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

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

Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case)
List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $19.14
You Save: $5.84 (23%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.89 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD details

Actor: Angela Lansbury, Cris Groenendaal, Edmund Lyndeck, George Hearn, Sara Woods
Brand: TURNER HM ENTERTAINM
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
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: AT LONG LAST!!!! Sweeney's Back Where He Belongs!
Summary: 5 Stars

"Sweeney Todd" has been out of print for many, many years. Video copies went for enormous sums, and I had to settle for an aging video copy I recorded when the show was first aired on television 22 years ago. I understood that there were some copyright issues that stopped the show from being re-released, which have apparently been resolved.

Although I usually curse Warner Brothers for having the worst track record of any major studio for not releasing their extensive library of films to DVD, today I applaud them for giving us back this wonderful show with its delightful performances on DVD. Not only can we relish Angela Lansbury in her Tony-winning role as Mrs. Lovett, but we get the extra bonus of seeing George Hearn as Sweeney, to my mind the best Sweeney I've ever seen (and I've seen two others as well -- Len Cariou, who originated the role on Broadway and was probably the sexiest Sweeney (making Lovett's attraction for him perfectly understandable), but without Hearn's depth and a bit too American (or rather, Canadian), and Denis Quilley, who performed the role in London. Although Quilley's acting and singing talents were a match for Hearn's, he was physically not exactly right.

As for the Mrs. Lovetts I've seen, the West End production's Sheila Hancock will always be my favorite for her ability to capture all the comedic aspects of the role (as Angela Lansbury does too) while still managing to plumb the pure evil depths and total amorality of the character. Ms. Hancock had the ability to make the theatre-goer laugh his head off one moment, and then to send chills down his spine the next. But who could not love Angela as well? And aside from Ms. Lansbury, one gets a chance to see several others from the original Broadway cast reprise their roles for this production, including the wonderfully sinister, powerfully voiced Edmund Lyndeck as Judge Turpin and Ken Jennings as Tobias. (Toby is not an easy role to cast, since one has to practically be a castrato to sing it.)

I was also fortunate enough to see the original Broadway production before the cuts were made -- the shortening of the barber competition (a wise decision), the elimination of the self-flagellation scene in which Judge Turpin, brandishing a whip, is seen in a black robe, his buttocks exposed (this should never have been cut but was probably considered too outragious for the out-of-town tourists to handle), and the removal of the Tower of Bray number (which, again, was a wonderful pastiche and very funny, as it added to rather than detracted from the suspense, and hopefully will one day be re-evaluated and restored to future productions). But at least, the missing numbers are all on the cast album for admirers of the show to enjoy.

The role of Anthony was replaced in this production by Cris Groenendaal (who was in the chorus in the original), and who has a stronger voice than Victor Garber, who originated the role, but Garber is a stronger actor, as can be surmised from his long and successful career, both in musicals and non-musicals. I also enjoyed Betsy Joslyn as Johanna, which is a silly and comedic role which she milks for all its worth, and yet still remains a chip off the old block. It's Johanna, after all, who grabs the revolver from Anthony to shoot Mr. Fogg in cold blood.

Finally, before receiving the DVD, I was fearful that I might be looking at something with faded color bleeds and poor video quality simply transferred to a different media. But I am happy to report that the show has held up well, both visually and audibly. In fact, in this L.A. production, the only thing I missed from the Broadway production (other than the cut numbers) was that in the original theatre, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett make their final appearance rising through a hole in the floor from an elevator beneath the stage, as if coming back from hell for a brief encore. Now THAT was an entrance!

More Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case) reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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

Studio: Turner Hm Entertainm Release Date: 04/20/2004 Run time: 140 minutes Rating: Nr
Bestsellers in DVD
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] ImageThe Story of Jeremiah [VHS]
Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS] ImageWresting With God [VHS]
by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $19.99
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS] ImageStudy Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]
Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $44.00
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS] ImageTempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops: $9.98
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/Party Video [VHS] ImageTempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Strike the Original Match [VHS] ImageStrike the Original Match [VHS]
New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $14.95
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] ImageMedjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]
JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008 ImageMayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008
by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User ImagePediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User
by Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Cost Accounting [VHS] ImageCost Accounting [VHS]
by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (London Stage Revival) ImageRodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (London Stage Revival)
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2003-11-18; DVD
Best price: $8.77
Price in other shops: $24.98
Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical ImageJekyll & Hyde - The Musical
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2006-11-14; DVD
Best price: $7.88
Price in other shops: $19.98
Sweeney Todd in Concert ImageSweeney Todd in Concert
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2002-05-14; DVD
Best price: $9.78
Price in other shops: $24.98
Sondheim: The Birthday Concert ImageSondheim: The Birthday Concert
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2010-11-16; DVD
Best price: $9.80
Price in other shops: $24.98
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979 Original Broadway Cast) ImageSweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979 Original Broadway Cast)
Release date: 2007-03-20; Music CD
Best price: $12.66
Price in other shops: $15.99
Company: A Musical Comedy ImageCompany: A Musical Comedy
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2008-05-20; DVD
Best price: $9.24
Price in other shops: $24.98
Sunday in the Park with George ImageSunday in the Park with George
Image Entertainment; Release date: 1999-03-23; DVD
Best price: $10.74
Price in other shops: $24.98
Into the Woods ImageInto the Woods
Image Entertainment; Release date: 1997-08-27; DVD
Best price: $9.61
Price in other shops: $24.98
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ImageSweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Paramount; Release date: 2008-04-01; DVD
Best price: $6.65
Price in other shops: $19.99
Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway ImageRent: Filmed Live on Broadway
Sony; Release date: 2009-02-03; DVD
Best price: $6.08
Price in other shops: $14.99
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners