I agree.
You just can't beat Angela Lansbury, and I do love the stage version.
That said, there are advantages to the film.
On stage, Joanna really has to belt out her songs. The high tessitura and large intervals are really awkward on stage. The intimacy of the film helps her singing parts, in my opinion.
There is a bit more intimacy with the actors and the orchestra and the microphones, that give the film a different tone, which I liked.
After the film hit theaters, Sondheim was interviewed about his take on the film.
He was happy with it. He liked much of the way it was filmed and didn't have a problem with the changes.
I'd say, people owe it to themselves to watch the DVD of the stage version to appreciate the special quality that it has, and can never be matched.
But, the film has its own strong points, too.
P.S. I enjoyed Sondheim explaining his way of communicating the darker aspects of Sweeney Todd in song.
He said,(not an exact quote) "There are some things you just can't put into dialogue, but you can sing them."
That, to me was one of the reasons Sondheim is just so amazing.
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masterofallgoons
8 years ago
Agree on many points, but sometimes Lansbury is judt too cartoonish for me. Her voice is so absurd and over the top that it can get annoying. There was a recent concert performance at Lincoln Center in which Emma Thompson played Mrs. Lovett. I think I preferred her performance, and others, to Lansbury's even if she defined it.
And as much as Helena Bonham Carter wasn't up to it vocally, I thought her performance otherwise was excellent.
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