Sorry, this movie sucks

Awesome Movie

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A Fleet Street barber recounts the story of Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter), a notorious barber who in the last century murdered many customers for their money.Slaughter (1885–1956) was so great at playing maniacs, he was the right choice for this role. While many, many Sweeney Todds have come and gone, and some (such as Johnny Depp) are notable, Slaughter did it first and really set the stage for all future incarnations.And Slaughter was best when working under director George King (1899–1966), as he was in this role. King, a former medical student, also had the distinction of introducing the world to Laurence Olivier! Unfortunately, most copies of this film are in the public domain and grainy. But maybe someone will come along and make a nice release... far too many of the 1930s and 1940s films have fallen into disarray. I am glad they are widely available, but being in such poor shape does them no favors.

I suppose most of us know something of the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street. I believe he shows up in James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" as Swiney Todt. But I'm not sure that most of the youngsters of today, share less of our common data base, so I'd better spell it out. Sweeney Todd back in the mid-19th century was a barber who slaughtered some of his customers and gave them to the woman next door who chopped the cadavers into mincemeat and baked them into pies, sold at a penny apiece.If Charles Dickens has had more of a taste for the macabre instead of just the Micawber, he might have written this. It has all the elements of early Victorian drama. There's the penniless boy from the poor house, apprenticed unwillingly to the most loathsome master any young lad ever had with the exception of a malignant boatswain's mate I once had the misfortune to serve under. Well, never mind that. There are greedy entrepreneurs, shady business dealings, blackmail, conflict with social classes, a horde of riches and the constant threat of abject poverty. Tell me that's not Dickensian.Todd has a strange relationship with the bakery woman next door. He slips her the meat, the cadavers, through a secret passageway in the basement. They always seem at odd with each other, mostly over splitting up the profits, but then she's jealous as well because Todd is courting the daughter of a rich man that he's somehow got in his thrall.To be brief, one of his intended customers escapes at the last minute and returns later to the barber shop where Sweeney Todd is poetically disposed of. There's no throat cutting and no blood.Other commenters have shown a familiarity with the narrative's history and the people involved in the production, but I know nothing about either. As a thriller or melodrama, it's kneecapped by its production values. It looks almost like a staged play. The acting of the central figure, Todd Slaughter, is so outrageous this if it were meant as a joke it almost succeeds. He looks and sounds a little like Stanley Holloway gone bad. He fawns over his victims before dumping them unceremoniously into the cellar. When he's not being overly deferential, he cackles like a cartoon maniac and rubs his palms together. He wigs out merely in contemplation of his evil deeds.There are some attempts at humor, mostly grisly. A handful of men stand around at the end, wondering what Todd did with his victims, while one of them munches on a mincemeat pie. And Todd advises his customers that he's going to do a nice job of "polishing them off." There is an "African scene" in which the natives -- genuine blacks -- have been directed to jabber in their "native language" by chanting "la la la la la" out of sync with each other. I could probably pull the movie's entire budget from my wallet if I could afford a wallet.

When it comes to legendary the tale of Sweeney Todd, I seem to follow a backwards order. My first real acquaintance (I heard of and knew the story before, though) only came with the release of Tim Burton's Gothic masterpiece starring Johnny Depp in the titular role. Subsequently I saw a couple of inferior and dull made-for-TV productions from decades in a descending order (a 2000's version, a 90's one starring Ben Kingsley and an 80's one) before now - and finally – reaching the vintage old 30's Tod Slaughter version that I heard and read so much about. Although it's practically impossible to make a comparison, I like this film almost as much as the aforementioned Burton movie. Both movies depict an equally depressive and ominous portrayal of 19th Century London; they both contain a few surprisingly shocking moments and they both star incredibly charismatic acting monuments in the lead role. Tod Slaughter totally and single-handedly makes this a genuine horror classic with his sinister appearance and, especially, his nastily grim laugh. The scripts of the two films, however, are very different. In the newest version, Sweeney Todd is illustrated as a traumatized and mentally tormented romanticist out for vengeance against the evil townsmen who destroyed his family happiness. In this version, adapted from a stage play, Sweeney Todd is a pure and relentlessly malicious criminal who kills and mutilates for his own benefit and personal entertainment. The creepy Fleet Street barber lures rich and lonely travelers into his barber's chair and makes sure they never leave again. His ally, the baker woman Mrs. Lovatt, helps Todd getting rid of the bodies by processing them into her famous and acclaimed London meat pies. Todd has set his mind on marrying a wealthy harbor fleet manager's daughter, but then he'll have to "polish off" her fiancée first. Obviously adapted from a stage play, with limited and one-dimensional set pieces, "Sweeney Todd" is nevertheless a fast paced and occasionally very uncanny 30's chiller. Tod Slaughter is a true delight to observe and embodies every aspect of the horror icon. He petrifies little children, steals, betrays, double-crosses, kills and laughs throughout the whole process.

If you are watching this old British movie and only comparing it to the more recent movie or the Stephen Sondheim play, then you will no doubt be very disappointed because the stories are so different. However, if compared to films of the day, then this low-budget film is a better than average time-passer.Unlike the play and movie based on the play, this version of Sweeney Todd is different in so many ways--especially regarding his motivation to kill. The 1936 Todd kills only for greed sake and he is not crazy in the conventional sense--just a sociopathic and selfish jerk. There is no revenge motive--it's just money. Also, there is no wife or daughter and the pie shop may or may not be how he disposes of the bodies--it is only implied that they are made into meat pies. And, not surprisingly for the 1930s, there is no blood, as the victims are dispatched in a really neat way--just without all the blood.What does this film have going for it? Well, it does have a sick sense of humor and should appeal to classic film buffs who like dark films. Also it is pretty original--after all, Sondheim based his play on this film and the old legend.The biggest negatives are the terrible overacting by Mr. Slaughter (great name, huh?) who plays Sweeney Todd and the general lack of incidental music. While there is some music here and there, the film is generally very quiet and stark--betraying the film's low-budget roots.Still, it's an interesting film--just don't spend too much time comparing it to the Tim Burton incarnation--they're like two entirely different films.