Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case)
by Harold Prince, Terry Hughes
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DVD details
Actor: Angela Lansbury, Cris Groenendaal, Edmund Lyndeck, George Hearn, Sara WoodsDirector: Harold Prince, Terry Hughes
Brand: TURNER HM ENTERTAINM
Cinematographer: Bill Klages
Editor: Jimmy B. Frazier
Producer: Archer King
Producer: Bonnie Burns
Writer: Christopher Bond
Writer: Hugh Wheeler
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
DVD Reviews of Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case)
DVD Review: Sweeny Todd, Barber of Fleet Street
Summary: 5 Stars
The dvd was perfect for HALLOWEEN. The actors were just excellent making the characters come to life with horror in some cases. Saw the show on stage, but loved the dvd because the actors were well known, the staging was not as graphic as the play, and the scenery was more believable. Be prepared to wince more than once. This is a true story.DVD Review: Watch This Instead of the Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This film of the original stage production of "Sweeney Todd" is really a gem. If all you saw was the movie with Johnny Depp you missed out. This production has the tension, the disturbing images, the true scariness, and even the humor that the movie lacked. A lot of the credit goes to George Hearn and Angela Lansbury as the demonic leads. They have both the singing voices to handle Sondheim's difficult music and the acting chops to make you believe their characters could calmly contemplate murder and cannibalism and even enjoy it.
If you want to see the master of modern musical theatre at work, supported by a cast that can handle the work, buy this video. You may not sleep well that night, but it will be worth it.
DVD Review: WORST.... JOANNA.... EVER
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get into this DVD at all... Some of my complaints may just be my own personal tastes though.
Firstly, the Joanna is absolutely HORRIBLE. She's seriously one of the worst singers I've ever heard in my life. Green Finch... is supposed to be beautiful and delicate and her voice is obviously meant to mimic a bird's (both in its sweetness and frailty, and as a metaphor for her own confinement). Well, she sounded like a epileptic bird in a blender in a car w/ bad shocks driving down a bumpy country road, during an earthquake. I'm not even exaggerating... not even a little bit. She was that horrible. I almost turned it off during that song.
Most of the other singers were adequate. Anthony had a nice voice (although his whole "guy smiley" thing got annoying quickly). In general, I found all the singing to be a little heavy and loud (I realize this is a live broadway show and the singing necessarily will not be as light as in a studio recording...). In fact, the music in general seemed a little bloated and weighed down. I was first introduced to this music in the Patti Lupone version, which is rescored for a small ensemble of instruments (played by the actors themselves on stage). That version seems so lithe, and this just feels heavy (I don't know if this is due to the full orchestra, or if it's just a choice on the part of the music director - I think the same thing is true on the soundtrack of the original cast, so maybe it's the orchestration). Many songs which are fast paced and sort of frenetic by nature (such as Worst Pies in London), feel panicky and short of breath. Also, I found the balance between the orchestra and the singers to be odd (not enough orchestra alot of the time).
Also, I found the whole thing to just look very dated and sloppy. I know it's supposed to be grisly, but this just isn't how I envision it. Or maybe subject matter this grisly just works better when imagined. Or maybe it's just an inherent imbalance between the sophistication of the music and its themes and the sets/characters appearances. To me, this music is so brilliant, and poignant, and playful, and witty, but the whole thing just looks tacky and sad.
On the plus side, the staging (with lots of moveable set pieces) was inventive and effective.
Perhaps my imagined version of how Sweeney Todd would look and feel could never be approximated in real life, and maybe that's okay. And maybe having enjoyed my imagined version so many times while listening to the music has made it impossible for me to enjoy a staged version that much. Or maybe this particular staged version just isn't that good... I'm not sure.
Regardless, I'd recommend that any Sweeney Todd fans check this out if they haven't. Even if you don't love it, it's worth a look. Just take a potty break whenever Joanna is onstage... ; )
DVD Review: Fabulous movie, good condition, quality case!
Summary: 5 Stars
The new released case, is a much needed quality improvement over the old one. The movie is excellent a wonderful edition to any Broadway collection. A great gift for a Broadway lover...DVD Review: You guys thought Pippin had bad camera work?
Summary: 2 Stars
Well you obviously haven't seen this production of Sweeney Todd! In comparison to this version of Sweeney, Pippin has amazing cinematography.
Now yes this is a good musical, yes this is the version with Lansbury and the first version with Hearn. But cinematography wise, this version is a complete train wreck. For one there's too many closeups during the drama scenes, not allowing us to see the rest of the set. As for the far shots and shots from above, they become more of a distraction than anything else. The editing is quite bad too- constant jump cutting, which makes ruins the "filmed at one show" thing. I wish my hair could randomly fix itself without me touching it like Hearn's in "A Little Priest"! Actors' poses change positions, not to mention some songs looked lip synched due to bad production.
In short, steer clear of this horrid video, look for a bootleg of the same tour, or get the concert version with Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone.
Description of Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case)
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.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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