[Briguy04]

Now don't get me wrong, I love Johnny and Helena, they are incredible actors, but when I go to a broadway play I expect grade A singing (why should I expect anything less from the movie?) and I wasn't too impressed.

I argue with my friends about it all the time, and they're always telling me you can't compare a movie version to the original, and they're right. But I loved The Phantom of the Opera, and I thought Madonna and Antonio did incredible singing jobs in Evita. But the singing in Tim Burtons sweeney sounded just... meh. "they pulled it off" but thats all, I didn't once stop and think, "wow! he sung that really well!". they went for... how do i say this.... popular actors over.... great-singing actors.... and I would have liked it a lot better if they gave a broadway star a chance at hollywood over some already big-shot.

The movie was fun, but i'm tired of people saying "oh my god! johnny depp is the greatest Sweeney ever!" I want to slap them, haha. (Len Cariou in my opinion was the greatest) he was fun to see as sweeney, but I would rather have seen a more professional singer play him.

does anyone else agree?

[Joshua]

I think that they should've cast great-acting singers. I don't think that Johnny Depp had the "passion" (for lack of a better word) that George Hearn had (whom I think was they best, but I've never seen Cariou), but then again, Hearn's Sweeney wouldn't work well on film -- because it's for the stage, very big angry. Although, I think that Depp's Epiphany could've been better, as well as his Final Sequence. Overall, I think Depp did a good job with Sweeney. Not as good as it could've been, but good none-the-less. Helena is a good actress, but I think she played Lovett all wrong. She was waaaaay to caring and motherly. Like how she teared up when she knew what she had to do to Tobias. I think that SHE was miscast, but not because of her singing. I think the singing could've been better, but the acting is more important than the singing.

[KevinMHofer]

George could have adapted his Sweeney to film. On another note, I was asked concerning my production of Sweeney coming up this year whether I feel the person we casted in the title role will be able play up to abilities of Cariou or Hearn, and I replied, he no longer has to, he just has to be better than Johnny Depp, which he had in the bag before we even started rehearsing.

[mercurialasaka]

Honestly my biggest issues with the movie were with Helena and the chorus accompaniment. I can understand taking away the ballads; they only really work onstage. However, the fun and point of "God that's Good" and "Pirelli's Magical Elixir" disappears with no chorus singing and reacting to whats going on. I love how in the stage version it's like people singing different conversations they are having while on the street. And Helena...she was just forgetable. She really didn't bring anything to the character: not the clownish evil madness of Landsbury or Lupone's dark humor. She was just there. Its a bad sign when you don't remember or care much about the most memorable character in the show.
I know it's probably blasphemy but I didn't hate Johnny. I liked the tone of his voice on some of his songs. It wasn't nearly as good as the original but it was still very good.

[Monsieur D'Arque]

Onstage, the characters are larger than life. Their impulses and desires have inflated them.

Onscreen, the characters were played as smaller than life, ghosts of their former selves. Costuming enhanced this as well.

[Mistress]

[Salome]

exactly..you cant film it as a penny dreadful morality play it would be awful as a film.

[pete1974]

This may spark a HUGE debate but...


I had an interesting notion a few days ago,


Assume for a minute that he could be taught to sing (well), d'ya think Willem Dafoe coulda been Sweeney?


Huh?? Huh???

[Salome]

Ive never seen Dafoe play a convincing englishman.

[kittengoespop]

Oh. My. God. In my opinion, that would be all kinds of AWESOME.

[Mistress]

I think he'd be a better Judge...let him revel in all the evil...but I do see what Salome is saying. I can't really see him doing an english accent either.

[Kragey]

Since we're on the topic, anybody else like the idea of Jeremy Irons playing the judge? Assuming he could hit the notes.

[benjivaudeville]

I like it but I still think Christopher Lee would have been very good too.

[pete1974]

[Little_Nell]