Bogle - Sweeney Todd

     Tim Burton took on a challenge by directing Sweeney Todd, a challenge only he would succeed in. The challenge was to somehow have the audience get past the fact that Sweeney Todd is a murderer and helps Mrs. Lovett make her human meat pies, in order to feel sympathy for him. There have been many different versions of the story of Sweeney Todd. In a couple of versions Sweeney was just a serial killer who had no reason to kill. It was just for twisted pleasure. Tim Burton's version of Sweeney Todd went with the musical's version, Sweeney was killing for revenge. The beginning of the film is what mostly gives the audience a sense of sympathy for Sweeney. In the beginning we see Benjamin Barker, a barber who has a wonderful, beautiful, happy family. In the background, there is Judge Turpin. Judge Turpin ruins Benjamin's life in a few swift steps. The Judge sends Benjamin off for a crime he did not commit, rapes his wife, and steals Benjamin and his wife's baby daughter.
     Years later, a man is seen sailing into the harbor of London. This man arrives at Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop. Here, we find that the man in Benjamin Barker. He asks Mrs. Lovett where his wife and his daughter are. She explains that his wife took poison after the rape by Judge Turpin, and after that Judge Turpin adopted Benjamin's daughter, Johanna. After this news, we see the transition of Benjamin Barker to Sweeney Todd. He is now out to save Johanna, and to kill Judge Turpin. Sweeney does at kill a couple of men, but he first says this is "practice". Judge Turpin finally arrives to have a clean shave. As Sweeney is about to slit the Judge's throat, the sailor who plans to kidnap Johanna runs in, talking of his plans. The Judge runs out of the barbershop in a fit of rage. This is the moment where Sweeney truly becomes a monster.

     Sweeney goes from seeking out Judge Turpin, to killing every man who comes into his shop. This is partly done due to Mrs. Lovett's influence. Mrs. Lovett infers to Sweeney that she can use the meat of the men he kills, and they both come to the conclusion that it does not matter to kill city dwellers. This is because the city makes everyone alike, and if they are all alike, what is their life really worth? Cannibalism from the meat pies Mrs. Lovett sells represents how the city takes an individual and not only kills their individuality, but also their spirit. The meat pies are consumed by the wealthy, just like the poor people's work went straight to the wealthy. There was not a sense of fairness in work, the poor worked for the wealthy, and eventually worked themselves to death. No one received a fair amount of compensation for his or her work, instead, they were taken advantage of and destroyed. This is just what Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett do.

     Although Sweeney is morally a monster, the way the city destroyed him makes the audience feel sympathy towards him. Eventually he does kill Judge Turpin, but finds out he also has killed his wife. The tragic ending of the film, with its story and even its cinematography creates even more sympathy for Sweeney.