Thursday, May 22, 2008

Sweeney Todd

I just finished watching Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd.

I have to say, after finally seeing the movie, there was absolutely no creativity in the costume design for the drama department. I didn't realize she [the costume designer] basically ripped off the movie right down to the hair styles.

Weird.

The movie wasn't bad, though...as far as movie adaptations of musicals go. Cutting the ensemble numbers was smart, I find it's harder to suspend one's disbelief when an entire ensemble bursts into song in a movie than just one person.

Look at me.....I sing to the cats all the time.

I mean I know I am not the "norm", but it at least proves it is plausible that humans spontaneously burst into songs about their lives.

It's a little harder to swallow a whole group of humans bursting into song about other people's lives in a narrative format, in rhythm, and three part harmony...with a round.

The movie moved a little slow for my taste, but I often find Sondheim a little slow at first. The first time I saw a production of Into the Woods, I was dumbfounded as to why it had not been cut in half. Now, I love Into the Woods, and indeed almost all Sondheim. He is complex, slow....but brilliantly complex.

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