I commented recently on my trepidations over Tim Burton's forthcoming film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Whether the movie is any good or not can't really be judged until it is actually seen. What has been dropped, what has been changed? Is the screenplay an improvement over Hugh Wheeler's book for the stage show, probably its weakest aspect? All we know is what we see in the trailer, which I'm re-posting to make a point.
Certainly, it appears Burton has found the correct visual style. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter appear to be giving very committed performances. Depp is no George Hearn or Michael Cerveris in the singing department, but maybe that's okay; in the more literal world of film, a less theatrical approach might be better.
But that's about all we can glean from this trailer, which seems to actively discourage interest in the film. To what potential audience is this supposed to appeal? The more sophisticated audiences likely to enjoy an adaptation of a well-regarded play wouldn't be lured into what looks like just another creaky suspense melodrama, and the people wanting to see the Johnny Depp horror movie promised by this ad will no doubt be surprised they've stumbled into a misanthropic musical.
It's as though the studios only think of movies as so much product, and so this is Generic Blockbuster Preview. If you feel like you've seen this ad before, you have, as this fan-made mash-up makes clear:
Sticking with Johnny Depp movies, I was also reminded of this:
In other words, there's nothing to suggest Sweeney Todd is something different, something out of the ordinary. But all movies are sold like that now. The advertising takes its cue from other advertising, not from the movie it's allegedly selling.
Compare these to the trailer to for another Tim Burton movie:
Not a great trailer, but it does suggest some of the extraordinary qualities of the film itself, and more to the point, it sells the movie for what it is. No way watching this ad you're going to think of the hundred other movies you've sen that look just like it.
I'm sensing I have more to say on the subject of how movies are sold. More later...
