to the plot. So musical goers were expecting phenmoenal when Helena Bonham Carter delivered a really good show it did not seem enough. Imagine that, Burton made the musical about Todd intead of Mrs. Lovett... Another aspect I was impressed with was the fact the actors matched the setting with being almost all british actors something that hasn't been seen in movies since Harry Potter. Speaking of which, the movie had three actors from. I had no idea that anyone of these actors could alone carry a tune or sing a song well! Since this story is based in London, british accents were highly appropriate and I thought Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Edward Sanders as Toby did a fantastic job. Quite honestly the best actor/singer by far was the part of Toby, who was for once the correct age. As for the part of Johanna it was stil too opera for me and not musical by definition. I was even impressed by the singing skill of Sacha Baron Cohen/Borat, very nice!
  
  Overall, I was thoughly impressed by this movie and soundtrack. I have heard the soundtrack over thirty times since I saw the movie last week. I thouroughly endorse it. I was completely surprised by each and every actor/actress and their singing promise. Definetly worth listening to more than twice! Those musical goers who missed this artistic greatness were too wrapped up in the fantastic opera singing of previous renditions which missed the characters and the intended plot of Stephen Sondheim.
  
  Buy this soundtrack!
  
  ~ Katie
  
  
• Just as Great as the Original
  By A2WD1UO1YDUD1N on 2007-12-18
  I just listened to the whole thing and this soundtrack is just as great as the original broadway cast. Some of the singing notes are different, but the actors put in a whole new charactrization to all the song. The orchestration is fabulous too.
  
  
• Sweeney Todd in a Karaoke Bar
  By A1YJ2M23KYI2X7 on 2007-12-19
  I'm really looking forward to the film version of Sweeney Todd. I thought that the project was perhaps too highbrow for the general public, stage-bound and probably unfinanceable and unfilmable. Apparently, I was wrong. The brief previews I've seen and the reviews I've read seem to suggest an instant classic.
  
  This recording, divorced from the visual, is a slightly different story. If Johnny Depp were not Johnny Depp and was auditioning for a Broadway revival of this musical, he wouldn't get the part. He has an ordinary light baritone. His voice is not unattractive but it doesn't have anything like the power and majesty of George Hearn or Len Cariou. As for Helena Bonham-Carter, vocally she is miscast as Nellie Lovett. Helena has a small sweet voice that is out of character with Mrs. Lovett. Angela Lansbury brought a slightly bawdy English Music Hall comic sensibility to the role which no one has been able to duplicate yet. Musically speaking, this role still belongs to Angela.
  
  Depp and Bonham-Carter are probably pretty much on a par with each other. What doesn't work on a disembodied recording may well work brilliantly on screen. We'll see. I plan to see Sweeney Todd as soon as it opens and I will undoubtedly buy it on DVD when it's available. Please, though, don't take my DVD copy of the London Stage version with Lansbury and Hearn; and don't take my copy of the original Broadway cast CD with Lansbury and Cariou.
  
  If all you want is the best listening experience of this score that can be had, stick with the original Broadway Cast which has yet to be topped.
  
  
• loved it!
  By A1L2JBG46UKIQM on 2007-12-21
  I am ordering this soundtrack because I loved the music in the movie. I am an avid theater lover, but I have never seen Sweeny Todd. As far as Johnny Depp's performance goes, I am a bit biased since he is my all time favorite actor, but I think he did an amazing job with the music. Helena Bonham Carter's performance didn't bother me in the least. I was in a theater full of people at the midnight showing the first day and everyone seemed to enjoy her performance. I didn't find anyone's voice to be lacking. As far as the score, I think it is pure genius. I really enjoyed it.
  
  
• Where's the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd"???
  By A2O3WU6JCW6GBU on 2007-12-27
  Love the movie, love the original stage musical (saw the 1979 original on Broadway)... but I'm extremely disappointed that the filmmakers decided to delete the MAIN THEME of the musical, "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", which is my favorite song in the show and, well, defines the production! It's like doing "Fiddler on the Roof" without performing the main theme "Fiddler on the Roof"! So, for me, the score of the film is lacking. And in many ways, the film was lacking because of this, too.
  
  
• Beautiful orchestra, with emotional singing to complement.
  By A31KR8OUKZRJL8 on 2007-12-29
  Some people are touchy with their reviews. It seems some listeners have expected Depp and Bonham Carter to "belt out" these tunes as if they were Broadway veterans.
  
  Sondheim mentioned in a pre-release interview (paraphrased from memory): "I prefer great actors who cannot sing, rather than great singers who cannot act."
  
  Sondheim obviously felt he should defend this film's score, due the the minimal nature of the singing. After hearing this score, I believe Sondheim knows what he is doing. Depp and Bonham Carter are amateur singers, but they can hold a tune nicely. In my opinion, the singing from this movie is entirely above par. It's true that Depp and Bonham Carter do not have an explosive range, and someone is always there to argue about quality. From my perspective, Depp and Bonham Carter's singing in this movie is filled with emotion, no matter how 'thin' their range may be. Since this is a movie, and not Broadway, the chosen vocal arrangement is perfect! The voice parts are often set in a minimal range, which allows for a clear, beautiful and emotional release of the lyrics. The characters feel real, and that is not an easy achievement.
  
  In this Tim Burton masterpiece, I do not desire to hear a group of singing divas running circles around such an amazing orchestral score. Such a spectacle is perfect for a Broadway rendition, but not for a film version. Sondheim threw caution to the wind, and I am inspired by the willingness of Sondheim to do something different for the film. If you want Broadway singing, you should also get the recording by the Broadway cast, which is also fascinating.
  
  In conclusion, Depp's handsome voice is ominous when necessary, and Bonham Carter's female vocal is very alive. Due to the cast's professional acting abilities, the singing always projects the proper emotions, whether it be anger or desperation. Sondheim's score is perfection, and the orchestra is amazing. I cannot find any reason for feeling disappointment with this soundtrack. I have seen the movie, and I highly recommend it!
  
  
• VERY good.....BUT
  By ATLO3YXU2BC16 on 2007-12-22
  Here's the thing....you know the score , or you don't. The fuller orchestrations are great. The performers do a grand job , considering limited vocal training....BUT : Several key pieces and pieces of pieces are missing. "A Little Priest" , one of the most macabre and brilliant displays of word play , has several instances of the genius word-play missing. Shame. Should have included it all.
  
  
• Look At It For What It Is
  By A173TQXWNCNHNJ on 2007-12-26
  Yes, Yes, Yes, we all know that Helena Bonham Carter is not Angela Lansbury or Patti Lu Pone, and Johnny Depp is not Len Cariou, Micheal Cerveris, or George Hearn. But try this one: The screen IS NOT the stage and they should NOT be so closely compared.
  
  As many of the reviewers have said, the actors had very little if any previous vocal training before this film was done. With that in mind, they did a fantastic job of pulling off one of the greatest musicals ever written and finally bringing it to the big screen. We all have to remember that Stephen Sondheim WANTS this to be a movie and collaborated very closely with Tim Burton during the making of the film. Thus, in a sense it bears Sondheim's personal stamp of approval.
  
  Admittedly, alot of the music had to be cut for various reasons. However, they were all legitimate reasons. For Example, The Ballad's were cut because it didn't make since to have people singing about attending a tale they were already attending, or singing about something that had happened that they are watching happen. So they simply dropped the words. The music itself is still there, and the songs are hardly missed. The Ensemble was cut because Sondheim wanted to remove some of the elements of a musical to make it fell like more of a movie and not a filmed performance. And Kiss Me was cut because that song used elements of the stage that didn't work on film. The end result is a very well adapted film version of a musical that can stand firmly on it's own.
  
  The vocals are not good in a broadway sense. But for what they are, and as good as they could possibly be considering who the performers are, they are very satisfying. Depp adds a darker, much more bitter take on the title role, and Carter plays Mrs. Lovett quieter, and as a much more believable human charecter that works great for the movie. Rickman, Spall, Bower, Sanders, and yes, even Sacha Baron Cohen fill their roles quite well, and really make them their own.
  
  No, this CD does not quench the most intense taste for Sweeney Todd that so many die-hard fans have in their mouths. But that's what Cast Recordings are for.
  
  
• You know the movie was great and we all know these actors aren't singers but they did a REALLY good job
  By A2N2XJRQQXEKAW on 2007-12-22
  OF COURSE we all know
  the real MUSICAL had REAL singers
  but i really believe that johnny depp, sacha, and all the others did really good jobs in making those characters their OWN. I was amazed by Johnny's voice especially, it was stuttle, strong and really genuine. i enjoyed the MOVIE and the SOUNDTRACK is equally nice. I know alot of you love the play and expect HIGH things from the movie and soundtrack but you gotta give these guys a break. i think TIM BURTON is a mastermind and all the actors put a little spin on the original songs but the turned out nicely. I'm glad the way it turned out because, if i wanted it to be the SAME EXACT SOUND and ACTING as the PLAY...i would've went to see the play, you know?
  Also, I personally loved the fact that all the actors went through the trouble to do ENGLISH accents.. (unlike in the plays)
  it was very nice and it is MOST DEFINATLY worth the money.
  I'm sure this movie and soundtrack will be an INSTANT classic!
  
  
  
• Splendid, If Not The Best "Sweeney Todd" Recording
  By AKT8TGIT6VVZ5 on 2008-02-16
  Without question the best recording of Sondheim's acclaimed musical, "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", has to be the original Broadway recording with Len Cariou and Angela Landsbury in the lead roles. However, this superb film soundtrack is a worthy addition, most notably for the brilliantly acted - and well sung - performance of Sweeney Todd by Johnny Depp (I also recommend it for the lush, well-played orchestral score by an orchestra of British musicians.). Depp's intensely vivid portrayal is truly mesmerizing, and his superb acting is effectively demonstrated too in his untrained, but emotionally intense, singing. Other excellent singers include both the surprising Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen. Even Helena Bonham Carter - whose voice isn't nearly as strong as Depp's - is quite convincing as Mrs. Lovett. If there is anything which diminishes the superb quality of this soundtrack for devout fans of this Sondheim musical, then it will be the absence of several songs, including the familiar "Ballad of Sweeney Todd". However, inspite of this, I believe that this excellent film adaptation of "Sweeney Todd" will be long remembered as the best one ever made from a Stephen Sondheim musical.
  
  
• It's amazing, and is a standalone film
  By A1BEN797MTNVZU on 2007-12-22
  Okay, so people complain that it's not as exciting and comical as the stage version, but that's the thing. It's NOT the stage version of Sweeney Todd. Tim Burton focuses more on the eerie aspects of the story, and the vocals, though they aren't amazing (since most of the actors haven't had musical experience), it's not supposed to be all about the singing. Depp's acting in his singing brings out the character much more. The fact that everyone keeps a british accent even in the songs also makes it feel more realistic since they are in London. Overall, this is an amazing soundtrack, and I saw the movie, so it was astounding to see Tim Burton's amazing vision. Frankly , not other director could've pulled it off. It's an amazing film, great music, and another Burton/Depp masterpiece. Now I can't wait for the dvd.
  
  
• Weird movie and soundtrack
  By A2KP65JS3YY5VL on 2007-12-28
  I don't know why, but my daughter and i both liked the movie. Listening to the soundtrack is like seeing the movie over again.
  
  
• Worth it for the orchestra alone
  By AR687SHIZVUK0 on 2007-12-29
  How thrilling it was to hear Jonathan Tunick's original orchestrations played by a full-size studio orchestra! My biggest disappointment with the LuPone/Cerveris revival was the reduction of the orchestration. While I believe the piece could be very successful in an intimate, scaled-down stage version, it's not enough simply to perform the score as written with fewer instruments and singers. Tunick brilliantly creates bizarre undertones and eerie colors with his masterful use of the orchestra, and the revival did not succeed in capturing that.
  
  This new film version wisely retains the original orchestration, reworking it where necessary for the screen. The opening title cue is a fiery, grand and unrelenting overture using material from the unsung "Ballad of Sweeney Todd". Other leitmotifs are used and re-used with similar effect, as they would be by any accomplished film composer. For example, the alms/Lucy motif gave me chills when it appeared during "Epiphany" and, most of all, in the Final Scene at that critical moment (no spoilers here). If Sweeney Todd is a favorite score of yours, this album will be worth it just for the orchestral performance.
  
  That said, if you are a great admirer of the original Broadway score you may miss that other important part of the score: the vocal palette. Gone from the film version are the huge contrasts and odd colors of Todd's foreboding baritone, Mrs. Lovett's bawdy mezzo, and the bizarre countertenors of Pirelli and the Beadle (although the use of a boy's voice for Toby/Tobias would fit well into that mixture). Also gone from the film are the choral elements, including all of the Ballad reprises. No tenor trio singing "See your razor gleam, Sweeney"; no women's voices turning Sweeney's name into the wailings of Fogg's inmates, and no quintet putting ominous voice to Todd's off-balance psyche as he calculatingly pens his letter to the Judge (and if you want to know that letter's contents you better read fast).
  
  The point is made that this is a film, not a stage production, and there are differences in the vocal requirements for each. That's true, of course, and the film succeeds handsomely in most respects. But we're talking about an audio recording here, and if you're considering this album as an authoritative and faithful recording of this greatest of Broadway scores, you may well be delighted by the orchestra but greatly disappointed by the vocals.
  
  

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