In an interview for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Depp's response to the question of whether he'd sing in the film was along the lines of "oh hell no." I'm curious.
I did not enjoy his singing style in the trailer.
I would have liked to see the Michael Cerveris performance, which was supposed to be pretty spectacular, but after the reviews came out, there wasn't a seat in the house under $250. Fucking ridiculous.
I've never seen ST, I'm ashamed to say. I like Sondheim, and really love singing Sondheim, but I'm not a completist.
While looking up to see what else Cerveris has done, I found out they're making a MOVIE of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men....?!!!? WTF?
I saw Terfel open one season at Met in Don Giovanni. The operatic education of my ears is meager at best, but that guy will sing your motherfucking house down.
But in the trailer Depp's actually out on the street apprehending people who both ignore him and are clean-shaven anyway
Movies of Broadway shows always have the problem of willing suspension of disbelief. The movie always looks too "real". Opening scene of "West Side Story", when the street gang starts dancing ballet on the actual streets? weird. Depp's star power will pull this off, no problem. Is is not as if Jonathan Pryce is an opera star.
The movie's not the only version of sweeney todd?
Terfel? I'm envious. Sweeney Todd is one of the few shows I've seen on Broadway (with the second cast in the original production, so I was a young pup at the time), but I'd trade that for Terfel, I'd think.
Pipes, schmipes. It's Johnny Depp! [insert girlish squealing here]
by the way, Wolfperson, can I get one of those CDs you're making?
The subject matter of this post made me think that Tia was posting again, though the language (esp. "you know the one") should have tipped me off.
I saw and really enjoyed the Cerveris Sweeney Todd, Tia and some other guy who doesn't comment anymore didn't.
3: That is super wacky, AWB. And it's directed and co-written by Jim from the Office!!!
I am of the Jackmormon School of Girlish Squealing Responses when it comes to Johnny Depp. Rah wasn't impressed with the audio clip he heard on NPR the other day but I don't care. They could just run the movie without sound if he doesn't sing that great and I'd watch and enjoy anyway.
13: I KNOW. It is insane. Of all of the books I own (making a swift survey), that is the one I would say is the least likely to be filmable, or interesting as a film.
From Wikipedia
Sweeney Todd can be interpreted in several respects. Stephen Sondheim believes it to be a story of revenge and how it consumes a vengeful person, while Prince believed it to be an allegory of capitalism and its selfish qualities.
If Prince adapted the music for the film, I'm definitely there.
Was that a joke?
Rickman's character isn't an Irishman pretending to be Italian.
Of all of the books I own (making a swift survey), that is the one I would say is the least likely to be filmable, or interesting as a film.
That's something that's worth asking the Mineshaft about, dream adaptations included.
19: That's easy. George Bernard Shaw's "Everybody's Political What's What".
19: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed. Though I'd love to see it attempted.
Ooh, maybe Eisenstein's The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, which would actually make for a really bitching film if it could be done in a format shorter than eight hours.
Rene Char's Leaves of Hypnos and France-of-the-Caverns, directed by Terence Malick, with a coda showing Heidegger's visits to Char's home in the Vaucluse.
Don't judge me.
Rickman's character isn't an Irishman pretending to be Italian.
A. I didn't know that. I don't actually know much about Sweeney Todd.
B. Even had I known that, the idea that Alan Rickman is best known for being a Jew playing a wigger is funny enough (to me, anyway) to make the joke.
I also wondered about "wigger," but there it is.
Flava framalama boy you won't figure
I don't wanna be called yo wigga
Ooh, maybe Eisenstein's The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, which would actually make for a really bitching film if it could be done in a format shorter than eight hours.
You could get Eisenstein to direct it (well, you couldn't really, but bear with me), but then it would definitely last at least eight hours.
A quick search of the archives suggests that this is the fourth use of "wigger" on unfogged.com. The phrase "droppin' plates on yo' ass" has never been used.
"droppin' plates on yo' ass"
I love you, Ned.
For some reason -- I can't say why, really -- I am reminded of the episode of Beavis and Butt-Head in which a video of some '90s snowboarding wankers inspired Beavis to yell, "Get me some more marshmallows, beeyatch!"
Beavis said "droppin' plates on yo' ass, beeyatch" at one point. I loved when he would try to talk gangsta.
"Yeah, me and Snoop, used to go to the Compton swap meet every week."
"Yeah Beavis, you're a straight G. G for Gonad."
I usually have suspicions of the Tim Burton œuvre because he is so beloved by pretentious adolescent girls and therefore I expect that he will pander to them more and more, if only because that's what his instincts tell him to do anyway. Adding Depp makes that even more likely. But still I want to see this.
Beavis said "droppin' plates on yo' ass, beeyatch" at one point.
That must be what tickled my Beavisian memories.
Johnny Depp! [pretentious teenaged girl squealing]
The scene in question looks to me as if it's something other than a direct representation of Todd's actual behavior -- it's shot in a different style than the other scenes we see in the preview, and the passers-by seem not to notice his presence. As TLL says, movie versions of stage musicals are always at least a little dicey, but otherwise, it seems fine to me.
The Times ran a set of articles on the 16th quizzing Sondheim about the movie versus the play. Annoyingly they broke it up into a bunch of sidebars. Here's the intro item and it has links to the others.
Johnny Depp! [pretentious teenaged girl squealing]
I watched the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, and the entire time found myself squinting at the screen, asking myself: Do you really like this guy, alot? Yes, I do! See how he moves! See how amused, how smart he is! See how sardonic!
But really, now, I asked, aren't you just reacting to (mumble, mumble, something) sex appeal? There's a scene in which he's half-clad, and the guy is my age, this is true.
Well, so fuckit, yes. Good work.
(/reverie)
So much do I admire what Burton's accomplished here, and so much do I love every stray note of the original musical, that I've been reluctant to state the obvious, which is that Sweeney Todd would have been a truly fantastic movie if any of its name actors could sing worth a damn.