Tim Burton has always liked shooting that kind of black, dark Gothic movies, and Johnny Depp has always been the kind of weird, crazy or even neurotic person. The two of them are each other's best partners. Throughout the whole movie, I rarely see bright shots. Only in a few memories of the past, the colorful soft light will appear. For most of the time, London is dark and gloomy, and it seems to be always thick. Thick dark clouds. Tim Burton used the black he was good at as always. Of course, the old man didn't mean red when he sprayed a lot of plasma later. Johnny Depp’s Razor Killer Todd is pale and gloomy, and it feels gloomy and cold from the beginning. This kind of performance that is completely different from the academic school always gives me a lot of surprises.) This dark and gloomy atmosphere has paved the way for Todd's hatred.
I want to talk about Todd's hatred. Todd first hated the judge and the judge's accomplices, it was they who let his wife divorce their daughters, and allowed himself to wander overseas for more than ten years. When he learned from the Lovetev population that his wife had died of poison and her daughter had been adopted by Judge Pinter, this uncommon hatred intensified. However, wanting revenge is not an easy task. Todd can only wait patiently for the opportunity, and the torment of waiting is unbearable. He can't bear the enemy being around but he can't do anything. After an excellent opportunity was missed, Todd fell into despair. He felt that he would never have a chance to fight his enemies. When a person feels that fate is too unfair to him, he will slowly become hostile to others and hostile to society. Todd said from the beginning that London is full of scum. When the specific object of hatred is not resolved, people will amplify the hatred to a group or even the entire society. Therefore, Todd completed the transformation process of a razor murderer.
This kind of hatred has existed in ancient and modern times both at home and abroad. In some Western myths, people on the earth are often cursed by gods or other people. These curses generally do not only harm the people involved, but often curse several generations of children or even the entire country. In our case, the famous Dou E's injustice is even more typical. Dou E died unjustly, and she swore a heavy oath that there will be snow in June and a famine for three years. Another example is Yang Jia, who died two days ago. He could not get the police's explanation, so he had to give the police an explanation. So he took a knife and rushed into the Shanghai Zhabei District Public Security Bureau, even though Yang Jia also knew that he killed him. People are definitely not the ones who embarrassed themselves that day, but: if you don't give me an explanation, I will give you an explanation. Of course, all of the above may have deeper cultural roots, but this interpretation also has certain truths.
Todd began to retaliate against society, but what kind of society is this? Tim Burton also has a lot of metaphors in the film. Mrs. Lovett complained that prices were soaring and her business was not good, but business was prosperous when others killed cats for stuffing. When Mrs. Lovett's meat pie shop opened, the market was full of customers every day. Such a cannibalistic society is a true portrayal of London. Everyone is reveling in a feast of human flesh. Only the crazy old granny and beggar asked about the stench emanating from the city. Such social reality undoubtedly adds some sadness to Todd's madness.
This is a film adapted from a musical. Many fans of the original musical felt that the musicality of the film after the adaptation was much worse, and it was not very satisfying to listen to it. I haven't watched a musical, and I can't say too much about it. The only thing I can say is that the music of this movie is still in my ears, and it doesn't feel bad. On the visual side, Tim Burton can be said to be quite gorgeous. Although the whole film is mostly black and depressing, when Todd started to frequently wield his razor, blood splattered and red rushed to the entire screen. The victims were stunned and unresponsive. Todd who sang the song casually took care of it. The corpses were pushed to the bottom of the building, and the corpses were smashed down like crooked melons and jujubes. They became meat in the giant meat grinder and became a popular delicacy in the store. These pictures, accompanied by chants and music, make people feel gorgeous and weird, terrifying and shocking.
Todd finally solved the enemy with a razor, but at the same time, he also accidentally killed his wife who he thought was dead. It turned out that Mrs. Lovett, who liked Todd, did not tell Todd that his wife Lucy was not dead, she was the crazy old beggar. Desperate Todd threw Mrs. Lovett into the stove, and while he was holding his wife's body in pain, Toby, the child adopted by Mrs. Lovett, ended Todd's life with the razor.
Some people think that Todd had to kill his daughter sitting in a chair by mistake. This film is more perfect and shows Todd's tragedy. I don't think so. At that time, Todd had already killed the judge, and his vengeance had been reported. Todd, who had accomplished his ultimate goal, had no intention to kill another person immediately. This mentality was normal. The manslaughter of his wife was because she might hinder the second chance for revenge he had won. He was eager for revenge, and he would involuntarily kill his wife who had become an old beggar who couldn't recognize her face.
Regarding this film, I have a favorite and least favorite thing about it. What I like the most is that the film ends with Todd holding his deceased wife and bleeding on the ground, but not ending with Todd’s daughter and the sailor. In the future, there is no cliché happy ending. What I don’t like most is that the film arranges for Todd’s death, but the child who was adopted by Mrs. Lovett’s hands is a bit awkward when he hides and finally shows up to kill.
Hatred is actually because of love. Because of love, so paranoid, because of paranoia, so hatred. Love, in fact, may not be that difficult, it only needs an inertia to sustain it. And hate, but you need to constantly spur yourself, in order to make the hate lasting. Therefore, a hater may have more tenacious vitality, such as Toby who killed Todd, he also raised the razor of his hatred, and this hatred was inherited to some extent. These haters, they get immortality in a certain sense through the catharsis of hatred.
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