As Johnny Depp explains on the DVD of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," he had never sung a note in his life until he decided to take the starring role in the movie version of one of the most revered musicals from one of the theater's most renowned composers, Stephen Sondheim. You have to hand it to Depp. The guy never does anything halfway.
His brave move paid off. "Sweeney" not only earned the unconventional actor his third Oscar nomination, it proved that the former guitarist for the band The Kids actually has a raw, evocative singing voice. (Some compare it to David Bowie's, but I say he strikes more of a Peter Murphy note.)
But as believably brooding as Depp may be, the man ultimately responsible for the success of "Sweeney Todd," arriving on DVD today in both a standard ($29.99) and two disc collector's edition ($34.99), is director Tim Burton. In this savage story about a barber who murders his clients and, with the help of the sadistic Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), bakes them into meat pies, Burton has found the sort of off-center, dark material that suits his sensibilities perfectly. He creates a Victorian-era London awash in shadows and deep sepia tones, but often brightened by the crimson splash of fresh blood and the sound of beautiful music. It is easily the most accomplished, sophisticated work the director has committed to film so far; even Sondheim himself, who appears numerous times on the DVD's extras, gives this "Sweeney" his seal of approval.
Of course, there are plenty of people who simply won't care for "Sweeney Todd." If you dislike: a. the musical theater, b. Burton's films, c. Bonham Carter when she's wearing freaky eye shadow or d. even the slightest trickle of plasma, then skip this movie. Hardcore fans of the Depp-Burton canon and Sondheim, however, will enjoy that two-disc collector's edition, which offers enough decent extras to merit the few extra bucks it costs. (The basic DVD comes with just a single, albeit well-done, half-hour documentary.)
The numerous featurettes delve into great detail about the history behind the original demon barber legend, Sondheim's show and Burton's movie. Others dance into related territory, like "Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition," a look at how the horror plays from turn-of-the-20th-century Paris influenced "Sweeney Todd" as well as other contemporary motion pictures. ("Films like the 'Saw' trilogy and 'Hostel' are very clearly in the tradition of Grand Guignol theater," explains a college professor. And here you thought they were just exploitative gorefests out to make a quick buck.)
Half of the bonus features are worth watching, while the rest -- like a taped press conference and the dippy making-of featurette -- are mostly fluff. It's too bad there is no commentary track from, say, Burton and Sondheim or footage of Sacha Baron Cohen's audition for the part of Pirelli. According to Burton and producer Richard Zanuck, the man who gave birth to Borat tried out for the part by crooning an abridged version of "Fiddler on the Roof." Now that's something I would pay to see.
Most Hemoglobin-Rich Bonus Point: The featurette "A Bloody Business" reveals the machinery involved in making those barbershop slices spew so convincingly. A member of the prosthetics team gamely dons a fake neck and chest, which is connected to a series of pumps, and lets a colleague pretend-slit his throat. His reaction after all that fake blood drenches his shirt? "Ooh, that's cold."
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Jason Lee pals around with Alvin, Simon and Theodore in "Alvin and the Chipmunks," out today. For more options, check out this full list of today's DVD debuts.
Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis is an oil man on a mission in the exceptional "There Will Be Blood," coming to DVD next Tuesday. For a full calendar of what's coming in the weeks ahead, click here.
Releases worth marking on the calendar:
PHOTOS: 'Sweeney Todd' -- Paramount Home Entertainment/DreamWorks; 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' -- 20th Century Fox
