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Sweeney Todd: A Genre Analysis

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Action, fantasy, horror, musical, romantic comedy, these are all well know genres of films, and many popular and epic films can fit into these categories. The term genre is well known to many, but what is the difference between genres and genre films? Well, genres are a type, or category, and genre films are usually easily recognizable as part of a certain genre, (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). Genre films are easily recognizable because they tend to use familiar story formulas, character types, settings, and iconography (visual imagery with symbolic implications), all of which lead viewers to have certain expectations about what the movie will be like before actually watching it, (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). The film, Sweeney Todd: The Demon …show more content…

This is what is can be classified as a film-noir musical. According to (CITE), the formal aspects of film noir are disconcerting camera angles, expressive use of chiaroscuro, and realistic urban settings. All of these aspects are evident throughout Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Furthermore, according to (CITE), when the music is deployed in film noir, it typically signifies discord, danger, or psychological disturbance. Which is also evident in the musical scenes in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). This sub-genre of musical pushed the boundaries of the musical genre because it strays away from the conventional light-hearted and fun stories normally portrayed by musicals. This is what according to Mittell (2000) how genres often develop in process from "adjectival" additions to other genres (like the "musical romance") to fully realized "noun" forms ("musicals") to potential vehicles for new adjectives ("backstage musicals"), or in this case a film-noir

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In Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street, a barber named Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) comes back to London in 1846 after being falsely convicted to carry out his revenge among those who exiled him. After, Sweeney Todd kills yet another batch of people, he hears Ms. Lovett (Helena Carter) scream. The scene begins with a medium close up of Ms. Lovett as she recognizes one of the victims lying dead on the floor, and whispers "you" under her breath. When the diegetic sound of footsteps can be heard approaching, in a reaction shot, Ms. Lovett hurriedly grabs the body of the deceased. Then, in a medium close-up Sweeney Todd points to the furnace, and says to Ms. Lovett "I'll take care of it.

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