Sweeney Todd

TV Movie
2006
TV-MA
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A BBC adaptation of the Victorian "penny dreadful" tale of 18th century "demon barber" Sweeney Todd, of Fleet Street, who cuts the throats of unsuspecting clients in his London shop.A BBC adaptation of the Victorian "penny dreadful" tale of 18th century "demon barber" Sweeney Todd, of Fleet Street, who cuts the throats of unsuspecting clients in his London shop.A BBC adaptation of the Victorian "penny dreadful" tale of 18th century "demon barber" Sweeney Todd, of Fleet Street, who cuts the throats of unsuspecting clients in his London shop.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.4K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Photos

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Part of the plot involves a string of pearls. The Sweeney Todd story first appeared in a story entitled 'The String of Pearls: A Romance'.

Goofs
In the Church scene, the Lord's Prayer is being recited. The version that is used (beginning "Our Father, who art ...." was not in use until 1928. The only version that would have been used in Todd's time is that from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which begins "Our Father, which art ...", and differs in a number of other details.

Quotes
[last lines]
Sweeney Todd: People want to see me hanged or torn apart, but they don't want to see me shaved badly. Please allow me to shave myself.
Gaoler: All right.

Connections
Featured in Where Hollywood Keeps Its Iconic Props (2019)

User reviews26

Review

Featured review

8/10

How did they make a musical out of this story?

This film was made for UK TV, but its a lot better than the majority of Hollywood pap out there. Admittedly it will not be to everyones taste, but that goes without saying. It a simple tale really, but the film gives it a depth i was not expecting.

For me, it was the acting that really makes it stand out - Ray Winstone and David Warner are outstanding.

Ray shows Sweeney to be a kind compassionate person who also just happens to kill people. His character is one of great contradictions then, but his actions highlight the fact that we are all as human beings capable of feats of kindness and also great evil if circumstances dictate.

The script is excellent too, keeping the pace moving nicely, but having time to delve into aspects of religion and philosophy that give the actions of todd a profound resonance.

Overall, an excellent film, highly recommended. But how did they make a musical out of such a macabre tale?