Other mistake: Based on the location of the barber's chair with the picture window in Todd's barber shop and the layout of the exterior of the building, there is no possible way that the chute behind the chair would be able to dump the bodies directly into the basement without going through the center of Ms. Lovett's shop.
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
Continuity mistake: While Sweeney is upstairs with Pirelli, Mrs. Lovett gives Toby a meatpie downstairs. On a closeup, half the pie is gone, but when the shot widens right after, only a couple nibbles are gone from the cake.
Continuity mistake: Pirelli throws his cape and it leans smoothly on the seating part. From the wide angle, half a second later, it is wrinkled on the seating part.
Trivia: During its first month of production in London, Johnny Depp had to take a ten-day leave of absence when his daughter, Lily-Rose, was rushed to a hospital due to a severe illness (which was never disclosed by the media). To accommodate his absence, director Tim Burton filmed scenes that didn't feature Depp's character.
Trivia: Anthony Stewart Head (of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame) makes a cameo as the man who congratulates Sweeney after his competition against Signor Pirelli. Head originally had a larger role, but his scenes were eventually cut out. (00:38:25)
Trivia: Even though they play mother and daughter in this film, Laura Michelle Kelly is only six years older than Jayne Wisener.
Sweeney Todd: [Holding up razor.] At last, my arm is complete again!
Sweeney Todd: No! Not Barker. That man is dead. It's Todd, now. Sweeney Todd. And he will have his revenge.
Judge Turpin: Oh yes... Such practices. The Geishas of Japan, the concubines of Siam, the catamites of Greece, the harlots of India. I have them all here, drawings of them. Everything you've ever dreamed of doing with a woman. Would you like to see?
Anthony Hope: I think there's been some mistake.
Judge Turpin: I think not. You gandered at my ward, Johanna. You gandered at her. YES, sir, you gandered!
Anthony Hope: I meant no harm.
Judge Turpin: Your meaning is immaterial. Mark me! If I see your face again on this street, you'll rue the day you were born.
Question: In Mrs. Lovett's song "By the Sea," near the end she sings "Bring along your chopper!" What is the word "chopper" supposed to mean? Sweeney can bring his what?
Question: In the scene where Johnny sings the song "My Friends", it seems he is singing "and we're togever" rather than "and we're together". Is this a colloquial pronunciation from the time period of the movie?
Answer: It's a common colloquialism in England, particularly with London and East Midland accents - people often pronounce 'th' as 'v'. It's poor english but very common, and certainly would have been common in the lower classes in London at that time.
Question: Is there any particular reason why the chorus lyrics were cut from a number of the songs? They used all of the lyrics in the verses, but not the chorus', which I found odd.
Answer: From what I heard, the chorus songs (known as "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd") were cut due to time and inability to make the chorus work on-screen. Actors were set up to play "ghost narrators" at first, so that indicates that the filmmakers did want to include the songs. They were just not able to find a way to make them work satisfactorily for them. Also, I think (can't verify) I also heard that Stephen Sondheim, the show's original creator and composer/lyricist, agreed that these cuts needed to be made for the film to work.
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Answer: His knife/razor/sharp edge to kill someone with.