Yesterday we saw the first five minutes of AVP-R (which someone tells me is actually a condensed version of the first ten minutes of the movie. Sneaky, Fox!), and today we have the opening credits of Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton’s adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim show about a murderous barber whose victims become meat pies sold by his landlady. Fluffy stuff.
If you’re a fan of the show (and you should be, it’s amazing), you’ll automatically notice something is off – yes, The Ballad of Sweeney Todd is there as music but not sung. Burton has made several edits to the show, many of which involve taking out chorus bits. It seems like he’s okay with the characters singing, but not with a group of people joining into song. I liked Sweeney Todd a lot – I’m embargoed until next week – but I do think that having The Ballad only as a musical motif is a huge mistake. I’ll explain more in my review.
In the meantime, enjoy the opening credits. The cityscape reminds me of Liverpool in Yellow Submarine. And the stuff with the chair is great.
Come back next week, when the dialogue-free opening 15 minutes of There Will Be Blood premieres online! Not really.