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1!!Both Versions
2* CompleteMonster: The corrupt [[HangingJudge Judge Turpin]], who runs a KangarooCourt in Victorian London, begins Sweeney's StartOfDarkness when, lusting after the barber's wife, Turpin has him imprisoned on a penal colony for decades of hard labor so he can seduce his wife. When she refuses, Turpin has her lured to his home under pretense of offering to free her husband -- but rapes her instead, and steals her daughter as his ward. Turpin guards her jealously, having a younger sailor brutally beaten for merely looking at her and planning to [[WifeHusbandry marry her himself]]. When she refuses and tries to run away, he sends her to an asylum where he knows she'll be mistreated. In the film, [[WouldHurtAChild Turpin sentences a little boy to death by hanging]] -- and then asks his sidekick, Beadle Bamford, if the boy was even guilty of anything.
3* OlderThanTheyThink: Judge Turpin, a CompositeCharacter with the BigBad role of Sweeney Todd and the DirtyOldMan role of Lupin, has a forerunner in the 1936 film adaptation, the difference being that no new character was created and instead Todd himself was the one lusting after Johanna, who must be stated was not related to Todd in the original story.
4* RefrainFromAssuming: "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", "The Contest", and "Epiphany" do not contain their titles within the lyrics. The film adaptation adds "God, That's Good!" to the list by removing all crowd singers throughout the songs, and thus the crowd refrain from the song which does serve as its title.
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6!![[Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet The musical]]
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8* AdaptationDisplacement:
9** The musical has completely displaced Christopher Bond's play, to the point that Bond has directed productions of the musical instead of his original play.
10** Because the Sweeney Todd story was less well known in America than in England prior to the musical's release, Americans mostly know the character from the musical only.
11* AlternateShowInterpretation:
12** The 2005 Broadway revival, in which all of the characters are portrayed as inmates enacting the events of the show in a madhouse.
13** The 2012 West End production gave it a SettingUpdate by placing the show in the 1930s.
14* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
15** Toby. As the role is vocally demanding, adults are often cast in the part, which makes for the question of whether Toby is a kid or a mentally disabled man. The script describes him as a teenager, but whether he's closer to 13 or closer to 18 makes a big difference in how the audience views him.
16** The motives of the Beadle are ambiguous, divided between whether he's a psychopath who's as bad as the judge or just a police officer who sincerely believes the judge is a good man.
17** Then there's the matter of whether Anthony is a romantic hero who saves Johanna from the Judge or if he's a creepy stalker (albeit a ''major'' step-up from Judge Turpin).
18** The casting of Sweeney Todd himself varies from actor to actor -– George Hearn's Todd is [[BoisterousBruiser powerfully built, with a boisterous,]] pitch-black sense of humor. [[LaughingMad His cackles]] after his HeroicBSOD (or VillainousBreakdown / [[VillainousBSOD BSOD]] in this case) song end up matching Mrs. Lovett's StepfordSmiler evil. On the other hand, Creator/JohnnyDepp's Todd is a waif of a man. He's a quiet, haunted misanthrope ''before'' he snaps, and a barely-functional sociopath after, having to be led around and prodded into action by GenkiGirl Mrs. Lovett.
19** What does Todd mean when he remarks that Johanna might "look too much" like her mother Lucy, and why does this make him reluctant to see her again? Would the resemblance just be too painful for him to see, since Lucy is gone? Or is he afraid that he'll be tempted to [[IncestSubtext treat Johanna as a Lucy substitute]]?
20** Most productions will establish that Sweeney doesn't kill men with families. Is this because he doesn't want to put their wives and children through the grief his own family suffered after he was deported? Or is it because [[PragmaticVillainy families mean witnesses and investigations]]?
21** Does Todd not react to [[spoiler:Toby coming up behind him and slitting his throat at the end because he's too focused on grieving his dead wife to notice until it's too late, or is Todd so filled with shame and grief that he [[SuicideByAssassin allows Toby to kill him]]]]?
22** Johanna is sometimes portrayed as insane from the beginning of the show. In fact, the libretto, especially "Kiss me", implies her to be at least paranoid and unstable. Also, she is the one who [[spoiler: shoots Fogg]]. Could repeat that again -– [[HiddenDepths a demure young noble lady in the late XVIII-early XIX century who has never left her house and most probably has never lifted anything heavier than a needle, has never seen any blood and gore, and can't see even a picture of a pistol]], [[spoiler: ''she'' shoots Fogg]]. She probably takes more after her father than anybody realizes.
23** Johanna can also be interpreted as being genuinely in love with Anthony or just using him as a means to escape the Judge. The 2007 film, for example, goes with the latter.
24** Judge Turpin, of all people, gets one depending on whether his song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMA3fa-yO-k "Johanna"]] is removed or not. This song shows that he actually tried to resist his less savory urges towards Johanna, and even implies that she was his MoralityPet. "Johanna, Johanna, I treasured you in innocence and loved you like a daughter". Depending on the performance, it can also come off as though he's rationalizing what he wants to do.
25** The 2014 concert hints that Toby might be romantically interested in Mrs. Lovett and additionally features a scene where the Beadle hits on her.
26** Is Mrs Lovett a ManipulativeBastard who is just as desperate as Todd to wreak vengeance on society, or is she a BrokenBird who is a victim more than anything? Is she genuinely in love with Todd, or is it more of a StalkerWithACrush deal? Does she [[spoiler:mislead Todd about his wife's death]] because she wants to protect him from the truth, or because, again, she's a StalkerWithACrush? And does she genuinely care about Toby, or is she just as uninterested in him as she is with everyone else other than Sweeney? The movie probably gives her the most sympathetic portrayal to date, but she's been played as everything from that to a complete raging psychopath.
27** The relationship between Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett has been played in all sorts of different ways over the years, and while she's obviously very into him, it varies between productions on how much he's into her. (Sondheim himself said in a letter to a fan that he wrote the musical believing them to be sleeping together, but at the same time he didn't attribute much importance to it.) It even carries through to the closing moments of the show: [[spoiler:in the original 1979 production Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett go off in separate directions, him glaring at her and her departing in fear, while in the 2023 revival Sweeney and Lovett walk to the back of the stage, clasp hands, share a glance and jump down into their graves, and implicitly into Hell, TogetherInDeath.]]
28* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", "Epiphany", and "A Little Priest", just to name a few. Well... really the entire song list (given the right cast), but bonus points go to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDa9QEJrQQs#t=130s "Johanna (Reprise)"]].
29* BrokenBase:
30** As is normally the case with shows, trying to discuss whoever played the title role (or Mrs Lovett) the best ''will'' bring the normally-peaceful fandom into an uproar, particularly when limited to the versions available on film. There's also a minor BrokenBase over which concert version (2001 or 2014) is better in terms of spectacle and telling the story. Similarly, the "child Toby" vs "mentally challenged Toby" debates quickly tend to become this.
31** Among those who have seen it, the 2005 Broadway revival has a bit of a reputation for inducing this in practically every single discussion about the show that references it. Put simply, either you liked the very minimalist staging and pared-down orchestrations thanks to the actors doubling as the orchestra, or you didn't. There are very few likely to TakeAThirdOption on this and, on the rare occasions it ''does'' happen, it's still very likely to descend into arguments over specific aspects of the production.
32* [[CantUnhearIt Can't Un-Hear It]]: Len Cariou or George Hearn for Sweeney and Angela Lansbury for Lovett.
33* CrossesTheLineTwice:
34** "A Little Priest" crosses multiple lines, as it not only has Todd and Mrs. Lovett singing about killing people and putting them into pies, but also cracking numerous terrible {{pun}}s about their potential victims.
35** "Johanna (Reprise)" has Sweeney taking part in a beautiful and sombre quartet, about how he both misses his daughter and yet realises that he never knew her and never will -- all while slicing the throats of several customers and sending their bodies down a disposal chute. It often garners shocked and nervous giggles from audiences.
36* EnsembleDarkhorse:
37** Toby in general is rather popular for being quite TheWoobie and for being the only person who’s rightfully suspicious of Sweeney. His 2001 concert version self is especially popular, for [[Creator/NeilPatrickHarris some reason]]. This is reflected by his new status as the main point of view in the John Doyle revival, which only increased his popularity.
38** The Beggar Woman is also popular for her creepy but ultimately tragic demeanor. This became even more pronounced when later productions started to double cast her with Pirelli.
39** Despite being Judge Turpin’s [[TheDragon henchman]], Beadle Bamford has his fans for his [[LargeHam hammy attitude]] and assortment of impressive high notes. The Doyle version is especially popular for his hilarious ColdHam personality and being the primary piano player of the production.
40* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
41** As tragic as the whole thing is, it's actually pretty sweet that [[spoiler:Lucy spends her days hanging around her old house, or the house where her daughter is now living. She doesn't remember or recognize Johanna, but she still has enough maternal instinct left to want to be near her]].
42** While Sweeney doesn't kill a man who comes in with his daughter mostly for [[PragmaticVillainy practical reasons]], some productions have him give her a piece of candy or something, [[PetTheDog which is nice]].
43** If you take a more favorable interpretation of Anthony, his part of "Johanna (Reprise)" becomes this, as it becomes a vow to Johanna, who at this point is locked away in a madhouse with God-knows-what being done to her, [[IWillFindYou that he]] ''[[DeclarationOfProtection will]]'' [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl find and rescue her]], [[{{Determinator}} no matter what]].
44* HoYay: In the movie, there seem to be overtones of this between Beadle Bamford and Judge Turpin, mostly coming from Bamford's end, though it IS kinda odd that he seems to spend so much time with the judge. Notably, in the stage musical it's made clear in the reprise of "The Barber and His Wife" that both Turpin and Bamford have a thing for Lucy. In the movie, however, the lyrics are changed so that only the Judge's affections are mentioned.
45** He may be only Turpin's [[TheIgor Igor]].
46* JerkassWoobie:
47** Mrs. Lovett, who is something of a LoveMartyr.
48** Todd probably more so. True, his method of vengeance once he snaps doesn't invite much sympathy, but his reasons for snapping? Just try not to feel the least bit sorry for him -- you'll probably find it's nearly impossible.
49* MoralEventHorizon:
50** The "Poor Thing" scene with Judge Turpin and Lucy Barker, in which he rapes her after having sent her husband away for life on a false charge. Then he just ''keeps going''.
51** The scene where Mrs. Lovett [[spoiler:locks Toby in the meat-grinder basement so Sweeney can kill him]]. It's made clear that Mrs. Lovett understands what she's doing, since she's crying throughout. Creepy. [[spoiler:Though, she probably crosses it even earlier when she deliberately hides the truth about Lucy from Sweeney.]]
52** Sweeney [[spoiler: killing the beggar woman, who ironically turns out to be ''his own wife'', in his haste to leave no witnesses...followed by him almost killing ''his own daughter'' for the same reason.]] One could argue that he crosses it the instant he decides to give in to despair and murder innocent people unlucky enough to wander into his barbershop.
53** Beadle Bamford crosses it for his role in Judge Turpin's horrific scheme against the Barkers.
54* {{Narm}}: [[spoiler:Toby]] reciting pat-a-cake before [[spoiler:slitting Todd's throat]] can be this if not executed properly. If done properly, however, it can be quite creepy.
55* ParanoiaFuel:
56** For the Victorian audience, this story made a simple and normal trip to the barber's, or a pie shop, very creepy. For the typical modern audience, it made the straight razor unsettlingly best known as a weapon of murder. And even though the modern viewer has far less need to worry that their barber's going to slit their throat, the story amps up the dread that someone who's apparently completely sane and mundane will suddenly turn on you when you're defenceless and least expecting it -- or tamper in some dangerous or disgusting way with your food.
57** The finale reprise of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" invokes this trope, culminating with the company shouting "There he is! It's Sweeney!" and pointing out at the audience.
58--->''Perhaps today, you gave a nod''\
59''To Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street?''\
60''(...)''\
61''No one can help, nothing can hide you,''\
62''Isn't that Sweeney there beside you?''
63* RomanticPlotTumor: The romance subplot between Johanna and Anthony, particularly in the film where RelationshipCompression comes into play and Anthony is portrayed as an insufferable {{bish|onen}}ie wannabe.
64* {{Squick}}: The whole thing is pretty squicky, but Judge Turpin gets a special mention for "Johanna (Mea Culpa)," where he flagellates himself to orgasm while watching his teenaged ward through a keyhole. While singing. It was cut from the original Broadway production, and, unsurprisingly, it's one of the only two songs in the score that remains completely optional. When done well, the sequence can be one of the most chilling in the show...a show which is about ''serial murder and cannibalism.''
65* TheWoobie:
66** Toby, poor kid. Mrs. Lovett's kindness saves him from the poorhouse, but at the cost of becoming accomplice to her and Todd's serial murders and cannibalism.
67** Johanna too, seeing what she's had to live with. She's been locked away her whole life in the home of the man who raped her mother and sent her father to a penal colony on false charges without her ever knowing, and now he has his heart set on marrying ''her''.
68** The Beggar Woman. [[spoiler: She's actually Todd's wife, and after the judge raped her, her suicide attempt left her alive but mentally disabled. She hangs out outside her husband's home, unaware who he is or of the peril her daughter is in.]]
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70!![[Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet The 2007 film]]
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72* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The quiet interplay between Turpin and Todd in "Pretty Women," especially as it builds to that crescendo at the very end.
73* CompleteMonster: [[TheDragon The Beadle Bamford]] is the lecherous, corrupt right-hand of Judge Turpin. A sadistic pervert, Bamford is the man who had Sweeney Todd arrested and helped lure his wife Lucy to be drugged and raped by the Judge where he is implied to regularly take advantage of the insane Lucy on the streets later. Bamford also ensures innocents are famed to be sent to the gallows by Turpin, including [[WouldHurtAChild a little boy]] Bamford is not even aware is guilty of anything.
74* CreepyAwesome: Sweeney Todd, a sunken-eyed, gaunt, and ruthlessly murderous barber played by Johnny Depp.
75* GeniusBonus:
76** Pirelli boasts that he has shaved the Pope himself, while mocking Sweeney that he probably thinks it was only a cardinal, followed by Toby showing a portrait of the Pope. Given that the story should take place in 1846, the same year that Pope Pius IX was elected Pope, this explains how Pirelli might have really shaved the Italian cardinal Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti who later became the Pope, giving him the edge by technicality. (Although the written "[[FunetikAksent Thanks for da Shave -- The Pope]]" on the portrait is rather suspicious on Pirelli's part. Not to mention that we later learn [[spoiler:Pirelli is a [[{{Fauxreigner}} false identity]]]], giving further evidence that it was all just made up.)
77** The paintings on the walls of Judge Turpin's house are the frescoes from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, which depict a woman being initiated into the mystery cult of [[Characters/ClassicalMythology Dionysus]].
78* HarsherInHindsight: The film ends with Todd [[spoiler:throwing Mrs. Lovett into the furnace to burn to death.]] During Johnny Depp's defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, Heard's lawyers brought out text messages in which Depp and Creator/PaulBettany joked about burning, raping and drowning Heard.
79* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct (and sing!):
80** Keep in mind that this movie was released only one year after ''Film/{{Borat}}'' whenever you see Creator/SachaBaronCohen as Pirelli. It was also his first role where [[spoiler:he used his real accent]].
81** Alan Rickman was already known for being a good actor, but here he steals the show with his ''singing''. It reflects the Judge's SoftSpokenSadist tendencies, making his solos and duets even eerier.
82* HilariousInHindsight:
83** When the movie came out, it was noted that there were three ''Film/HarryPotter'' alums in the film. The actor who plays Anthony later played Grindelwald, so that's four. Even better, three of the four play Death Eaters, and all their HP characters are, at one point or another, bad guys. Dark Wizard reunion!
84*** Now there are [[spoiler:two versions of Gellert Grindelwald appearing side by side, namely [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Jamie Campbell Bower]] and [[Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem Johnny Depp]].]]
85** Famed but overly tedious barber Adolfo Pirelli was Creator/SachaBaronCohen’s first big role after ''Film/{{Borat}}''. In ''Film/BoratSubsequentMoviefilm'', Borat himself briefly becomes a barber -- who also takes incredibly long to get the job done.
86* JustHereForGodzilla: The musical segments, just to see and hear Creator/JohnnyDepp sing.
87* {{Moe}}: Toby, before he becomes a CreepyChild, is adorable.
88* NarmCharm: Compared to Creator/LenCariou or George Hearn, it's clear that Creator/JohnnyDepp isn't a trained singer and can lead to unintentionally hilarious moments when trying to hit some notes, but he more than makes up for it by displaying the tragedy and insanity of Todd perfectly.
89* NauseaFuel: ''All of the throat-slitting scenes,'' which use the advantage of film to go from harmless stage-trickery to visceral close-ups as Todd digs his blade in as deep as possible.
90* QuestionableCasting: The original is a notoriously difficult score, yet the cast here is made up almost entirely of non-professional singers. However, it's worth noting that this is the ''only'' film adaptation of any of Sondheim's works that he fully approved of.
91* RetroactiveRecognition: Hey, that's [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Caius]]/[[spoiler:[[Series/StrangerThings Vecna]]]] playing Anthony!
92* SpiritualSuccessor: To Burton’s previous film, ''Film/SleepyHollow1999''. Both are gory Victorian murder stories starring Johnny Depp.
93* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Besides the fun songs, the theme and setting is grim, and most characters are jerks. [[spoiler:Unlike the play, however, Johanna and Anthony escape safely into the night, allowing the hope they will get a happy ending]].

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