F.F.S. FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: "SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET"

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, as well as Black Friday, I'm sure that everyone is either dreading it and the hustle and bustle that goes with it, or fondly anticipating it as I am. A quick clarification...that "fondly anticipating" refers to Thanksgiving and definitely not Black Friday. But in the midst of all the scurrying about to the grocery store and chaos in the kitchen, I want to remind you all to there is one more screening left in the current Stage to Screen Freedom Film Series. It could provide an ideal opportunity to escape from the stress and anxiety of the coming holiday season; an enjoyable two hour break from the real world. The screening next week will still be on Wednesday, but because the it is the day before Thanksgiving the library will be closing early at 6:00pm. Since the screenings for the Freedom Film Series are usually 6:00pm-8:00pm, an adjustment was made and the screening on Nov. 26 will start at 3:00pm. In my opinion, this would be ideal as well. An early screening in the afternoon prevents you from having to come out after it's already dark and it wouldn't interfere with any Thanksgiving prep work you would be doing that night. It's win-win all around.

O.K. Now that I've done my sales pitch for coming out to the library the day before a big holiday, it's time to talk about the final movie in the Stage to Screen series: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Sweeney Todd is the newest and most recent stage musical adaptation in this film series. It was released into movie theaters in 2007, stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Sacha Baron Cohen, and was directed by Tim Burton. Adapted from the 1979 stage musical of the same name, Sweeney Todd is the story of a man driven to madness for simply having a beautiful wife. Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Todd (Depp) is falsely arrested and exiled to Australia at the behest of Judge Turpin (Rickman), who lusts after Todd's wife. Sweeney Todd returns, years later, to find out that his wife is dead and his daughter, no a beautiful young lady, is the ward of the very man who had him sent away. Todd vows revenge and uses his profession as a barber to exact his vengeance. He is aided by Mrs. Lovett (Bonham Carter), who knew him before he was sent away. Mrs. Lovett owns the bakery below Todd's barber shop and helps him with the unique...disposal of his victims.

The original Broadway stage musical "Sweeney Todd" was largely celebrated musical; it was said to be the first horror musical. The songs and lyrics were written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim and the play starred Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. The stage version met not only with critical success, but was an award winner as well. At the 1979 Tony Awards, it won for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor, and Best Actress. The more recent film version has also been critically acclaimed and received its share of award nominations, though it was not as lucky as the stage version in winning. Sweeney Todd received 3 Oscar nominations, but won in only one of the categories, Best Art Direction. The other two nominations were for Best Costume Design and Johnny Depp received a Best Actor nomination.

The Art Direction Oscar was well deserved. Tim Burton and his production designer created a dank and dark London that evoked despair, poverty, and (for me at least) a Dickensian aura. With this in mind, the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp seems the only natural choice. Burton is known for his somewhat Gothic flair in his movies, and since this movie makes the sixth pairing of these two as actor/director we expect a Gothic character from Depp as well. When these two people come together, nothing short of brilliant is what you most likely will get. The only other actor/director pairing that might equal them today would be Scorcese and DiCaprio.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, however, are not the only reasons this movie adaptation is so powerful and well done. Helena Bonham Carter is stunning as Mrs. Lovett and, after looking at some of the actresses that were on the short list for the part, she seems the only natural choice. Sacha Baron Cohen is a master at work as always and Alan Rickman knows how to play a villain better than any other actor working today. Oh yeah, and the songs from Mr. Sondheim aren't too bad either.

Well, I hope you'll be able to find the time to take a break from the holiday rushes and come spend a two hour vacation with us here at Freedom Regional Library. You know, that truly is the test of a good movie: how well does it assist our escapism. So, come escape for a little while this Wednesday afternoon at 3:00pm. There will be free popcorn for those who attend the screening. See you there!






















Until next time....