31 Days of Drafts and Darkness:

"Sweeney Todd:

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007)

Tonight, Tim Burton's twisted sensibilities lend themselves to a musical, of all things. The proceedings are just as bloody as your typical horror fare but also blend some and theater-style vibe into the mix.  

How about a  shave?

The Plot:

Set in ye ole London, we open on a dark ship pulling into port. Aboard is the brooding Benjamin Barker, who's first glimpse of the city registers a sneer. Having long since been imprisoned falsely by the corrupt Judge Turpin, Benjamin escaped his bonds and sought passage back to London. With plans of revenge in mind, Benjamin Barker assumes the alias Sweeney Todd, restores his old barber shop on Fleet St., and sets about drawing all those who wronged him closer to death at the hands of his razor.

Though Sweeney Todd starts out mildly sympathetic, as we feel for his loss,  it's not long before we realize that exile and prison has drained all empathy from him. Todd now only exists to seek revenge, looking at London more as a butcher's-block than hometown. The obvious (and frankly delusional) affections lavished onto him by his companion, Ms. Lovett, hardly register to the twisted Todd.

Making matters worse, it's not long after arriving that Sweeney finds his wife, the target of Turpin's lust which led to Todd's false imprisonment, has committed suicide. Ever the vile creature, the judge reacted by setting his sights on Todd's daughter, only a baby upon his arrest, but now a young woman and the judge's ward.

Planning out his revenge alongside plans to reunite with his daughter, Sweeney Todd will sink deeper into the abyss and take many lives along with him. Once the bodies begin to fall, they don't stop, but thankfully Ms. Lovett's meat-pie business will never lack for a source of protein.

 Every foul soul in London will meet up with Sweeney Todd and Ms. Lovett at some point, and by the end, you'll wonder who the true villain of the film actually is.

The Flavor:

I've grown more fond of "Sweeney Todd" upon repeated viewings, likely because my initial expectations  were wrong. Noting the typical gothic atmosphere and sharp objects, I assumed Tim Burton was going for a pure horror vibe, much in the way he did with "Sleepy Hollow" in 1999. What I found was dark and twisted, but only at points, with a tone that jumped around from creep-fest to artsy musical and back. The film felt schizophrenic, with the darker moments meeting my expectations but many of the sing-songy scenes almost coming off as corny.

Watching it now, I get what Burton was going for. "Sweeney Todd" is all about finding love in all the wrong places, and each of its characters meet their downfall as a result of their warped definition of romance. Jealousy, obsession, lust, youthful naivete are all represented by key characters, and when such differing notions meet, the blood starts to spill. And oh boy, does it ever.

Wearing its R-rating like a badge, "Sweeney Todd" sprays blood at the screen in a non-realistic, over-exaggerated style. While the film's color palate is mainly gray-shades, scenes of razor-induced exsanguination are always hyper-red and bright, almost as if it's raw passion bursting out of a victim's jugular vein.   

Perhaps now that I'm older, I can appreciate the warped tone of the movie. Yes, some of the songs are still painfully sappy, which still seems odd considering the plot, but I get the fairy-tale like vibe they exude. They exist to stand in contrast to all the bloodshed. Like little fireflies lighting an otherwise blackened sky. It's only because I was expecting absolute darkness that I saw such moments as ill-suited to the film. Whether their sentiment is overbearing or genuinely sweet, "Sweeney Todd's" softer, more romantic songs do help balance out all the gloom, of which there's still buckets of. This is Tim Burton, after all.

Best Paired with:

So long as your significant other can handle some stylized gore, not so much realistic as symbolic, "Sweeney Todd" makes a solid date movie. No, don't go in expecting romance, at least in the traditional sense. Romance certainly exists in the film, but much of it is so damaged as to have transformed into a monstrous parody of itself. The darker characters and their actions all sort of represent the horrendous result of shattered love.

As you can imagine, it helps to be in the right mindset to enjoy "Sweeney Todd". This isn't a rip-roaring sort of musical that has you tapping your feet. It's a bloody tragedy that just so happens to feature singing. While some of the songs are fun, infused with a rye brand of dark comedy, for the most part the film's a somber parable.

If you're sitting down to watch "Sweeney Todd", immerse yourself into the mood and rickety atmosphere of old London and the plight of its twisted inhabitants.

Accompanying Brew:

"Friend, you shall drip rubies. You'll soon drip precious...rubies."

Ruby Mild, from Samuel Adams, is yet another seasonal offering from the Fall mix pack. Alongside the previously discussed Hazel Brown, these beers strive to capture the Fall palate of color and tastes. If you're a fan of Sam's Octorberfest, perhaps their most popular seasonal brew, you'll most certainly enjoy this lighter and more delicate offering.

With a deep red color and light scent, Ruby Mild intends to win its audience over with a lighter, more crisp body to help calm the heavy malts. Neither as sweet or heavy as the Octoberfest, Ruby Mild goes down like silk but still offers plenty of malty flavor. While Hazel Brown's dramatic flavors made for a beer that was bold, but could only be enjoyed in small quantities, I can see Ruby Mild getting consumed quickly and copiously. 

Though you'll only receive two bottles of Ruby Mild per each Sam Adams Fall seasonal pack, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this brew featured all by its lonesome in six-packs next Fall. With all the intense spicy flavors and malts swooping around the seasonal beer isle, it's nice to have an offering that's less weighty. Though the flavor is distinctly Fall, the body is far more akin to a summer ale.

While "Sweeney Todd" is most certainly a dark film, its moments of humanity occasionally manage to break through the gloom. As such, Sam Adam's Ruby Mild makes for a nice, light brew to enjoy while soaking up the bloody tale of vengeance. I feel like a dark stout or porter paired alongside "Sweeney Todd", though fitting the British locale, would be too much. Thus, I recommend the crisp Ruby Mild while watching the Demon of Fleet St. go to his bloody work.