Well....
It'd be tough to do Sondheim's Sweeney Todd total justice considering it's one of the greatest productions of the past 100 years
The trailer looks good. If there's any actor right now who is appropriate for the character of Sweeney Todd, it's Johnny Depp. And Tim Burton's style fits perfectly. I have to wonder, though, why they didn't just make a movie based on the story, rather than trying to make a movie musical out of a rather difficult operetta. The story of Sweeney Todd was around before Sondheim's version, and there have been plenty of straight acting versions. It seems to me that trying to tackle Sondheim, and using mostly people who aren't amazing singers, was an unnecessary risk.
Still, the little music that was included in the trailer doesn't look too far off base. It's a much more...musical theatre-y interpretation, but that part is only partially sung anyway. I have to wonder why they avoided showing any other music though. Is it that they just haven't finished doing the post-processing on the voices yet? (Because, my god, they're going to need it if they're trying to stay even remotely close to the actual music) Or is it because it didn't turn out well enough to be put in the trailer?
Anyway, it looks good. The trailer has managed to make me anticipate the film more, despite my continued reservations about the music, so that's good.
EDIT: This is the song they showed part of in the trailer (the part from the trailer is about halfway through)...
EDIT 2: The article that was added touches on yet another point that perplexes me. Why take such a huge risk by basing it off of the Sondheim version of the story when, even if executed perfectly (which is highly unlikely), the payoff would be less than if that risk hadn't been taken. Watching the trailer, it's obvious that the movie would be fantastic if it were done without the music. Adding the music, which is rather difficult when done properly, only complicates matters.
One thing it does have going for it, though, is that the article was wrong about surprising people with song and dance. Sweeney Todd is anything but a song and dance show, and that's why I love it so much. It's dark, sadistic, and not particularly cheerful at all. Of course, that's also a strike against it, because those kinds of shows aren't particularly successful, whatever medium they're in.
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Originally Posted by Wikipedia
After nineteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Hal Prince and choreographed by Larry Fuller, opened on March 1, 1979 at the Uris Theatre. Despite initial poor audience reaction -- on opening night, half the audience is said to have left in disgust at intermission -- the show ran for 557 performances, closing on June 29, 1980.
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