Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936 film)
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | |
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Directed by | George King |
Written by |
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Based on | The play by George Dibdin-Pitt[1]
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Produced by | George King |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Jack Parker |
Edited by | John Seabourne |
Music by | Eric Ansell |
Production company | George King Productions |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 71 minutes[2] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British
Plot
The film starts in 1936 as a
Back at the barbershop, Todd has been sent a new apprentice: the
The Golden Hope returns to London, with Mark a newly wealthy man. Todd lures him into his barbershop. Mark foolishly talks about his love for Johanna and shows off his new riches. Todd sends Mark down the chute but Mrs. Lovatt quickly hides him in a cupboard. When Todd comes down, he is surprised to see that the body is gone. However, he isn't worried because he already took Mark's fortune and is sure that young man is poor once again and won't be allowed to marry Johanna. Mrs. Lovatt secretly helps Mark escape. Vowing to bring Todd to justice, a disguised Mark returns to the barbershop. He sends Tobias to tell Johanna where he is. Todd fails to recognize Mark and while he gets ready to shave his new customer, Pearley sneaks into Mrs. Lovatt's cellar. Todd pulls the lever, but Mark expects the chair to flip and holds on tight. Pearley helps him down safely and they leave the same way Mark originally escaped.
Todd is angry to find another victim missing and accuses Mrs. Lovatt of letting him escape. She admits to having let Mark go before. Todd readies himself to go on the run. He puts together his collection of stolen goods and begins stacking up hay and wooden furniture in the basement. Johanna comes to his door, worried that Mark has been captured and harmed. Todd knocks her unconscious, puts her in a closet, sets the building on fire and then leaves.
Nan informs Mark and Pearley that Johanna went to Todd's shop. They hurry to save her. As the barbershop burns down and a crowd gathers around, Todd watches from a nearby alleyway. When Mark goes inside to save Johanna, Todd follows and attempts to slash his throat. Mark manages to knock Todd unconscious and gets out with Johanna. On the street Johanna and Mark kiss. Beside them lies Todd's bag of riches in the alleyway. Todd regains consciousness. As he attempts to escape, his special chair flips him into the fiery cellar. Returning to 1936, the barber's terrified patron runs out of the shop while still wearing a full face of shaving cream.
Cast
- Tod Slaughter as Sweeney Todd
- Stella Rho as Mrs. Lovatt
- John Singer as Tobias Ragg
- Eve Lister as Johanna Oakley
- Bruce Seton as Mark Ingerstreet
- D. J. Williams as Stephen Oakley
- Davina Craigas Nan
- Jerry Verno as Pearley
- Graham Soutten (credited as Ben Souten) as Beadle
- Billy Holland as Mr. Parsons
- Norman Pierce as Mr. Findlay
- Aubrey Mallalieu as Trader Paterson
Production and style
Prior to the film, two previous adaptations of the character were produced in the United Kingdom. The first was Sweeney Todd from 1926 starring G.A. Baughan and again in 1928 with Moore Marriott as Sweeney Todd.[3]
In The Unknown 30s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema 1929-1939 (1998), Jeffrey Richards stated the film was a simplified version of the story dramatized by
Author Ian Conrich noted that British horror cinema is often absent from historical discourse in 1930s films, and not usually acknowledged until film companies like
Release
Sweeney Todd, The Demon barber of Fleet Street was released in the United Kingdom in March 1936.[1] The film was released in the United States in 1939 by Select Pictures.[6] It was reissued in 1940.[1]
Reception
On its initial release,
From a retrospective review, Kim Newman gave the film a three stars out of five rating, writing in Empire that the film was a "Wonderful Victorian horror melodrama brought to the big screen with one of the forgotten marvels of British cinema, Todd Slaughter on top form"[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Gifford 2001, p. 436.
- ^ "Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (A)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 February 1936. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Pitts 2018, p. 232.
- ^ Conrich 2002, p. 59.
- ^ Conrich 2002, p. 68.
- ^ Pitts 2018, p. 2622.
- ^ Pitts 2018, p. 262.
- ^ Newman 2007.
Sources
- Conrich, Ian (2002). "Chapter 5: Horrific films and 1930s British cinema". In Chibnall, Steve; Petley, Julian (eds.). British Horror Cinema. ISBN 0-415-23003-9.
- Newman, Kim (30 March 2007). "Sweeney Todd Or The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Review". Empire. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- Pitts, Michael R. (2018). Thrills Untapped: Neglected Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1936. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476632896.
- Gifford, Denis (2001) [1973]. The British Film Catalogue. Vol. 1 (3 ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-57958-171-8.