Now, Sweeney Todd is an excellent musical to begin with so put into the hands of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sacha Baron Cohen, there was really nowhere to go but up. I almost told myself to lower my expectations going in because I absolutely did NOT want to be disappointed by something I have been looking forward to for years. I don't think I needed to lower anything though because this one was nearly flawless.
What I love most about the film is that it stays very true to the musical while at the same time, if it had not been based on a Broadway musical, could just as well have been a self-sustained Tim Burton classic. As staples of Burton's, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter infuse the film with a kind of creepy sublimity that is mesmerizing. The supporting cast is excellent and even though Sacha Baron Cohen appears only briefly, he is a force and steals all of his scenes. I really enjoyed Timothy Spall's performance as Judge Turpin's pesky minion, Beadle Bamford. He's one of these underrated actors who usually shows up in films with all of the star players from the Royal Shakespeare Company so unfortunately his performances are often overshadowed and overlooked.
The production value of Sweeney Todd is fantastic and the film should really be recognized by the Academy for its cinematography, art direction, and costume design. The cast also does an excellent job with Stephen Sondheim's musical numbers. While Johnny Depp definitely does not have your typical Broadway style voice, I almost enjoyed his own voice more so than many I've heard from actors trained in musical theater. I think it gave the character more edge and it set him apart from the rest of the cast which was nice to see.
Now while I'm certainly praising Sweeney Todd for its incredible cast and technical achievements, I saw another "musical" film yesterday that I enjoyed for all of the opposite reasons.
Once, written and directed by John Carney, is a cinéma-vérité style film that follows two people in Dublin who meet on the street and discover they have a mutual passion for music. There are about a dozen songs in the film that are performed in their entirety so one could call Once a modern day musical. How it differs, however, is that it doesn't have any of the bells and whistles you find with modern Hollywood musicals. Firstly, the two leads, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, are non-actors in real life who were long time friends and musicians that wanted to help bring John Carney's script to life. Secondly, the film only cost about $150,000 which, as Richard Roeper so brilliantly put, wouldn't cover the catering bill on Dreamgirls. It's a breath of fresh air in every sense and if you're looking for a film that really inspires, Once is definitely one of those rare cinema experiences that will resonate with you for days.
Glen Hansard penned all of the songs in Once but when asked to play the role of Guy he originally turned it down. He wanted Cillian Murphy to play the lead because Murphy had the star power to bring attention to the film and because Hansard had little to no acting experience. Murphy would eventually pass on the project so Hansard agreed to be in the film. In an interview Hansard said, "Though I was initially thinking of using a good actor who could half sing, I quickly realized I should do it the other way around and get a good singer who could half act." And thank God for that. Hansard has one of the most chilling voices I've heard in a long time and when you combine it with the sweet, aching vocals of Markéta Irglová (who also plays piano in the film) you get one amazing collaboration. I also find non-actors to be much more interesting than real actors a lot of the time. If they don't try to act and simply let their natural personalities breathe on screen, the result is really compelling.
Like I mentioned earlier, Once is shot like a documentary. The camera is hand-held and much of the film takes place in some very intimate settings. As these two people learn about each other and fall in love with one another's raw talent and vulnerability, you feel as though you're a fly on the wall of something real unfolding before you. It's the kind of experience I don't think I've ever had watching a film. As luck would have it, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová did bond on the set and began dating after the film wrapped. It makes what you see all the more beautiful simply because you feel like you're a part of something special being brought into fruition.
While Sweeney Todd and Once are two very different films, they're also two of the best films of 2007. They both prove how much fun you can have watching a movie musical whether it's watching a sadistic barber sing, dance, and slash throats or two people making beautiful music and falling in love in the process.
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