Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham, and Carter Alan Rickman. Film. 2007.
The film begins with Sweeney Todd returning home to Londonafter spending years abroad in a prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While his friend, Anthony, sings about the wonders of London, Toddspeaks of man’s cruelty. He tells a story of his past of how he was a young foolish barber who had a beautiful wife and daughter and how a judge sent him away for life on a false charge so he could have his family. He meets a woman named Mrs. Lovett who tells the ill fate of his wife and reunites him with his old shaving razors. Todd is then thrown into a violent downward spiral of rage and vengeance and starts a murder spree along with Mrs. Lovett which culminates into disaster.
Upon hearing the fate of his family, Todd’s struggle with darkness ends. He completely consumes himself with darkness, clouding any judgment he makes. Though he eventually exacts revenge on those who wronged him, he inadvertently kills his wife who was still alive. His anger and remorse continues to grow and after realizing all the damage he hascreated, he allows himself to be killed knowing that he deserves death.
