Sweeney Todd

The mise-en-scene of a film deals with the elements of the theatre that carry over into film. Considering several movie musicals were once stage productions, mise-en-scene is vital to the life of the film. In Tim Burton’s adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, he fuses his unique style as a director into the mise-en-scene of the film.
The costumes used in the film are reflective of the time period and are gothic in fashion. Sweeney’s attire consists of a Victorian style shirt, black and gray vest, and trousers. His clothing appears gloomy and even the white of his shirt is tinted with grey. Mrs. Lovett wears long Victorian style dresses fitted with a corset. They dresses are shades of black and grey, and occasionally glimmer with sequins. The costumes are a direct reflection of the dark and dreary London they characters live in. The only time the characters are in brightly colored costumes are in Mrs. Lovett’s day dream. Of course, it is because it is a day dream, a fantasy, that the colors are bright and otherworldly.

The make-up of the characters is equally important to the mood and style of the film. Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett are extremely pale. It is an almost sickly color. Their eyelids are shades of maroon and pink which accentuates their grotesque appearance.
In terms of setting, Burton creates a gothic caricature of Victorian London with a grim palette (Teachout 53). The only color is the vibrant red blood that spurts from the throats of the revenge crazed Sweeney. The lighting is also minimal and the only parts of the film with bright light are the memories or day dreams of the characters. In Burton’s world, the bright light is only existent in fantasy, and reality is bleak and drab.
Ultimately, Sweeney Todd succeeds in fusing the seemingly incompatible virtues of the golden-age musical and the postmodern stage musical (5).