The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Peter Buckman (writer)
Peter Shaw (story)

Release Date:

19 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

The fictional tale of the murderous 19th century barber (Ben Kinglsey) who sold his kills to a neighboring...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Barber | Diamond | Insurance Investigator | Jewelry

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Sweeney Todd
Campbell Scott	...	Ben Carlyle
Joanna Lumley	...	Mrs. Lovett
Selina Boyack	...	Alice
David Wilmot	...	Tom
Sean Flanagan	...	Charlie (as Séan Ó'Flanagain)
Katharine Schlesinger	...	Lucy
John Kavanagh	...	Rutledge
Joe Savino	...	Chambers
Niall Buggy	...	Vicar
Peter Jeffrey	...	Dr. Maxwell
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Mannheim
Bosco Hogan	...	Head Clerk
Birdy Sweeney	...	Elderly Cutter
Des Braiden	...	Bald Toothless Man

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Trivia:

The final film of 'Peter Jeffrey (I)'.

Movie Connections:

Version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Not as good as the 2007 movie but worth a look.

This is a mildly diverting take on the Sweeney Todd tale with good performances by Ben Kingsley in the title role, and Joanna Lumley as an enterprising Mrs. Lovett with rotten teeth. Those of you who have seen the recent Depp movie and/or the Broadway version will find that the back story has been changed completely. Not wanting to give anything away, I will only say that the Swiftian social satire element of the original Sondheim version has pretty much fallen by the wayside.

Users here comment on the convincing 19th century atmosphere, but judging by the costumes and wigs, the setting is clearly late 18th century London and not 19th century Dublin although the movie was filmed there. There is even a small reference to the French Revolution so I would place it in about the 1790s. Having said that, costume, street scenes and general filth look very true to the late 1700s.

Unfortunately, the anemic musical score is not a good one and it actually detracts from the horror and ghoulishness of the film. On the other hand, the film is a good deal less gory than the 2007 version which may make it more appealing to the squeamish.