Sweeney Todd by Tim Burton - Essay Example

Sweeney Todd by Tim Burton Tim Burton is a film producer and director whose many works have been acclaimed for their originality as well as their ambitious nature. Burton has also become well known for the dark nature of a number of his films which include Batman Returns (1992) and Dark Shadows (2012), which, while featuring some aspects of comedy, have been criticised. However, throughout his career, Burton’s films have largely been successes and have ensured that he has remained relevant in the industry. When I consider the history of his film making, I come to the conclusion that when it comes to production of films with dark features, there is nobody better to produce them than Burton. This is because while the film remains dark from the start, he is able to include elements of sexuality and comedy within it to ensure that there is not only some comic relief for the audience, but also that the film does not remain boring. It is because of these aspects that despite criticism from a minority of reviewers, a majority have continued to give him positive reviews and it is for this reason that his films have retained an ability to win numerous awards and attain nominations. Burton’s film history has shown that he constantly collaborates with certain individuals especially with Johnny Depp in numerous productions which have proven to be successes. As a result, it is no surprise that when it comes to the film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) which stars Depp, it has proven to be a success because of the chemistry that has developed between these two men over the years. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a film that depicts the life of Sweeney Todd, a barber who is falsely charged and transported by a judge because the latter wishes to have Todd’s wife. It is a motion picture based on the play of Stephen Sondiem of the same name and it attempts as much as possible to ensure that it remains faithful to the play’s plot. Burton, in his bid to ensure that the film retained its most critical aspects consulted heavily with Sondiem, the latter giving as much advice as possible throughout the process. As a result, I find that the film has continued to follow Sondiem’s plot while at the same time attempting to make it as short as possible so that it can retain the basic length of motion pictures. Sondiem’s influence can be seen throughout the film, starting from the costumes worn by the actors to the music being performed and this shows that despite the play being adapted to film, it remains faithful to its roots on stage. Furthermore, Burton is able to put his own mark on the film through his ensuring that it is not only dark, but it also includes those roles that different actors play extremely well, hence the film has a natural feel to it. In this way, it is possible to find that the different actors are actually quite comfortable in their roles, hence making the film more natural as it moves from one scene to another. However, I find that while the main plot of the play is retained in the film, the latter does not completely remain loyal to the script as seen where the roles of some characters is diminished in favour of others. I believe that this might be as a result of the shorter length of the film when compared to the play which is actually quite long and the original plot cannot be included. In Burtons film version of the play, I have come to notice that the roles of some of the minor characters are completely removed and that some of their lines are given to other characters. It is my belief that this is perhaps done with the intention of reducing the budget of making the film but by doing this, it seems that Burton is risking ending up watering down the original plot but this has been remedied through numerous consultations with Sondiem when making the film. The bid to constantly remain loyal to the script of the play and the removal of some characters shows that the film version is concerned not only about making money and for entertainment but also to ensure that it is able to attract audiences from Sondiem’s play. Reviews have shown that loyal followers of Sondiem’s play tend to take the Burton’s film version seriously because similarly to the manner, in which the play is performed on stage, the audience also seems to be involved and this makes it possible to retain their attention for the duration of the film. I would go as far as to state that the film depiction of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is one which remains so loyal to the Sondiem’s play that it would make its loyal audience to feel at home and as an integral part of plot development and this is done through the music. This loyalty to the original plot can be considered to be strength of the film version of the play, and the directors of future film depictions of plays need to do more in following Tim Burton’s steps in ensuring that their films are absolutely loyal to the original script. The film version of Sweeney Todd can be seen to have been made with Sondiem’s play in thought especially when it comes to the physical appearance of the characters. In the film version, the characters seem to be selected from those people who are similar in appearance or have been made to appear similar to those featured in Sondiem’s play. As a result of Burton’s remaining loyal to the original script to Sondiem’s script, the appearance of the characters remain as they are described in the original script. This provides the film’s audience an opportunity to appreciate the various characters within it and to identify with them in a more intimate way than if their appearance were changed. This is a strength of Burton’s film because he attempts to depict characters in a similar manner to the way that he saw them in Sondiem’s play in his youth. In conclusion, I believe that there is the potential that the most loyal fans of Sondiem’s play on stage would be attracted to Burton’s film version not only because it remains loyal to the original script, but also because the appearance of the characters remains the same. Furthermore, it is important to recognise that Burton’s version of Sweeney Todd is a major success because it has come to ensure that there is a sense of continuity from the original play and this has ensured that Sondiem’s vision of the play has continued to enjoy the popularity that it had during its peak. I have found that in most cases, directors often find it difficult to remain in line with original plots when attempting to turn plays into film as many only concentrate on making these films for commercial success rather than as a means of immortalising plays through film. I therefore conclude that when it comes to the depiction of the play in Burton’s film, it is more of a success than a failure because it retains the play’s major plots while at the same time making it possible for characters depicted to develop naturally. It is for this reason that not only the script but also the depiction of the characters remains loyal to that envisioned by Sondiem. Work Cited Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Burton, Tim, Dir.. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2007. Film. Read More