Megan_Kwiatkowski:_Assignment 2

The musical starts with a self proclaimed Sweeney Todd on a ship on its way to London. He tells a story about Judge Turpin knocking one Benjamin Barker (himself, though this isn’t revealed yet) over the head and shipping him off in hopes of stealing away Mrs. Barker, a beautiful blonde, and by consequence their young baby. He jumps off the ship and makes his way to what used to be his home, on Fleet street.
Sweeney finds himself in Mrs. Lovetts pie shop, who is quite taken by Todd, where she sings about making the worst pies in london (out of pussycats). When asked about the empty room above her shop, she tells a story similar to his earlier one, but is also able to enlighten Todd to the events after his leaving. His wife had been invited to the Judge's house, and upon not recognizing anyone she began to drink the offered alcohol. She became inebriated, and when her head was spinning the judge jumped her bones. According to Lovett, she poisoned herself shortly after, arsenic. (she didn't die, though Lovett knew adding this detail would send Sweeney away) Todd reveals that he is out for blood, and Lovett vows to help him. She takes him into town where he challenges an ostentatious barber to a shave off, where he wins easily. This is when his fame starts to grow. That same barber comes to his shop and threatens to blackmail him, at which point Todd knocks him out, then slits his throat. This is the first murder of the film, and also the most gruesome. The man had a young child worker with him, Toby, who asked to work for Mrs. Lovett when his master doesn't show up for him. When contemplating what to do with the body, Lovett suggests baking the body into her pies.
As Todd's bloodlust grows, killing more than half the men that come to him, so does Lovetts business. Toby, though helpful with business grows suspicious of Todd and warns Lovett, getting himself thrown into the basement to be killed later. When Todd and Lovett do come to kill him, he is nowhere to be found.When Todd is finally in a position to kill Turpin (Who talks of bedding his ward, Barkers lost daughter) a hag runs in to stop him, and gets killed herself. It turns out Todds lost daughter (Johanna) is hidden in his barbershop dressed as a boy and witnessing her father's latest murders. In a rage at finding ‘him’ in his shop, Todd nearly slits his daughter's throat before running off to Lovetts scream (Who found the Hag that fell through their body shoot, and recognized her as Todds wife).
When Todd recognizes his wife as well, he throws Lovett into an industrial oven in a rage.
It is while sobbing over his wife's body that Toby crawls out of a drain he had been hiding in and prepares to slit Todd's throat. Todd presents it fully, knowing he is about to die but too distraught at his actions to care.

Heartbreak
Suspense
Regret
Violent
Inventive

Set in London 1846, this is a musical film about the lengths one man will go to to get the revenge he feels justified in.