Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1939)

This movie is a blast to watch. It has the perfect blend of horror and comedy and is actually pretty darn hilarious at times. I have now seen 3 adaptations of the Sweeney Todd story; Tim Burton's version, the 1982 version and of course, this one. I still have to say that Burton's version is the best but this one is definitely great and should not be overlooked one little bit.Tod Slaughter is awesome as Sweeney. I can definitely see where the hype for him comes from after seeing this film. The story is slightly different from the musical but I guess it's more true to the original story. It's definitely a simple and cheaply made film but it wins in my book with a great cast and a wonderful story.You'll like this movie if you're a fan of the other Sweeney Todd films. Check it out.

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936) ** 1/2 (out of 4)A man sits down in a chair for a clean shave and notices a painting hanging up. He asks who it is and the barber tells him the sadistic story of Sweeney Todd (Tod Slaughter). Todd became a legend as a barber who slit the throats of his clients, threw their bodies into a basement and used them for meat pies.The British were extremely strict on what could or couldn't be seen in horror films so one should keep that in mind as they watch THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. If you're expecting anything bad then you're going to be disappointed and this horror film is rather tame even when compared to what was going on in American horror films of the era.With that said, there's something strange about this film that makes it mildly entertaining. Slaughter has been called Britain's Bela Lugosi, which I've always found as an insult to Lugosi since Slaughter just wasn't in the same league. At the same time, his over-the-top and in-your-face style is something that you don't see too often so that strange performance helps draw you to the character. There's no question that Slaughter could bring a certain madness to the role and that was entertaining.The film is a bit too talky and I'd also argue that it's way too dull in spots. With that said, the scenes in the basement have a nice atmosphere to them and this is where the horror elements work the best. The majority of the running time is more melodrama than anything else but these scenes in the basement are effective for what they are.

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.

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.