Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 1

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Taylor Nielsen College of DuPage Composition !li"abeth Anderson 1#$1#$1%

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street & Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 'e(enge) something that e(eryone has dealt with at one point in his or her life* +hether it be someone gi(ing re(enge to someone or ha(ing the re(enge put on them e(eryone has e,perien-ed this before* .owe(er) not many people ha(e seen how e(ents in someone/s life -an lead them to murder* n the mo(ie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street the (iewer gets to see first hand how an a-tion done out of 0ealousy -an turn into (engeful re(enge later down the line* Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street masterfully portrays the theme of 0usti-e and (engean-e through the de(elopment of the main -hara-ter/s struggles with his o(erwhelming need for re(enge* To begin) as a (iewer wat-hes this mo(ie they get to see the reason why Sweeney Todd is so (engeful and why he is going to su-h e,treme measures* As the mo(ie starts the (iewer gets to hear a song -alled Theres No Place Like London where Todd re(eals to a sailor his history* n the song Todd states 1There was a barber and his wife) and she was beautiful* A foolish barber and his wife* She was his reason and his life) and she was beautiful* And she was (irtuous* And he was Nai(e* There was another man who saw that she was beautiful) A pious (ulture of the law) who with a gesture of his -law remo(ed the barber from his plate* Then there was nothing but to wait and she would fall) so soft) so young) so lost) and oh) so beautiful2345yri-s found from 5yri-s 6ode7* This des-ribes what happened to Todd and what -aused him to be-ome so (engeful as he returns to 5ondon* .e got his life ta8en from him* So as he returns to his home he has (engean-e for the person who too8 away his wife and -hild* As the mo(ie progresses the (iewer finds out that the 0udge did some horrible things to Todd/s wife 5u-y and that -auses Todd to be-ome (iolent in his ways* .owe(er) Todd is li8e an e,plosion) as he finds out different e(ents that happened to his family) li8e his wife 1dying3 and his daughter being ta8en

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street % away) he 8eeps getting angrier and angrier until he finally e,plodes in the song Epiphany* So) as the mo(ie progresses the (iewer sees why Todd be-ame so (engeful and out for re(enge* The a-tual des-ription of Sweeney Todd is not the only thing that shows the -hara-ter as a whole) the (iewer also gets to see how the dire-tor (isually portrays the -hara-ter of Sweeney Todd* Throughout the beginning of the film (iewers see Sweeney Todd as a grungy) upset man but do not 8now the reason behind it* As the mo(ie progresses howe(er the (iewer gets to see how Todd -hanges from this poor upset man to a man -ra"y with re(enge on his mind* .e hides his (engeful re(enge stri-8en state by being -alm and professional loo8ing and then as soon as he is by himself with the -ustomer he slits their throat li8e nothing is happening* The only time that Todd shows his (engefulness and re(enge stri-8en self out in the open is when he finally 8ills 9udge Turpin) the man responsible for his troubles* As a (iewer the transformation of 8illing someone 0ust to 8ill someone to being passionate about ma8ing someone pay li8e Todd was for Turpin really is shown and displays great pathos that would ma8e any (iewer not only be disgusted by Todd/s way of re(enge but also feel the emotional effe-t Todd has by finally a(enging a family that he lost so many years ago* Throughout this film) (iewers get to wat-h as Sweeney Todd goes from hopeful to -ome ba-8 to a family to re(enge stru-8 when he finds out that the family that he

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street : thought would be waiting for him is no longer there be-ause of a man whose 0ealousy too8 Todd/s family away in the first pla-e* ;ne -an belie(e that the -hange happens (ery <ui-8ly in between s-enes so it is something that a (iewer would need to wat-h for* .owe(er) by wat-hing the mo(ie it be-omes -lear (ery fast when Todd be-omes (engeful and re(enge stru-8* As a (iewer the image of Todd is important so by the dire-tor ma8ing Sweeney Todd loo8 the way he does it helped to portray a man out for (engean-e* Finally) the (iews get to see 0usti-e and (engeful feelings through the different musi-al numbers shown throughout the mo(ie* +hen there is a musi-al of any 8ind many of the emotional aspe-ts of the film are portrayed through song* n Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street the ma0ority of the emotion of (engefulness and 0usti-e are portrayed through songs* For e,ample in the song Epiphany the (iew gets to see when Todd goes from being a man loo8ing to get re(enge on only 9udge Turpin to 8illing e(eryone that he sees to a(enge his family* 1They all deser(e to die* Tell you why) 6rs* 5o(ett) tell you why* Be-ause in all of the whole human ra-e 6rs* 5o(ett) there are two 8inds of men and only two There=s the one staying put in his proper pla-e And the one with his foot in the other one=s fa-e 5oo8 at me) 6rs* 5o(ett) loo8 at you345yri-s a--ording to All 6usi-als7* This part in the song des-ribes how Sweeny went from feeling (engeful towards only one man to being (engeful to anyone who stepped in his front door* This is the -lima, of the whole film be-ause of the fa-t that Todd finally -ra-8ed and has no remorse or feelings of guilt* .e is -onsumed by re(enge and getting the 0usti-e that he deser(es* The (iewer -an get a good e,ample of pathos from this song* The reason behind that is be-ause they feel guilty for Todd and 8now what he has gone through) but they also get the feeling that he is going too far in his path for re(enge* A song in the mo(ie where Todd gets his 0usti-e is in the song -alled Final Scene* .ere in this song Todd finally gets his re(enge on 9udge

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street > Turpin and his thirst for re(enge and his (engeful feelings finally end* This is shown through the lyri-s 1'est now) my friend) rest now fore(er sleep now the untroubled sleep of the angels3 45yri-s a--ording to 9ust Some 5yri-s7* This refers to Todd/s straight blades and how he finally got the re(enge that he had wanted* .e is telling his Straight blades that they are no longer needed and that they -an finally rest* ;(erall) belie(e that musi-al numbers are used e,tremely well to show Todd/s (engeful nature as well as the 0usti-e that he deser(es* To -on-lude) belie(e that Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street really shows Sweeney Todd/s thirst for (engefulness as well as the 0usti-e that he deser(es* +hile this mo(ie is a musi-al and -ould be des-ribed as -heesy one -an belie(e that it really portrays a man/s thirst for re(enge* t shows how he will gi(e up anything to a-hie(e this through the (iewer learning why he is so (engeful) seeing how he is portrayed as (engeful) and how the musi-al numbers throughout the mo(ie show his (engeful side and when he finally a-hie(es 0usti-e* +hile this mo(ie may be gory and not seem to ha(e a point) one -ould see past the gore and see the story of a man who got a life he wor8ed for ta8en away by a man who wanted what he had* t also shows how he needed to be-ome (engeful to finally re-ei(e the 0usti-e he truly deser(es* This mo(ie has a message behind it and is really shown through the message of (engefulness and 0usti-e through re(enge*

Used the first account for the animation. My animation is called Sweeney Todd Talk Show

Analysis of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ? References !phipany 5yri-s* 4n*d*7* 'etrie(ed ;-tober 1%) &#1%) from All 6usi-als website: http:$$www*allmusi-als*-om$lyri-s$sweeneytodd$epiphany*htm Final S-ene 5yri-s* 4n*d*7* 'etrie(ed ;-tober 1%) &#1%) from 9ust Some 5yri-s website: http:$$www*0ustsomelyri-s*-om$1??1&1:$ sweeney@todd@final@s-ene@lyri-s*html No Pla-e 5i8e 5ondon 5yri-s* 4n*d*7* 'etrie(ed ;-tober 1%) &#1%) from 5yri-s 6ode website: http:$$www*lyri-smode*-om$lyri-s$s$ sweeneyAtoddAtheAdemonAbarberAofAfleetAstreetAost$ noApla-eAli8eAlondonAbyA0amieA-ampbellAbowerAandA0ohnnyAdep*html