11/02/2007
The Streak
Ever have one of those visual cues you just can't seem to shake? Everytime I look at the promo shots for the upcoming Sweeney Todd film starring Johnny Depp, all I see is the late intellectual Susan Sontag.
Depp talks about the look in the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly: "The idea was that he'd had this hideous trauma, from being sent away, locked away. That streak of white hair became the shock of that rage. It represented his rage over what had happened. It's certainly not the first time anyone's used it. But it's effective. It tells a story all by itself. My brother had a white spot growing up, and his son has this kind of shock of white in his hair. In those early meetings, what started to go into the look, before the white streak and any of that, was the eyes. As with any character, the history is there. It sounds really stupid, but I thought they needed to be far away and very close at the same time. They needed to have experienced too much, you know. That's where the darkness came around them. These heavy rings around his eyes of purple and brown, this kind of awful fatigue and rage. It's like he's never slept."
Posted 12:15 PM EST by Andy Towle in Film, Johnny Depp, News, Susan Sontag | Permalink
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Or, another more succinct explanation of the look would be that they took it from the Broadway show.
Posted by: Joe | Nov 2, 2007 12:25:17 PM
How do you mean, Joe? The most recent Sweeney Todd on Broadway was Michael Ceveris - bald. The original, George Hearn, didn't have a streak - all of his hair was grayish blond and bland.
Posted by: JOHN | Nov 2, 2007 12:34:17 PM
Or how about Mr Sheffield:
http://www.charles-shaughnessy.com/tvguidebestdressed.jpg
Posted by: tjc | Nov 2, 2007 12:36:10 PM
Actually, he reminds me of Beethoven.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Nov 2, 2007 12:39:03 PM
Or maybe the Bride of Frankenstein:
image:
http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1302/3318_0030.jpg
page:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0026138/
Posted by: tjc | Nov 2, 2007 12:41:07 PM
George Hearn was not the first Sweeney!
Posted by: wayne | Nov 2, 2007 12:50:16 PM
George Hearn was not the first Sweeney!
Posted by: wayne | Nov 2, 2007 12:50:38 PM
Separated at Birth!
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Nov 2, 2007 12:52:15 PM
andy, the resemblance is uncanny.
johnny depp approaches the sublime in every important way.
Posted by: nic | Nov 2, 2007 1:02:26 PM
well if they make johnny depp look like susan sonntag, does that mean helena bonham carter is being made to look like annie liebowitz? just looking for consistency, ya know.
Posted by: alguien | Nov 2, 2007 1:13:12 PM
I'd say he looks more like Indira Ghandi.
Posted by: hzh | Nov 2, 2007 1:17:09 PM
I'm pissed that they've dropped the theme song that formed the backbone for the whole play. It was fucking brilliant.
Why do a "Sweeney Todd" without "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd"? It's like a Hello Dolly without Hello Dolly. I was excited to see how they framed the story. Evidentally, they don't frame it at all, and dive right into "No Place Like London." Without the theme ballad, the ending must suffer too.
Posted by: adamblast | Nov 2, 2007 2:48:11 PM
Hey adamblast, where are you getting your information? You've seen more than the trailer to be able to comment to that degree... Please share.
Posted by: rascal | Nov 2, 2007 3:53:19 PM
Rascal, they've been doing "test marketing" screenings starting this week, and several sites have had preliminary sneak-reviews. Final sound-mixing is the only thing left.
In general, people have been loving it, both fans and non-fans of the stage version. Bloodier than most folks expected--going for a horror movie feel.
Nearly all of the rest of the music is intact, including things I figured they'd cut like Green Finch or Sensitivities. But how much of a legend or larger-than-life feel will they get without "telling the tale" via the narration theme song?
Posted by: adamblast | Nov 2, 2007 4:29:14 PM
How could anyone refer to that hack George Hearn as the "original" Sweeney? Sadly, he's on the video, but he is a poor comparison to the TRUE original, Len Cariou. Listen to the original cast recording. Cariou is breathtaking. Then compare to Hearn. It's clear who the true artist is.
Posted by: Gregg | Nov 3, 2007 9:45:53 PM
ps - I think Depp will be brilliant. I can't wait to see it!
Posted by: Gregg | Nov 3, 2007 9:47:53 PM
Ah, yes! Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. God, that brings back memories. I have to agree regarding the theme song as well. I can't imagine the story without hearing that song running through my head. Oh well, I'll probably go see the movie anyway. Johnny Depp is brilliant after all.
Posted by: JerzeeMike | Nov 4, 2007 2:43:09 AM