Sunday, March 16, 2008

Short notes on Sweeney Todd

1. All the gushers were censored. Every time the knife sliced someone's throat, there was a jump of a few frames, the sound went up and down to cover up and bodies slid into the pit below. So no Old Reliables were seen at Hyderabad.

2. I have realised that what I like best about Tim Burton films is the title sequence. Whatever else he does or doesn't pull off, the title sequence of every film is a carefully structured piece of work describing process. It's a whole factory floor out there, in the first few minutes - an intricate assembly line manufacturing an almost-human, or chocolate or pies filled with dubious meat (I can't remember the beginning of Sleepy Hollow).

3. I still can't decide whether I liked the film because of its essentially transgressive script (that has nothing to do with Burton) or because Burton avoided cutesification. No one is innocent - not even Johanna (who says she never has dreams; only nightmares). Even the recognisably Burton-esque Picnic Scene is ironic because impossible.

4. And what a tree that was in the Picnic Scene. No, km?

2 comments:

km said...

Burton's got a thing for trees :)

Sad to say this, but I have not *really* dug a Burton movie in a LONG time. Enjoyed 'em, yes, but no diggity.

Space Bar said...

km: well, ya...that's good enough, though.