Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase)

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DVD details

Actor: Angela Lansbury, George Hearn
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 139 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Reviews of Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase)

DVD Review: A masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars

While the recently-released movie version with Johnny Depp, et al, has much to recommend it, you haven't really experienced the sheer genius of Stephen Sondheim's Magnum Opus until you have viewed this version. The movie version is able to show things not possible in the stage version, but the necessity to cut the time to an acceptable movie length leaves out much of the majesty. The chorus, the magnificent staging, and the performances of the leads are in a class by themselves.

DVD Review: One word for this Movie Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars

This broadway video was Amazing! Sweeney Todd at his best! The movie has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing and laughing to the very end. would recomend this video for any one who loves a Great Musical and a Good Laugh !Angela Lansbury Shined at her best as Nellie and George Hearn played a Frightingly Funny Sweeney Todd ! Get ths Video Trust me Your Gonna Love It ! God Bless!,Heather

DVD Review: Great Stage Production
Summary: 4 Stars

After seeing the Johnny Depp movie adaptation of Sweeny, I was intrigued about what the uncut stage show would be like. I enjoyed the film, but many viewers complained about the missing songs and singing quality. This version was very well reviewed so I decided to rent it to see what the fuss was about. And, it was excellent. For those who may not know, this is an actual stage show that was filmed live. So, you can see the audience at times and the sets are limited. The sound quality is very good, but not as high quality as in a film. There is a touch of echo at times. However, this is very minor considering the age of the production. The costumes are great for a live performance; loud and flashy to reach the people in the back, though Mrs. Lovett is the only character who actually changes costumes noticeably. The colors of this production have also stood the test of time.

I've been a fan of Angela Lansbury for years. I loved her in many Disney movies, and found her singing very good in them. So, I expected her to do well here and she did not disappoint. She easily played the villain to great effect in "Manchurian Candidate" so I knew she was capable of the dark role. After seeing Lansbury, I realize how inadequate Helena Bonham Carter was as Mrs. Lovett in the recent film version. I finally got the nuance and macabre humor in all her songs - in particular "A Little Priest." Lansbury plays the part with a loony aspect. Mrs. Lovett isn't the brightest apple in the tree and her evil deeds are motivated more by selfish practicality rather than burning revenge as Sweeny is. This worked beautifully for comic relief amidst the dark story. She more than deserved her Tony Award. I had never heard of George Hearn before seeing him in this DVD. However, he was fantastic as Sweeney Todd. His voice is deep and resounding, and came through quite clearly from the stage. The necessarily heavy make-up (once again to reach the people in the cheap seats) made him appear even more twisted. Every song he sang was chock-full of emotion and he was a demanding presence on stage. These two were phenomenal in their leading roles.

My biggest gripe with the Depp film was the minor characters. They weren't developed at all, and the two lovebirds were totally unremarkable. Here, having the full playbook and more time, that is not the case. Turpin, Joanna and the rest become viable participants in the events taking place and fill out the plot. Their singing was all quite good. And I have to say that the film should have kept the Greek Chorus and the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd." The song really filled out Sweeny's motivations and tied the whole thing together. This would have helped the film overcome the gaps that the missing songs (necessarily cut for time) made. Overall, this was a wonderful production. Though it can't compare to actually seeing it live, it was well worth watching. I can only hope that the film spurs producers to bring the musical back to theatres. I would be the first in line for tickets at the Kennedy Center!

DVD Review: Bravo for Angela Lansbury
Summary: 4 Stars

I have all of the productions you can purchase for Sweeney Todd and was fortunate enough to have attended this production in NYC. The singing is great and musical one of my favorite. Angela Lansbury is over the top in this production and worth the entire experience..

DVD Review: Don't Bother
Summary: 1 Stars

Landsbury and Hearn tripping over each other to hog the stage. Long vibratos as if it were a competition of who had the loudest and most obnoxious one. You couldn't even hear the pitch they were trying to "sing". Their vibratos weren't in sync, which just made it offensive to anyone with any taste whatsoever.

Skip this one, and get the Burton rendition, you'll enjoy the simply told story that can stand on its own much, much more.

Description of Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase)

Times are hard in 1846 London and one must make do. So Nellie Lovett adds something extra to the meat pies she peddles on Fleet Street. The secret ingredient: freshly murdered victims of her partner in crime barber Sweeney Todd. Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim refashions a macabre tale into a musical masterwork in this dazzling performance of the 1979 Broadway hit originally staged by Harold Prince. In her Tony-winning role (one of eight the show earned including Best Musical) Angela Lansbury plays Nellie. George Hearn turns his stage role of twisted Sweeney into an Emmy-winning triumph. The score coils around itself in ever-tightening spirals. The lines ripple with black humor and madness. Enter Sweeney's tonsorial parlor. Attend the tale.Running Time: 140 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 883929017683 Manufacturer No: 1000038411

Stephen Sondheim's Victorian horror thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is generally considered his greatest work, macabre but darkly humorous with a viscerally powerful score that has found a home both on Broadway and in opera houses. George Hearn (who replaced Len Cariou of the original Broadway cast) plays the title character, a wronged man whose lust for revenge drives him to murder (an 18th-century legend who has been traced to a real-life barber), and Angela Lansbury plays his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, who finds a practical business use for Todd's victims. This combination of horror and humor is echoed in Sondheim's score: brooding menace ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," "My Friend"), achingly beautiful ballads ("Johanna," "Not While I'm Around"), clever puns ("A Little Priest"), coloratura arias ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and intricate choral and ensemble numbers.

Continuing a fortuitous tradition of capturing the Sondheim legacy on video recordings, this performance was filmed before a live audience in Los Angeles during the 1982 national tour. Almost 20 years later, Hearn returned to the role opposite Patti LuPone in an acclaimed concert production. But Sweeney Todd is an especially compelling experience in this 1982 version, complete with the clever staging tricks (e.g., the barber's chair) and as close to the original cast as we're likely to see. --David Horiuchi

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