Cinematical

I am a big fan of Stephen Sondheim's stage musical Sweeney Todd, so I've been following the news about the movie adaptation with interest. Tim Burton is directing the darkly comic film, which stars Johnny Depp in the title role. If you're not a fan of the play yourself, you might not know the storyline -- but Paramount has decided to share a synopsis of the film with us, which has just been published to the Sweeney Todd movie website. The site is currently little more than a placeholder, with a "coming soon" message, but it includes a cast/crew list and synopsis.

The "synopsis" is more of a description of the characters in the film than a plot summary, which is good because of course you don't want the plot twists spoiled for you. (Especially that harrowing bit where ... well, never mind, but I hope they keep it in the movie.) Nothing in the description differs significantly from the play. Sweeney Todd himself is described as "a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge," and although he "becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," the details are left for you to enjoy later. Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is "Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies." The website also reminds us of other well-known actors in the cast: Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford, and Sacha Baron Cohen as "flamboyant" rival barber Pirelli, which is a very small role in the play. As Cinematical reported last month, Christopher Lee's minor role was sadly cut from the film, so you won't find him on the cast list. Sweeney Todd is currently slated for a December 21 release.