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“Sweeney Todd”: Fun for the Whole Family!
By Kyle | January 17, 2008
SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this posting if you haven’t seen “Sweeney Todd.”
The new ad campaign for Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd,” which is doing less than great at the box office after a brooding ad campaign apparently scared off the 12-30 year old females who are Johnny Depp’s fan base, now all but says the movie is a bubbly comedy full of dancing and parties. It’s “Hairspray” gone cockney!
A TV commercial I saw last night–Youtube is carrying something that’s either the same or very similar here–recasts the blood-soaked, unspeakably horrific serial-killers-and-cannibals musical as a daffy comedy. The spot uses quick cuts to wrench scenes out of context and make them look like light entertainment. There’s a heavy reliance on the sunshiny, pastel-colored “By the Sea” sequence, which of course is really about how Sweeney can never enjoy such a pretty fantasy because he’s obsessed with revenge.
The commercial is cheerfully narrated by a voiceover guy who sounds like he can barely restrain himself from whistling a merry tune. Look closely and you’ll see Johnny Depp dancing romantically with Helena Bonham Carter! (Not shown: him throwing her in a cast iron oven and locking the door behind her).
