1. Opening Title
2. No Place Like London
3. The Worst Pies in London
4. Poor Thing
5. My Friends
6. Green Finch & Linnett Bird
7. Alms Alms
8. Johanna
9. Pirelli s Miracle Elixir
10. The Contest
11. Wait
12. Ladies and Their Sensitivities
13. Pretty Women
14. Epiphany
15. A Little Priest
16. Johanna
17. God, That s Good!
18. By the Sea
19. Not While I m Around
20. Final Scene
Amazon.com
Stephen Sondheim's Grand-Guignol blend of opera and musical theater is a perfect match for director Tim Burton's gothic sensibility. The result of their encounter is a superb screen musical that, despite early fears from the show's fans, preserves most of the score ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" being the most egregious loss) and, perhaps even more importantly, its spirit (regular Sondheim orchestrator Jonathan Tunick did the new arrangements). And yes, Johnny Depp can sing. Granted, singing in a movie is easier than it is onstage, but still, Depp is at ease with the material, if a little thin-voiced. Helena Bonham Carter is a bit more problematic as Mrs. Lovett (there's a reason this character has been played by the likes of Angela Lansbury and Patti LuPone on stage) and her take on "The Worst Pies in London" tries hard but lacks gleeful gusto (she fares better on "By the Sea"). More convincing are Sacha Baron Cohen, appropriately outlandish as Pirelli ("The Contest"), Jayne Wisener as Johanna ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin (a good duet with Depp on "Pretty Women"). Sondheim fans won't be disappointed, and the film should also bring new converts into his world. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Product Description
This Deluxe Complete Edition of the Sweeney Todd film soundtrack contains the complete music from the film. It is specially-packaged with an 80-page bound booklet, with lyrics and photographs.
|
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Deluxe - Complete Edition
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2007-12-18)
- Publisher: Nonesuch
- Label: Nonesuch
- Format: Soundtrack
- Studio: Nonesuch
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 122 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #413
Avg. Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A good modern take on a classic 2008-10-04
Comment: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is in my opinion Sondheim's greatest work and is an indisputable masterpiece. The 2007 Film Soundtrack featuring Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and Helena Bohman Carter as Mrs Lovett is a unique, fresh recording which makes the musical more accessible to both theatre and non-theatre fans.
The orchestrations (by the legendary Jonathan Tunick) are haunting, lush and full, exceeding all other recordings; this alone is enough to warrant a purchase. The brilliance of the orchestrations is best demonstrated in the "Opening Title" track and at the end of "My Friends" - the latter (in my opinion) exceedingly replaces "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd". Only the 2000 Concert recording of the ballad in "My Friends" (performed by George Hearn and Company) can match the power of the the film's version, for me. Although I have noticed at times the orchestrations are less powerful on the recording than in the film. This is especially noticeable in the final scene. (see 6:03 minutes on the soundtrack and compare to the corresponding scene in the film).
"No Place Like London" is now a great opening number and Jamie Cambell Bower's range is high enough to contrast Johnny Depp's tenor range to have its intended effect, although it works much better with Tim Burton's stylistic visuals of London and the absence of the Beggar Woman can make it rather uniform at times.
Helana Bohman Carter's voice is definitely a weak spot in the soundtrack, however her voice is a lot easier to swallow than Angela Lansbury and Patti Lupone's giving a new melodic quality to "The Worst Pies in London", "Wait" and "Poor thing". Her voice works very well with Johnny Depp in the duet "My Friends" and is a high point in the soundtrack.
Other lead highlights include "Epiphany", which is surprisingly powerful and the "Final Scene" which becomes with the help of Tunick very moving by the end.
There is also a very strong supporting cast. Jamie Campbell Bower's voice, especially through his high register successfully conveys the naive and innocent Anthony in "Johanna" and Jayne Wisener makes "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" tolerable after Betsy Joslyn's absolutely horrific performance in the 1982 DVD. Although highly trained, Laura Michelle Kelly's performance of the "Beggar Woman" is less operatic than I would have hoped, but considering the new leads maybe it is more appropriate. Sacha Baron Cohen is funny in "The Contest", and Alan Rickman and Ed Sanders give quite moving performances in "Pretty Women" and "Not While I'm Around" respectively, making up for the disposable performance of Timothy Spall in "Ladies in their sensitivities" (a number that could have easily been cut).
A must buy for any Sweeney or Sondheim fan and a good first experience for non-theatre fans to Sondheim. Purist theatre fans should buy the 1979 OBC album first.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Audio Encoding issues mar an otherwise delightful listen 2008-09-24
Comment: While the music itself is quite pleasant, the bass part of the sound is weak in the MP3 version of this album. This gives the otherwise tragic and warm prelude and introduction to the musical a sterile, synthetic feeling, especially when it starts cutting out from 1:39-1:42 of the first track.
Another possible issue is that the MP3 version of the CD is completely missing three of the tracks. While the track list indicates this on the purchase page, it isn't pointed out very well if you find the MP3 version by following the link from the Complete CD's page.
Though the instant convenience of being able to purchase online is usually an excellent alternative to ordering the compact disc, in this case I was somewhat disappointed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful 2008-09-24
Comment: If you are a fan of the story of Sweeney Todd, or a fan of Tim Burton or Johnny Depp, this is for you. I was very impressed on the vocals of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman. They brought something very special to Stephen Sondheim's music. Who would of known all these actors could sing!!! I give this CD 5 stars GREAT music!!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you like the movie, You'll like the soundtrack. 2008-08-18
Comment: This cd is the exact soundtrack from the movie. When I first saw the movie I was a little iffie about the music, but I saw it again and the music captured me.I love Johnny's voice on here and all the others. The actual music speaks for itself and it plays out just as a Broadway musical would. Go for it and take a mystical trip down Fleetstreet.
0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Is this a musical??? 2008-07-30
Comment: I have been a fan of musicals all 68 years of my life and so I bought this movie to add to a collection that extends into 3 digits. I use the word movie because I don't think it deserves the title "Musical." Not a single song is performed in a setting that makes it memorable as part of the whole or something you would like to share with others The stars are good singers and great actors, but none of them will be singing concerts tomorrow. To my mind Tim Burton's obsession with creating "Art-Deco" film turned it into a horrific dramatic bloodbath that Stephen King might give rave reviews. It is filled with blood and gratuitious violence from the opening credits to the final scene and there isn't even any suspense leading up to that violence. If you are a fan of sadistic "Friday the 13'th" bloodbath movies enjoy, but don't buy this film because they called it a "Musical." I for one find it hard to beleive that Sondhiem at his age approved such a violent bloodbath within which to exhibit his talent at musical creation. I doubt that Irving Berlin would have cheered him on in presenting this creation as a "Musical."
|
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Deluxe - Complete Edition
Enlarge View