Comments on Wittgenstein, Shakespeare, and Cookie Monster: Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" [SPOILERS!]

I'm not sure that I'd use the word "intrusion" to ...

2008-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that I'd use the word "intrusion" to describe that line ("I'll come again when you have judge on the menu"). Intrusion suggests something that's unwelcome and/or out of character.

Musically it provides a modulation from E flat to D flat and the song stays in that key until the end. To me it conveys a sense of moving towards the conclusion, as opposed to moving in a totally

You're right, James. The line departs musically mo...

2008-05-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

You're right, James. The line departs musically more than it does lyrically, but there's no way to convey that in a blog post (unless I scan in sheet music).

Musically, that line about the Judge is an intrusion. It's a purposeful one, but it's definitely a surprise when it comes. If you listen to the song, I think you'll hear how that stands out like a sore thumb.

Lyrically,

I'm confused when you say "Todd's last line kills ...

2008-05-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

I'm confused when you say "Todd's last line kills the game. Musically and lyrically, it doesn't rhyme."

Todd's last line actually contains an internal rhyme, "when you" and "menu".

And if you were referring to "Yes, and always arrives overdone!", well, that completes the rhyme sequence of the whole stanza: "begun", "one", "bun", "run", "overdone".

I still haven't seen Burton's Todd. I'm commenting...

2008-05-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I still haven't seen Burton's Todd. I'm commenting because I've listened to that soundtrack about a hundred times, and I never get tired of it -- when I was in boot camp, Sondheim's music, as much of it as I'd memorised, kept me company in my head -- and I loved your analysis of "A Little Priest." That's one of my favorite moments in the soundtrack, "Mrs Lovett, how I've lived without you all

I love "Ed Wood," but Burton's other films offend ...

2008-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

I love "Ed Wood," but Burton's other films offend me. They always seem to be the work of someone with a "wouldn't it be cool if...?" personality. Hey, I'm making a Batman movie! Wouldn't it be cool if... Hey, I'm making a remake of "Planet of the Apes!" Wouldn't it be cool if...

That's antithetical to my way of working. Like Burton, I adapt more often then I create something from scratch

"Though Burton will laugh at me all the way to the...

2008-05-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

"Though Burton will laugh at me all the way to the bank, I'd go as far as to say that he doesn't just misunderstand Sondheim, he misunderstands cinema. He thinks of it as a means to show off cool images."

By jove, I think you've got... something, sir. Haven't seen this film yet, but Burton's work has always confounded me in ways I hadn't spent real critical time thinking about. In his