The Phantom of the Opera has been a favorite film of mine since I was in second grade and I watched it on television. I instantly fell in love with it when the first song started.
You may recognize The Phantom as non other than Gerard Butler. I bet you never knew that he could sing so well.
Anywho, The Phantom of the Opera begins when the opera house gets new ownership. They start receiving letters from a strange ghost like person who lives somewhere in the opera house. He signs all of his letters as “Opera Ghost” leading them to believe that he is a ghost. Not much is known about him to anyone who works there except for Madame Giry who rescued him.
Video from http://www.youtube.com The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber 30 December 2011
This is my favorite song from the entire musical.
Video from http://www.youtube.com The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber 16 December 2011
This is the first song where we are introduced to Christine. She is the angel of music to The Phantom. He has known of her since she was little and he taught her how to sing the way that she does. Now that she is finally able to be the center of attention during an opera, The Phantom thinks that it’a finally time that she meets him.
Video from http://www.youtube.com The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber 26 January 2012
Video from http://www.youtube.com The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber 1 March 2012
On to another Cult Classic and personal favorite of mine: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This film was released to the public in 2007, and came from the creative mind of Tim Burton. It’s funny that Tim Burton would make a musical considering that he hates them. But Sweeney Todd is right up his alley, and this film became a cult classic. Tim Burton got his wife Helena Bonham Carter to play opposite of Johnny Depp as Mrs. Lovett.
This is the chair that Sweeney Todd created. it has gears and springs to not only make the costumer comfortable while getting shaved, but it also serves as a transportation device of bodies. Once He has killed them he steps on a pedal the chair goes back and drops the body through a chute down to the basement where the boiler is. And the small little attic area is his “barber shop,” the place where poor trusting souls go to get a clean shave but then they never leave. It’s really rather unfortunate for them. But they never have any family that goes to look for them, and that is how Sweeney was able to kill so many people and never get caught.
This is the sense in which Sweeney Todd is reunited with his sterling silver straight razors. Before Sweeney had to leave London, he was your everyday barber. When he came back to London though, he changed his name, and started killing people with his beloved razors. Or friends as he would say. He kills multiple people just to gain his reputation as an excellent barber to the public so that he can finally get the person he really wants. The whole reason Sweeney comes back to London is so that he can kill the man who forced him to leave. And the only reason he was forced to leave was because someone wanted his wife and daughter. Let’s just say that Sweeney will hold a grudge.
This is Sweeney Todd’s sidekick so to speak, Mrs. Lovett. She is actually the one who comes up with the idea to make pies out of the people that Sweeney kills upstairs. Her meat pie business was going south and she thought that if she could make pies out of the dead people it would not only boost her business but it would also make Sweeney happy. And she wants nothing more than to make him happy. She has expressed her love for him numerous times. But he really doesn’t care for her in that way. He’s just glad that she can provide a front for him as he kills people. However, she stops him from the kill he really wanted, the kill that spurred all of the others. And she ruined everything.
video from youtube.com eleonoradepp 17 January 2008
This is the first song that opens up the whole film. Sweeney Todd was forced to leave London for quite some time due to a crime he did not commit. He came back on a ship, and starts singing the opening song with Anthony. In this song the viewer gets a taste of how much Sweeney Todd really hates London for what has happened to him there. But he decided to go back and get his vengeance. Anthony comes back to visit Sweeney to ask a favor of him. And that is when Sweeney finds out what happened to his daughter since he was gone. And he actually almost killed her. But in his defense she was dressed as a boy and how would he know what she looked like after all those years.
Sweeney Todd is one of my all time favorites because of how dark and twisted it is. This film would not have been nearly as good if tim Burton did not direct it. He brings something that literally no one else could. And he made it a masterpiece.
Watch Sweeney Todd and let me know if you are in love with this demon barber as much as I am.
My (UN)Popular Opinion 