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Tim Burton’s 10 Best Movie Adaptations

Tim Burton, cinema’s so-called Master of the Macabre, is most known for his unique cinematic style and quirky, gothic creations – think Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands. Most of his oeuvre, however, is made up of adaptations of pre-existing works, ranging from books to comics to old soap operas.

4) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

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Sweeney Todd

Speaking of which, not all of Burton and Depp’s collaborations this century have turned sour. Burton’s 2007 movie version of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical is one of the most successful of the director’s output in the last few years.

Neither Depp nor Helena Bonham Carter are great singers, but they give their all in this gloriously gory musical that straddles the line between being a knowing black comedy and full-on melodrama. A blood-drenched barber out for vengeance, Sweeney is Depp’s best performance under Burton since Sleepy Hollow. Plus, Alan Rickman is naturally great value as a villainous judge.

There are some odd omissions from the stage show (most notably ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’) but, on the whole, Sweeney Todd is one of Burton’s most faithful adaptations.

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