The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936) User Reviews

Not just of a different era, but of the theatre.

[HenryHextonEsq · 7/10 · 24 June 2001]

A real curio here, with a totally old-fashioned production and the wonderfully Dickensian Tod Slaughter performance merging well with the intrinsically macabre tale. The subject matter, whether shown or suggested, is sinister, and played as gallows humour by Slaughter. The rest of the cast is hardly particularly impressive, but fits well enough into the story, allowing Slaughter centre-stage most of the time, although there is a bizarre foreign interlude that is somewhat out-of-place.

I love the recurring wistful, whistleable tune - absurdly Romantic, yet very low calorie British too - over the opening credits; very melodic and all the more striking as, besides this refrain, there is little or no other incidental music. The photography, could, I suppose, have been more conducive to 'atmosphere', but what is that but an expectation we have about noirish cinema? This is pure theatrical melodrama. The production is indeed spare and minimal, and we're left largely to enjoy the ripping old story and a fine 'turn' from the star. There are very good lines, presumably tailored to Slaughter's stage performances in the role; he delivers them with Dickensian gusto, in a gloriously theatrical performance, which is the main, if not quite the only reason to view this oddball, watchable antique piece.

A Dark and Macabre Tale of Greedy

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 3 May 2008]

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the barber Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter) invites lonely and wealthy costumers in the port to his barbershop on the nearby Fleet Street and murders them to take their money, while his associate Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho) and owner of a bakery below is barbershop gets rid off the bodies. Sweeney uses his fortune to help the fleet owner Stephen Oakley (D.J. Williams) with the intention to force his daughter Joanna (Eve Lister) to marry him. However, the beloved Joanna's boyfriend Mark Ingerstreet (Bruce Seton) returns rich from his last voyage and Sweeney decides to kill him and steal his fortune in pearl, making Mrs. Lovatt jealous with the situation.

The original "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a dark and macabre tale of greedy. It is funny to see only insinuation of cannibalism and that Mrs. Lovatt is the lover of Sweeney Todd. Pearly questioning how Sweeney Todd gets rid off the bodies of his victims while eating one of Mrs. Lovatt's pies is hilarious. Tod Slaughter performs a great villain, but the conclusion with Sweeney returning to the barbershop on fire to be defeated by Mark is weak. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Diabólico Barbeiro de Londres" ("The Diabolic Barber of London")

Polishing off in style

[chrismartonuk-1 · 7/10 · 12 February 2007]

Karloff aSt the Monster, Lee and Lugosi as the Count, Lon Chaney jr as the Wolfman, Cushing as the Baron and Tod as Fleet Street's most notorious barber! Certain horror stars are destined to be associated with certain roles and Mr slaughter would forever be identified with Sweeney Todd. Provincial theatregoers and the outlying suburbs of London could be guaranteed a welter of blood - or beetroot juice - whenever Tod came to town for a 2-week residency. By the 30's, he was established as a star turn, having British B films built around him - his old-school melodramas being mostly rewritten from their stage versions to prominently feature him - see Jeffrey Richards excellent article on Slaughter in the book THE UNKNOWN 30'S.

Despite the distancing device of a prologue and epilogue in a modern barbers, the film holds up extremely well. The sailor's battle with the natives at Trader Patterson's shows the grasp of the film's budget exceeding its reach. But all the staples of Victorian melodrama are present - the villain, the hero and heroine, the older man (usually a disapproving Father of the heroine) and a comic couple. Modern day audiences may feel decidedly queasy about the film's maltreatment of Tobias Wragg. Threatened and intimidated by Todd, cheerfully guzzling down god-knows-what in Mrs Lovatt's pies and forced to wear the heroine's clothes - he must have grown into an adult certifiable for treatment. The ending is contrived with Johanna rushing - unconvincingly disguised as a boy - to Sweeney's barbershop and being left to perish in the flames as the villain covers his tracks. Even more unlikely is the way Sweeney stays to watch his emporium go up in flames instead of fleeing with his riches, then rushing in for an ill-advised fight with Jack Ingestre (who adopts a convincing Yorkshire accent for his farmer disguise). The tipping chair was adopted to prevent us actually seeing any throat slitting but it results in a suitably ironic finale as the unconscious Todd is despatched to the inferno below. There is now an official Tod Slaughter website so log on and lend your support to the greatest villain British acting ever produced.

Tasty treat from Old London

[dh49 · 31 January 2000]

I just saw this film for the first time after searching for it for quite a while. I have long been a fan of the Sweeney Todd story, and this was far from disappointing. The cast is full of the delightful "woe is me" school of actors. Slaughter fits the bill from top to bottom as the grinning cackling Todd. A fine and campy performance. He takes the whole show with little competition. He is a delight to watch playing with his razors and skulking along in his patented style. The sets are atmospheric and effective given the budget, and despite the comic addition of the prologue and epilogue, this is a fine and enjoyable little film. Naturally I also highly recommend the musical, as well as versions of the play for good light reading. This origional 1936 is the definitive. Enjoy!

A tongue-in-cheek version of a classic tale

[Joolz · 7/10 · 13 December 1998]

The customary ham served up by Todd Slaughter, thickly sliced. Tod is magnificent as the demented Sweeney, "polishing off" his victims with sadistic glee. It may look a bit dated, with the usual creaky sets, but it is enjoyable high-jinks nevertheless.

Early Sweeney

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 29 October 2013]

A Fleet Street barber recounts the story of Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter), a notorious barber who in the last century murdered many customers for their money.

Slaughter (1885–1956) was so great at playing maniacs, he was the right choice for this role. While many, many Sweeney Todds have come and gone, and some (such as Johnny Depp) are notable, Slaughter did it first and really set the stage for all future incarnations.

And Slaughter was best when working under director George King (1899–1966), as he was in this role. King, a former medical student, also had the distinction of introducing the world to Laurence Olivier! Unfortunately, most copies of this film are in the public domain and grainy. But maybe someone will come along and make a nice release... far too many of the 1930s and 1940s films have fallen into disarray. I am glad they are widely available, but being in such poor shape does them no favors.

Sweeney supplies the meat; Slaughter delivers the ham.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 4 October 2019]

The aptly named Tod Slaughter stars as legendary barber Sweeney Todd, who 'polishes off' his customers in order to steal their valuables, while at the same time supplying baker Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho) with plenty of filling for her tasty meat pies. Investing his ill-gotten gains in the latest project of ship-builder Stephen Oakley, Sweeney uses his financial leverage to force the businessman's daughter Johanna into marrying him. When Johanna's seafaring fella Mark returns to England a rich man, and goes for a shave at Todd's establishment before meeting his girl, the wicked barber sees an opportunity to get even richer whilst removing an awkward obstacle.

Although the plot for this version of Sweeney Todd is fairly predictable Victorian-style melodrama, the film is still a lot of fun thanks to Slaughter, who gleefully hams it up with a memorable lead performance that positively invites boos and hisses from the audience. Cackling like a maniac as he goes about his work, dumping unsuspecting victims into his cellar with the aid of a special booby-trapped chair, slapping about his 12-year-old apprentice (his 8th, the previous seven having mysteriously disappeared), and lusting after Johanna, Todd is a truly loathsome character, Slaughter's over-the-top mannerisms perfect for the role.

Admittedly, it's a fairly repetitive film and all gets very silly towards the end, with Johanna going to Sweeney's shop in disguise as a young lad (Todd failing to recognise the woman thanks to her clothing and a few cinders rubbed on her face), and the barber failing to make good his escape, instead re-entering his blazing barber shop to deal with Mark, but to be honest, any film that features the word 'Lumme' is fine by me. Look out too for an African native called Snowdrop (I'm surprised that the PC brigade hasn't 'fixed' the film for a modern audience).

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

A Haunting Portrayal of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

[WCPainter · 6/10 · 23 January 2023]

The tale of Sweeney Todd has been told many times, in books, on stage (with or without music), and on the screen (movie and television), but the 1936 British film directed by George King is worth a look primarily because of Tod Slaughter's menacing portrayal of the Demon Barber.

Unlike the brilliant stage musical by Stephen Sondheim (or the not-as-good movie version by Tim Burton), there is no explanation as to how Todd started his gruesome business or how his neighbor Mrs. Lovett became involved. In some ways it feels as if we've missed the first reel or two of the movie. Todd watches sailors and passengers disembark from ships arriving from afar to London and approaches wealthy-looking men in need of a shave to his nearby barbershop, sweettalking them all the while. Once he has learned that they are carrying a good amount of money or jewels, he has them sit in his special chair and after lathering them up, pulls a lever which causes the chair to flip upside down, dumping them onto the stone floor of the basement below, knocking them unconscious. After securing their valuables, he walks down the steps to "polish them off" with his razor. His neighbor Mrs. Lovett will dispose of the bodies. They split the proceeds of the robbery/murder.

Slaughter has a way of making his character appear creepy and untrustworthy even when he struggles to look kind and benevolent. Few people seem at ease around him but they follow his lead almost unwillingly.

Unlike Sondheim's version, the pretty Johanna is a love interest for Todd (but he not for her) instead of his long-lost daughter. She loves Mark, a sailor who of course will eventually become Sweeney's adversary.

The movie never explicitly shows or tells what Mrs. Lovett does with the bodies, but there are broad hints of her using them in her meat pies. And it is she who rescues Mark when Todd has sent him down to the basement via his trap door. Her motive seems to be not because of any change of heart, but merely to get back at Todd for holding out on her some of the spoils from his victims.

This version of Sweeney Todd is no classic, but remains enjoyable even if some of the "effects" are laughable, such as the rear projection behind a buggy ride. Tod Slaughter's face may haunt you for awhile.

Tod Slaughter slays us with his performance

[alfiefamily · 5/10 · 14 October 2005]

This version of the classic tale about a demon barber and Mrs. Lovett, who owns a meat pie shop is a slightly disappointing, melodrama, it does offer up one of the classic horror performances.

Tod Slaughter not only chews up the scenery, he devours it. His is really the only performance worth watching in this film. Not just because he is sinister and evil, but because you can see that he is having the time of his life in this role.

There are many holes in this film, not the least of which is the fact that they barely even touch on what the secret ingredient of the meat pies is. Perhaps the idea was too squeamish for audiences in 1936, but without mention of it, you lose a large part of what made the story of Sweeney Todd so frightening.

I liked the opening and closing scenes, they frame the rest of the picture nicely.

Production aspects were minimal. It looks as if it were made on the cheap by Roger Corman.

5 out of 10

Old telling of Sweeney Todd has it's ups and downs.

[FunkyDan · 7/10 · 27 March 2008]

Now, before I begin my review, I just want to say that I refuse to compare this to the 2007 version. They are completely different animals. In fact, most versions of the Sweeney Todd story aren't musicals. That being said, I saw this the other day and quite enjoyed it. I was expecting throat slitting considering the subject matter, but was surprised to see that Sweeney merely uses a trap door/chair combination. Now, the story itself is quite simple: Sweeney Todd is a barber who murders his customers for their money, and the woman who works next door to him, Mrs. Lovett, bakes the bodies into meat pies. Sweeney's just got a new apprentice, an orphan by the name of Tobais, who starts to wonder why every time Sweeney has a customer, he asks him to go downstairs for a meat pie. On top of this, Mrs. Lovett starts to realize that Sweeney's been taking all of their victims money before she arrives, leaving her without her deserved profit.

While an enjoyable and sinister movie, this film suffered from one huge problem: Horrific sound quality. There was a horrible static every time someone spoke, making some of the plot and dialog hard to understand. As such, I couldn't really keep up with the subplot about Johanna and Antony. I probably would've rated this higher if not for this flaw. Overall, this is worth a rent, or a buy if you can find it for under $10.

Quota Quckie

[gftbiloxi · 3/10 · 19 April 2008]

Although some have tried to argue that he was an actual person, it seems likely that the story of a throat-cutting barber Sweeney Todd arose first as a bit of urban myth that was developed into an 1846 story titled THE STRING OF PEARLS by writer Thomas Prest. A year later the story was adapted to the stage as SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. The story has remained popular into the 21st Century and is today best known as a musical by Stephen Sondheim.

The 1936 English film came about due to English laws which required film studios to produce a certain number of films for every film imported. George King was among the producer-directors who specialized in "quota quickies" and Tod Slaughter was his "star." Born in 1885, Slaughter was never among the great actors of his day--but he was a stage favorite with provincial audiences, most especially when he played villains, and most especially when he played Sweeney Todd.

This particular version of the story differs a great deal from later versions, but the basic story remains the same. Todd is a London barber who occasionally cuts a throat; Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho) is his partner in crime, who bakes the victims up into pies. Now, make no mistake about it: this version of SWEENEY TODD is essentially one made by a pack of hacks, so you'll find no art here. It really is a "quota quickie," badly written, badly filmed, with a cast that goes from adequate to inept. Even so, Slaughter and Rho are quite entertaining, playing so broadly and with melodramatic glee that offers a window onto the playing styles of a by-gone era. The whole thing is so over-the-top, ultra-Victorian, English-Gothic that it really can be quite a bit of fun if approached in the right spirit.

It would, however, be quite a bit more fun if the DVD prints available today were good quality. They are not. Indeed they are so poor that the film is barely watchable, and it goes without saying that there are no bonuses of any kind. Recommended, but really only for those who are interested in tracing the history of Sweeney Tod in his various incarnations.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

A slice of London life

[Spondonman · 8/10 · 1 March 2008]

When UK Channel 4 first showed this in the '80's I couldn't initially figure out what they were playing at with such a cheap creaker. But I quickly got sucked into its murky realms, more importantly got into the spirit of the thing and enjoyed it immensely. It's not essential but hissing, booing, stamping your feet and cheering in the right places would help too. Over the years they showed lots of Tod Slaughter's other barnstorming efforts for the Quota-Quickie (George) King, but none turned out as satisfying overall as this is. I'm glad to see it's out there on DVD just in case they never show it again.

Sweeney Todd is an avaricious lecherous conniving violent barber who thinks he is a "tender-hearted chicken" and who has two sidelines: polishing off his customers well and helping the next door shop's production of meat pies. First sensationalised in a play in Victorian times it was supposed to be based on fact; nowadays they're content just to rip you off and not to pieces. Hairy Bruce Seton was the goodie in love with the capitalist's lovely daughter whom Sweeny Todd also actively coveted. Slaughter's performance is a masterclass of Victorian melodrama, no one else ever intentionally equalled him on film – if you let him he can replace any derision with admiration for such a marvellously over the top melodramatic performance … and his razor-like wit. Same as with the cannibalism the moustache twirling was only implied. His was a style of acting that had died away with the Edwardians but was deliberately continued by him over the following decades, much to the delight of the many theatre audiences who saw him and who interacted with him accordingly. The sweetly melancholic and insistent background music reminds you that you are watching a nostalgic portrayal of a dead world, which would have provided an indescribable frisson to the older members of the original audience watching it at the cinema who perhaps might have first seen the play 50 years before. Slaughter managed to play Todd on stage over 4000 times, but died at age 71 in 1956 just after performing Maria Marten or the Murder In The Red Barn at the Derby Hippodrome – now under threat of demolition. I won't ever be watching the new musical because the words "gruesome gory graphic violence" cropped up in reviews – why waste my short time left on Earth being debased?

So: an ultra cheaply but lovingly made nostalgic tongue in cheek melodrama – a unique priceless treasure indeed.

Insert evil Slaughter laugh here!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 1 February 2009]

When it comes to legendary the tale of Sweeney Todd, I seem to follow a backwards order. My first real acquaintance (I heard of and knew the story before, though) only came with the release of Tim Burton's Gothic masterpiece starring Johnny Depp in the titular role. Subsequently I saw a couple of inferior and dull made-for-TV productions from decades in a descending order (a 2000's version, a 90's one starring Ben Kingsley and an 80's one) before now - and finally – reaching the vintage old 30's Tod Slaughter version that I heard and read so much about. Although it's practically impossible to make a comparison, I like this film almost as much as the aforementioned Burton movie. Both movies depict an equally depressive and ominous portrayal of 19th Century London; they both contain a few surprisingly shocking moments and they both star incredibly charismatic acting monuments in the lead role. Tod Slaughter totally and single-handedly makes this a genuine horror classic with his sinister appearance and, especially, his nastily grim laugh. The scripts of the two films, however, are very different. In the newest version, Sweeney Todd is illustrated as a traumatized and mentally tormented romanticist out for vengeance against the evil townsmen who destroyed his family happiness. In this version, adapted from a stage play, Sweeney Todd is a pure and relentlessly malicious criminal who kills and mutilates for his own benefit and personal entertainment. The creepy Fleet Street barber lures rich and lonely travelers into his barber's chair and makes sure they never leave again. His ally, the baker woman Mrs. Lovatt, helps Todd getting rid of the bodies by processing them into her famous and acclaimed London meat pies. Todd has set his mind on marrying a wealthy harbor fleet manager's daughter, but then he'll have to "polish off" her fiancée first. Obviously adapted from a stage play, with limited and one-dimensional set pieces, "Sweeney Todd" is nevertheless a fast paced and occasionally very uncanny 30's chiller. Tod Slaughter is a true delight to observe and embodies every aspect of the horror icon. He petrifies little children, steals, betrays, double-crosses, kills and laughs throughout the whole process.

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (George King, 1936) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 4 October 2008]

This is only the second Tod Slaughter vehicle I watched after the superior THE FACE AT THE WINDOW (1939), which I had come across during my tenure in Hollywood; I became even more interested in acquiring it after checking out Tim Burton's excellent 2007 filmization of the Stephen Sondheim musical rendition of the popular "barnstormer".

While the plot (which, for what it's worth, is given a contemporary framework in this case) is obviously similar, here, the titular figure is unsurprisingly depicted as an out-and-out villain – which the star (Britain's answer to Bela Lugosi rather than Slaughter's own more versatile countryman Boris Karloff) approaches with trademark hamminess, rubbing his hands together and laughing maniacally when about to indulge in his nefarious deeds. Typically, too, he covets a young girl (daughter of a merchant) in love with a poor boy (a sailor on one of his ships) and isn't above blackmailing her father in order to guarantee the mismatched union!

Incidentally, when the film opens, barber Todd (and the female owner of a neighboring pie-shop) is already well into the habit of disposing of his customers – his motive being simply greed rather than revenge as in the later film version. By the way, the fact that the victims end up as ingredients in the woman's 'recipe' (via a rotating chair in his shop which sends them tumbling down her cellar!) is merely intimated here – but it's perfectly understandable for a product from 1936. The climax, then, is a bit contrived as both hero and heroine don disguises in order to expose Todd – however, it all leads to a nicely ironic twist when, amidst the flames which have engulfed his establishment, the demon barber gets to make use himself of the very contraption he had devised!

In the end, this is watchable – if essentially crude and stodgy – fare which, however, isn't helped by the annoying practice of excessively cleaning up the soundtrack i.e. virtually all noise apart from the dialogue is bafflingly eliminated…except that the former, undercut as it is by relentless hiss and crackle, comes across as muffled most of the time and, thus, rendering the ensuing digital manipulation all the more blatant!

This is good reason why Tod Slaughter has his reputation.

[rixrex · 13 September 2006]

A nice gem from England done in a very Dickensian style, with Tod Slaughter performing in such a way as to rest all doubts about his great ability to make a cardboard villain into a full-blooded character that we both despise and delight in at the same moment. There can be no false assumption that this is not the work of a group of talented stage performers, which is how the infamous Mr Slaughter made his living in travels about the country, performing in plays of the macabre. He would seem to be a person who'd scare you upon first introduction without really trying. Unfortunate that he never performed in a Hitchcock film, for that would have been a grand collaboration.

Not bad, but completely unlike the Sondheim play

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 June 2008]

If you are watching this old British movie and only comparing it to the more recent movie or the Stephen Sondheim play, then you will no doubt be very disappointed because the stories are so different. However, if compared to films of the day, then this low-budget film is a better than average time-passer.

Unlike the play and movie based on the play, this version of Sweeney Todd is different in so many ways--especially regarding his motivation to kill. The 1936 Todd kills only for greed sake and he is not crazy in the conventional sense--just a sociopathic and selfish jerk. There is no revenge motive--it's just money. Also, there is no wife or daughter and the pie shop may or may not be how he disposes of the bodies--it is only implied that they are made into meat pies. And, not surprisingly for the 1930s, there is no blood, as the victims are dispatched in a really neat way--just without all the blood.

What does this film have going for it? Well, it does have a sick sense of humor and should appeal to classic film buffs who like dark films. Also it is pretty original--after all, Sondheim based his play on this film and the old legend.

The biggest negatives are the terrible overacting by Mr. Slaughter (great name, huh?) who plays Sweeney Todd and the general lack of incidental music. While there is some music here and there, the film is generally very quiet and stark--betraying the film's low-budget roots.

Still, it's an interesting film--just don't spend too much time comparing it to the Tim Burton incarnation--they're like two entirely different films.

Six

[arfdawg-1 · 6/10 · 9 May 2014]

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the barber Sweeney Todd invites lonely and wealthy costumers in the port to his barbershop on the nearby Fleet Street and murders them to take their money, while his associate Mrs. Lovatt and owner of a bakery below is barbershop gets rid off the bodies.

Sweeney uses his fortune to help the fleet owner Stephen Oakley with the intention to force his daughter Joanna to marry him.

However, the beloved Joanna's boyfriend Mark Ingerstreet returns rich from his last voyage and Sweeney decides to kill him and steal his fortune in pearl, making Mrs. Lovatt jealous with the situation.

IT's a very dated looking movie but also very watchable.

Try it and see if you like it.

Lots of hammy over acting.

Lacklustre adaptation of Sweeny Todd

[The_Void · 5/10 · 31 October 2008]

The story of Sweeny Todd was made famous by Tim Burton in 2007 with his hit film starring Johnny Depp, but before that it was a musical stage play; and there was also this film. Apparently this film was made by a British studio because of some quota law that meant every studio had to make a number of British films; and that's completely obvious, as while the film does feature a fairly engaging performance from the entertainingly named Tod Slaughter; everything else about it feels weak and rushed and this film version does not give justification to the subject material. The plot focuses on the notorious barber Sweeny Todd. He discovers that he can make more money by murdering his customers and stealing their belongings; but the plan goes even deeper when he, along with his next door neighbour; pie maker Mrs Lovatt, realise that the plan can serve a common purpose; as the bodies of the people he kills can be put to good use as meat for her pies. However, things go awry when Todd decides he wants to marry a wealthy man's daughter.

I was really looking forward to this film as I do like this story; but Tim Burton's version was ruined for me with the inclusion of a boatload of very annoying songs. I wanted a straight horror version of the story; but while this film fits that bill on paper, it doesn't fit on screen. Tod Slaughter had played the role on stage before and he is the best thing about the film; although he is not matched by the rest of it. The short running time ensures that there just isn't enough time for everything to be included and as such a lot of the film is left by the wayside and it feels like it wants to be over as quickly as possible. There's not much real horror either and director George King doesn't bother giving the film any sort of atmosphere - surprising when it all takes place in some of the most dingy areas in London. To be honest, I found the whole thing rather boring and unfortunately I'm now still looking for a successful adaptation of this story! This version may appeal to big Sweeny Todd fans; although I doubt it and I would recommend giving it a miss.

An early Sweeney Todd

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 5 April 2009]

An interesting Dickinsonian melodrama with an evil man with a maniacal laugh in Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter). He has designs on a shipowner's (D.J. Williams) daughter (Eve Lister), but she is in love with the ship's Captain (Bruce Seton).

Todd manages to get the shipowner in his debt and barters bankruptcy for his daughter's hand. But the owner will not barter.

So Todd attempts to kill the Captain, who escapes with the help of Mrs Lovatt (Stella Rho), who is in love with Todd and jealous of his interest in Johanna (Lister).

Mark (Seton) plans to trap Todd and get back his treasure. The climax involves murder, a fire, and the death of evil.

Great story and good music throughout. The cannibalism is barely hinted at, and the famous razor action is never seen.

Attend the tale of Slaughter's Todd.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 7 October 2014]

Lacking the motivation that made the musical Sweeney Todd more understandable (if equally as reprehensible), Tod Slaughter's Sweeney is a barber of impeccable reputation who seems to slit throats just in order to rob his victims. Of course, he's also a dyslexic Sweeney, flipping the switch to have his barber chair turn upside down, knocking his victims out, and then slicing and dicing so meat pie shop owner Stella Rho can grind em' up. Most of the musical's characters are there, but the villainous Judge Turpin has been changed into a local aristocrat without the lecherous motivations that made that character's dispatchment the most anticipated murder in the musical. The rivalry is between Sweeney and the character of Mark, a sailor in love with Johanna, the governor's daughter. Mark, of course, became the character of Anthony in the musical, a friend of Sweeney's, but here, Slaughter's intentions are to knock him off so he can get Johanna (his daughter in the musical) for himself.

The character of the Beedle, so slimy in the musical, has simply been changed into an imperious authoritative character, almost the twin of "Oliver Twist's" Mr. Bumble. The art direction of the connected shops is fascinating, watching Mrs. Lovett leave her pie shop (after giving poor Tobias a huge pie for a penny) and go into the catacombs to get into Sweeney's barber shop. There's no love lost between the two, as evidenced by his cheating her out of half the take of one of his victims, so most of the classic conflict is gone. Even at just over an hour, this "Sweeney" is rather boring, even when comparing to Slaughter's other histrionic melodramas and not taking into account the musical which help make this tale even more of a legend 40 plus years later.

What have they done to the audio track?

[rwagn · 5/10 · 21 February 2009]

In an attempt to clean up the soundtrack, which is rather scratchy and noisy, a digital audio remastering was done. The problem with this remastering is that between every line of dialog (where the background soundtrack noise would be audible) has now been reduced to absolute silence. The effect is jarring when you watch the movie as the dialog appears to start and stop. It is bad enough when listening via regular TV speakers but when run through an amplified system it becomes unnerving. Additionally, when there is background music in these segments between dialogue the music sounds incredibly muted. The same problem exists on Alpha Video's companion DVD "Horror Maniacs" so beware. These movies are 70+ years old and some leniency must be allowed when viewing these old prints. In this case, those who transfer these items to digital should have left well enough alone.

So much done with so little

[Schweinkatz · 10/10 · 28 May 2006]

Was fortunate to get a copy of Sweeney Todd in a set of classic horror movies on DVD. Loved it! I think the meat pie contents were plainly implied. Old time movies left so much more to imagination. That way you could take the kids to the movies if you couldn't afford a baby sitter and the adult stuff just went over their heads. These types of movies are probably not to everyone's taste but for us fans, this one is tops. It just goes to show what can be done with small budgets and no technical effects. And just as an aside, has anyone noticed the resemblance Michael Palin (Monty Python Show) has to Tod Slaughter? I'm wondering if they are related to each other.

Stiff and theatrical, but arch enough for laughs

[funkyfry · 5/10 · 11 August 2010]

This 1930s version of "Sweeney Todd" features enough grim humor to keep a modern audience involved, but there's little nuance or shading in this tale of horror. Todd in this version is an entirely villainous character; his behavior which has been of more psychological interest in recent versions based mostly on Sondheim's musical is treated in this film as a purely criminal case.

As I am myself mostly familiar with this later version, some elements in this one seemed arbitrary or contrived, and furthermore lacking in the irony the follows a late 20th century treatment of this kind of heavy melodrama. Melodrama, for those accustomed to only its casual and rather useless modern adjectival usage, is the classic form of storytelling where 2 perfect lovers are kept apart by some kind of circumstance or villainy that must be overcome, usually (in the formula) by means of a sacrifice on the part of a concerned 3rd party. In the case of this story, the lovers are Johanna (Eve Lister) and Mark (Bruce Seton); the obstacle to their union is the disapproval of her father (D.J. Williams) because Mark is a working man. To gain his fortune, Mark gains passage on the disapproving would-be father in law's boat. This would seem a recipe for disaster, but in this rather optimistic version of the story everyone on the ship loves Mark like a brother.

Now comes the really insanely contrived part; when passing around the Cape of Good Hope, Mark's ship is hailed by the servant of a colonist whose home is being attacked by angry natives. Of course being a bunch of heroic merchant seamen, all the guys on the ship want to volunteer to fight the savage natives. These natives are really something to see, right out of a Monogram Jungle Jim movie. Their vocabulary seems to consist entirely of the phrase "la la la la la!", and they are horrible shots with the bow and arrow except when they need to shoot the captain and the colonist so that Mark can inherit a bag of pearls that will win his fortune and enable him to marry Johanna.

Given how simple the plot is -- Todd and Mrs. Lovatt (Stella Rho, giving the film's only reasonably subtle performance) kill people and take their money -- it's disappointing how contrived some of these elements are, and how confusing the story gets. I still don't understand why Mark and his bumbling comic relief friend snuck into Todd's house, why Mark sent a note to Johanna, and why he was surprised when Johanna responded to his note by impersonating a servant boy and sneaking into Todd's barber shop. Mark and his friends are eating and drinking (his buddy speculates on what Todd and Lovatt do with the bodies while he munches on a yummy meat pie, one of the film's only hints to that aspect of the story) when they're supposed to be stopping Todd from fleeing. It all seems weird and forced.

But then, this whole film really should rise and fall on Tod Slaughter's performance as Sweeney Todd. And I think perhaps a volume could be written on that alone. Slaughter is the very definition of late 19th Century stage acting. His gestures and mannerisms are deliberate and flashy, and even when he pauses for a moment of characterization (like the wonderful pause after dragging his first victim when he absent-mindedly runs his razor across his own face) there's a conscious aspect to the workings of the performance. This is a performance not unlike the one that I imagine made John Balderston famous for "Frankenstein" in the 1920s. And it's a good case study in the old "Grand Guignol" style of acting. Slaughter seems to relish the villainy -- he doesn't make you squirm in discomfort, but rather makes the whole thing a lark. I imagine this guy played Macbeth more than once. As far as the tradition of "horror acting", he is closer to Lugosi and far from Karloff. However the performance becomes irritating because of his screen time. There's only so many times we can hear him laugh villainously before it becomes annoying.

What is this film, on the whole? It's a movie that young men in 1936 would have taken their girlfriends to see, so that they could laugh when the ladies complained about it afterwards. It's deliberately shocking and provocative entertainment that is no longer shocking. Once you get past a humorous framing device involving a "modern day" barber (sort of a sub-Langian device), there isn't much actual entertainment here sadly. The direction is uninspired and the storytelling is only as subtle as the censors forced them to be. Slaughter's performance is overly flashy and none of the other characters register. However there are those moments of macabre humor that lift the thing slightly above the banal.

Tod chews the scenary, and it's oh so fun!

[boris-26 · 20 December 2000]

Tod Slaughter was England's answer to Lugosi and Karloff. Where Bela and Boris often showed great dramatic range, Tod Slaughter comes from the era of Victorian style theatrics. Not since John Wilkes Booth's "Sic Semper....." bit, have we seen such 19th century style scenary chewing. But, this is a horror film about a killer barber, so we're here to be entertained. That's what Tod does, keeps us entertained, with his grand delivery (Whenever he corrects his little boy helper. "I once knew a little boy who spoke a bit... too ....... much!") and gestures (Tod, as Sweeney Todd, is always grinding his hands, and giving with that enormous, evil, braying laugh.) Rhino Video has released the film on video, and it's well worth the rental. I wish Tod did more movies!

How Close Would You Like It, Sir?

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 19 May 2013]

I suppose most of us know something of the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street. I believe he shows up in James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" as Swiney Todt. But I'm not sure that most of the youngsters of today, share less of our common data base, so I'd better spell it out. Sweeney Todd back in the mid-19th century was a barber who slaughtered some of his customers and gave them to the woman next door who chopped the cadavers into mincemeat and baked them into pies, sold at a penny apiece.

If Charles Dickens has had more of a taste for the macabre instead of just the Micawber, he might have written this. It has all the elements of early Victorian drama. There's the penniless boy from the poor house, apprenticed unwillingly to the most loathsome master any young lad ever had with the exception of a malignant boatswain's mate I once had the misfortune to serve under. Well, never mind that. There are greedy entrepreneurs, shady business dealings, blackmail, conflict with social classes, a horde of riches and the constant threat of abject poverty. Tell me that's not Dickensian.

Todd has a strange relationship with the bakery woman next door. He slips her the meat, the cadavers, through a secret passageway in the basement. They always seem at odd with each other, mostly over splitting up the profits, but then she's jealous as well because Todd is courting the daughter of a rich man that he's somehow got in his thrall.

To be brief, one of his intended customers escapes at the last minute and returns later to the barber shop where Sweeney Todd is poetically disposed of. There's no throat cutting and no blood.

Other commenters have shown a familiarity with the narrative's history and the people involved in the production, but I know nothing about either. As a thriller or melodrama, it's kneecapped by its production values. It looks almost like a staged play. The acting of the central figure, Todd Slaughter, is so outrageous this if it were meant as a joke it almost succeeds. He looks and sounds a little like Stanley Holloway gone bad. He fawns over his victims before dumping them unceremoniously into the cellar. When he's not being overly deferential, he cackles like a cartoon maniac and rubs his palms together. He wigs out merely in contemplation of his evil deeds.

There are some attempts at humor, mostly grisly. A handful of men stand around at the end, wondering what Todd did with his victims, while one of them munches on a mincemeat pie. And Todd advises his customers that he's going to do a nice job of "polishing them off." There is an "African scene" in which the natives -- genuine blacks -- have been directed to jabber in their "native language" by chanting "la la la la la" out of sync with each other. I could probably pull the movie's entire budget from my wallet if I could afford a wallet.