Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Director: Tim Burton
Screenwriter: John Logan
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly, Jayne Wisener, Ed Sanders

Gruesome, disturbing, and tragic, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street still sends shivers down our spines 15 years later. Stephen Sondheim’s genius bleeds through his complex, angular composition to give the story both edge and depth. Tim Burton’s distinctive style builds a world of darkness and expresses the characters’ warped interiority. The film hypnotizes you and keeps you locked in until the shocking, grim finale.

We are first introduced to the titular murderous barber (Johnny Depp) in 1846 on a ship pulling into foggy London. Fifteen years earlier, then by the name of Benjamin Barker, he was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to Australia while his wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), was assaulted by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Now as Sweeney Todd, the barber has come home to exact revenge on the sinister judge for making the arrest and breaking up his family.

Todd returns to his former home, which has been left abandoned with peeling wallpaper and shattered mirrors, and meets Mrs. Lovett who runs the meat pie shop downstairs. She informs him that, after the assault, Lucy poisoned herself with arsenic and Turpin took charge of the Barkers’ daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener), as his ward. This revelation only fuels Todd’s anger and, with his silver razors in hand, his ‘arm is complete again.’ A musical motif that plays throughout the film punctuates his declaration and foreshadows his upcoming killing spree as the notes are inspired by the hymn “Dies irae”, often referenced in music to evoke themes of death and dying.

After the death of his first victim, a fellow barber (Sacha Baron Cohen) who remembered Barker from the old days, Todd has an epiphany that ‘we all deserve to die.’ In an evocative shot by cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, the killer’s face is splintered by the shards of a broken mirror, externalizing his descent into madness. Then, Burton stages a spectacular sequence in which Todd roams the streets of London taunting potential customers/victims as they appear not to see him. A cut back to him at home with Mrs. Lovett reveals that it was all in his head. This is a rare example of a scene that is more enthralling and translates better onscreen than on the stage.

Mrs. Lovett then has the ghastly idea to dispose of the bodies by grinding and cooking them in her meat pies. Todd slashes through London society as Mrs. Lovett adjusts her recipe accordingly. With the help of Tobias (Ed Sanders), a young apprentice who is unaware of the atrocities, she serves her cannibalistic delicacies to satisfied (and unknowing) customers and her business is booming for the first time. A beggar woman notices black, foul-smelling smoke billowing from the pie shop’s chimney and she tries to warn passers-by that something is terribly wrong, but no one listens.

In the meantime, a sailor named Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower) observes Johanna staring longingly out of her bedroom window and falls in love with her beauty and innocence. However, when Turpin realizes Anthony’s attraction to his ward, he sends Johanna to an asylum. Anthony runs to tell Todd, whom he met on the ship bound for London, that they must save her, though oblivious to Todd’s relationship to Johanna and his violent crimes. Together, they plan for Todd to distract the judge with a free shave while Anthony breaks her out of the asylum. The finale is both bloody and heartbreaking, and the twist will shock you.

Watching Sweeney Todd is an intensely physical experience. Through Sondheim’s graphic music and lyrics, as well as Burton’s vivid direction, the film manipulates all five senses and evokes visceral reactions to the horrors that play out onscreen. This is amplified by the silver patina that covers most scenes. The discolouration embodies the bleakness and immorality of the characters, while exaggerating the ruby blood splatters and Todd’s red-soaked sleeves. Burton’s expressionistic composition and staging create a surreal space in which we experience the shadows and darkness which live inside Todd’s mind and that he projects, fairly or unfairly, onto the world. Critics agree that the film is a near-perfect musical adaptation that, as Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times writes, Burton ‘was born to direct.’

In fact, according to Los Angeles Times contributor Paul Brownfield, Burton was initially enamoured with the story while on holiday in London from his studies at CalArts. He began working on a film version after seeing the West End production of Sondheim’s musical in the early 1980s, but it was never realized. Finally, in 2006, acclaimed director Sam Mendes stepped back from the DreamWorks adaptation and Burton was brought on as a replacement. In the end, the auteur’s ghoulish, expressionistic style was most suitable to bringing this story to life.

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is also not the first retelling of this macabre tale. The murderous barber originally appeared in a 17th-century penny dreadful, published in The People’s Periodical. In 1847, he graced the stage at the Hoxton Theatre in the play “The String of Pearls: The Fiend of Fleet Street”, which served as the inspiration for Christopher Bond’s 1973 stage production, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, and then Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s 1979 Broadway musical adaptation. Part of the film’s appeal is thus due to the character’s long lineage and legendary status as a mainstay of British pop culture.

Johnny Depp as the homicidal barber is a chameleon whose steep crescendos from distraught family man calmly plotting revenge to maniacal serial throat-slasher elicit sympathy and terror. His vocal performance is admirable and his cockney accent is convincing, though snippets of Jack Sparrow occasionally slip through. Bonham Carter and Rickman are perfectly cast as the scheming baker and revolting villain, while Bower’s performance stands out for his ability to swing seamlessly from knight in shining armour to obsessive lover with flashes of insanity darting in his eyes during his performance of ‘Johanna.’ Burton’s nightmarish world is complete with an exceptional wardrobe designed by Colleen Atwood, winner of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland (2010), another one of their whimsical collaborations.

Film and television are filled with morally ambiguous hero-villains who attain our compassion for the tragedies they’ve endured, yet disturb and terrify us with their sometimes vicious retributions. In Sweeney Todd, however, we witness a special union of razor-sharp melodies, bone-chilling performances, and surreal staging that pull on our heartstrings and send us cowering in fear. Fifteen years later, the movie industry and our own expectations may have changed, but the film’s powerful effects certainly have not.

Score: 22/24

By Emily Nighman

Recommended for you: Every ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ Song Ranked

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we’re counting down the most emotionally resonant, funny and important moments from Love Actually for these, the 10 Best Love Actually Moments.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.

10. Colin Goes to an American Bar

After deciding he is on the wrong continent for love, Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall) travels to America, because “any bar anywhere in America contains ten girls more beautiful and more likely to have sex with [him] than the whole of the United Kingdom”.

Sure enough, not one but three beautiful American women are charmed by his cute British accent and invite him to their place (after warning him that they only have one bed and no pyjamas).

Colin’s Christmas gets even merrier when they tell him that he hasn’t met their fourth housemate Harriet, and “she is the sexy one”.

9. So Much More Than a Bag

In a rush to buy an expensive gold necklace for the woman with whom he may or may not be having an affair, Harry (Alan Rickman) wants to grab it and go, but the shop assistant (Rowan Atkinson) has other plans when he agrees to have it gift wrapped.

After placing it in a box, he ties it with a bow before delicately wrapping it in cellophane. Rickman anxiously glances over his shoulder as Atkinson slides open a drawer to retrieve tiny, dried roses, which he sprinkles lovingly. Atkinson then meticulously crushes fresh lavender. An increasingly agitated Rickman urges the man to hurry, to which he agrees, before slowly attaching a large cinnamon stick with a ribbon. As Atkinson retrieves a pair of garden gloves to add some holly, an exasperated Rickman asks – “what else are you going to do? Dip it in yoghurt? Cover it in chocolate buttons?!” All the while, his wife Karen grows increasingly near.

One such an answer that is often the cause of grievance and controversy is John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988). For those who adore the season’s staples such as White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life, and modern favourites such as Elf and Love Actually, the idea that a film about a showdown between a single NYPD officer and a group of vicious terrorists is even considered a Christmas film is, frankly, disgusting.

Well, sorry haters, but it turns out that Die Hard is actually part of a long tradition of non-conventional Christmas flicks – we have an extensive catalogue of Christmas Horrors for example, from Black Christmas in 1974 to Krampus in 2015. Christmas even makes its appearances in the most unlikely of plots: Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil, an Orwellian black comedy, is a prime example, as is the legendary crime thriller The French Connection. However, neither of these examples are considered Christmas movies (not even in the alternative or ironic sense), and rightly so. Christmas isn’t the focus of these films and is in fact used to highlight the darkness and evil of the stories it’s used in. That’s not very festive at all!

How Can a film Be Considered a True Christmas Movie Beyond the Mere Inclusion of the Holiday?

If we ignore the blatant capitalist message behind nearly every mainstream Yuletide film, we should consider the real message behind the original Christmas Story – The Nativity of course.

Pushing past the shepherds, kings and angels, Christmas is essentially the tale of light shining in the darkness, living in the hope of reconciliation and redemption. These are therefore the essential themes of any real Christmas film. Natalie Hayes of BBC Culture, in her article “The Magic Formula that Makes the Perfect Christmas Film”, noted that for a film to be considered a true Christmas movie, it must include the following elements: desire, a touch of magic, the value of family, and of course a dose of trial and tribulation for our heroes to overcome.

As hollow as some of these films seem to be to the lovers of a more Traditional Noel, the likes of Jingle All the Way do in fact meet these requirements, and with Die Hard being one of the most exceptional and beloved action movies of all time, it seems a very reasonable choice as a favourite Christmas film too. But what has come to my notice is the criminal overlooking of another alternative festive watch, one with striking similarities to Die Hard, released only a year prior: Lethal Weapon.

Like Die Hard, Richard Donner’s film meets the pre-requisites of a Christmas Classic and is again one of the most popular action movies from the 80s, likewise spawning an iconic franchise. Have we been duped all along with putting our money behind the inferior flick, or is Die Hard truly the superior of the pair? On the basis of which film boasts the truest Christmas Spirit, let us experience the most exciting of movie battles… Die Hard vs Lethal Weapon.

Desire

Is there an element of desire in these films? A want for something unattainable?

This is the first of the many uncanny similarities between Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, as both display a desire for a return to normality.

In Die Hard, John McClane (Bruce Willis) is flying to L.A from New York to see his wife Holly Gennaro (Bonnie Bedelia) on Christmas Eve, who works at the Nakatomi Plaza which is throwing a party. It becomes apparent that this is the first time John and Holly have seen each other in over six months and that they are more or less separated (especially as Holly is now going by her maiden name). It is revealed that Holly’s move to L.A. for a once in a lifetime promotion became a point of contention in their relationship – we don’t know exactly why, but it’s easy enough to make some assumptions: back in 1988, finding out that your wife is making more money than you would be an enormous shake up in the family dynamic, possibly too much for some men to handle. It is clear though, that although they are estranged, their marriage isn’t finished – Holly and John obviously still have feelings for one another, but it’s mixed in with a great deal of hurt, stopping them from seeing eye to eye. Thus we have the desire element: John wants a return to normality, the re-establishment of his traditional family set up (very nuclear, with the man being the breadwinner and all), but more importantly he desires to be a part of his family’s lives again.

Lethal Weapon has a more convergent plot than Die Hard.

It begins with the daily life of two LAPD police detectives – Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a fairly buttoned-down distinguished officer who enjoys the comforts of marital and familial bliss (and is learning to try to age gracefully), and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), a seemingly unattached man who is a total loose cannon on the job, wreaking havoc in his wake. The plot gleefully puts this odd couple together. It is Riggs who is the festive focal point of the movie as it his character that embodies the required desire element. Riggs’ careless and dangerous behaviour at work is suspected to be caused by suicidal tendencies after recently losing his wife in a car accident. There are occasions where it seems Riggs indeed wants to end his life, but this is actually more the desire to be reunited with his wife – the desire to be in a loving relationship again, the desire to have purpose.

It seems to be contradictory to the spirit of Christmas to have the film focus on the likes of depression and suicide, let alone in a film with probably the most insensitive approach to these topics, but that would be ignoring the fact that one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, It’s A Wonderful Life, is about the divine intervention of an Angel working to stop a man from taking his own life on Christmas Eve. Die Hard is also depicting a common theme in Christmas fare, which is the impending breakdown of the family unit seen in the likes of The Preacher’s Wife and The Santa Clause. Technically both films are winning Brownie Points on that front, but the desire element is far more visceral in the case of Lethal Weapon: a shot of a teary-eyed Riggs shakily placing the end of the gun in his mouth after looking at the wedding photos of his dead wife is truly impactful.

Magic

The magic we could see in the likes of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon is not going to be in the traditional vein: no angels, no reindeer, no pixie dust, and very sadly no Santa Claus! That does not mean, however, that the magic they do have is not completely spine-tingling.

At first glance, the magic in Lethal Weapon is rather elusive, but it becomes apparent that the touch of Magic is indeed Martin Riggs, or really more Martin Riggs’ unorthodox policing methods:

“You’re not trying to draw a psycho pension! You really are crazy!”

In the real world, Riggs’ behaviour is not the kind to praise or laud, but Riggs’ apparent death wish makes him an almost unstoppable crime-fighting force – a lethal weapon. From deescalating a possible shootout by scaring the life out of a perpetrator, and saving a potential jumper’s life by throwing himself off the building whilst cuffed to them, it can be said Riggs gets the job done (in the most thoroughly entertaining way possible). However, his magical powers aren’t fully activated until he and Murtaugh are captured by the movie’s villainous drug barons – is it the electric shock torture or the power of new found friendship with Roger Murtaugh? Either way, Riggs is propelled into overcoming his captors and killing every bad guy that stands in his way, all in the name of rescuing his new partner. By the time we reach the climax, he is brutalised and half-drowned, yet he still manages to subdue the film’s Big Bad, Joshua (Gary Busey), by the power of his thighs alone. Magic.

With all that said, John McClane smirks and replies with a “Hold my beer.”

Die Hard is a more plot-driven story which lends itself to even more glorious action movie magic. It is made clear from the very beginning that McClane possesses the power of snarkiness, but the storming of Nakatomi Plaza by Hans Gruber’s (Alan Rickman’s) team of terrorists/thieves, catches McClane with his pants down (or rather with his shoes and socks off), leaving him to watch helplessly as the revellers of the office party are rounded up as hostages and Holly’s boss Mr Takagi (James Shigeta) is murdered. Luckily a present from Santa Claus re-establishes his cocky self-assuredness:

“Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho.”

In the 2 hour run-time, we witness McClane relentlessly wiggle his way out of tight squeezes using the meagre resources at his disposal (which he usually attains by annihilating some hapless bad guy), whether its irritating Gruber with smart-ass comments through a stolen walkie-talkie or tossing the body of a man out of the window in an attempt to attract help from the outside. It is once McClane manages to get the attention of the LAPD (the corpse-tossing worked a treat) that the real magic begins, which is the revelation that McClane is better than everyone else alive, including you – ironic given that he spent the first half hour desperately crying out for help.

Recommended for you: I’m a 90s Kid and I Watched Die Hard for the First Time This Year

John McClane resolves the terrorist siege single-handedly despite the presence of the LAPD, SWAT and the FBI; in fact McClane saves these apparent bozos from the machinations of the terrorists several times (whilst being mistaken as some sort of psycho killer to boot). Such a magical moment includes McClane blowing up a whole floor of terrorists (without miraculously harming any of the hostages), thus stopping their rocket launcher onslaught against the unsuspecting SWAT teams attempting to storm the plaza. Another noteworthy moment is when he rescues all the hostages from certain death seconds before some idiotic FBI agents unwittingly blow up a helipad they were gathered on (and as if saving countless lives isn’t enough, he narrowly escapes this chaos by leaping off the building with only a fire hose to save him from gravity).

It can’t be denied that the police politics of this 80s classic would be unnerving to modern eyes with its idolisation of McClane’s almost vigilante brand of justice, but with a healthy dose of self-awareness Die Hard is the ultimate power fantasy; one that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The exact kind of magic that you would need and want at Christmas.

As a basic siege film, the physical dangers faced by John McClane in Die Hard are of a much greater intensity than that of the leading duo in Lethal Weapon: the action is non-stop and quick paced, and far more shocking and gory. However, whilst Die Hard is driven by its plot, Lethal Weapon is more character focused, and as a consequence the psychological hurdles presented in Lethal Weapon are much more immense than those seen in Die Hard, despite the huge amount of peril Holly and John McClane face.

The Value of Family

It is now time to consider how much family is valued in these films; starting with Die Hard…

Is this film not just a metaphor for marriage and the active battle that is maintaining such a relationship?

It has to be confessed that it’s not exactly hard to be initially disappointed by John when we first meet him. It appears he has let his fragile masculinity get in the way of his marriage as he struggles to cope with his wife’s flourishing career. But my goodness is this an incredible attempt at reconciliation; the man walks over broken glass barefoot for Christ’s sake!

As we all know, big grand gestures can often be empty and meaningless; it is changed behaviour that is the real apology. So what a brilliant way to finish off this metaphor with Hans Gruber being defeated by John and Holly working together; transforming their marriage into a partnership – a union of absolute equals. It earns their riding off into the sunset, entangled in each other’s arms, and so gives us that desired cosy Christmas feeling – excellent!

Lethal Weapon, by comparison, has no such romantic metaphor; it instead depicts the very real devastation caused by unimaginable loss.

Martin Riggs is a man who is constantly putting himself and others in danger through his reckless behaviour, as he is now without purpose. He does state that it is “the job” that has so far prevented him from eating one of his own bullets, but the way he achieves results still points to a blatant death wish.

It’s when the initially dubious Murtaugh begins to let his guard down and allows Riggs into his inner sanctum, inviting him into his family home, that we see a transformation in Riggs. For you see, the central criminal scandal of Lethal Weapon – ex Vietnam War Special Forces officers turned drug baron mercenaries – most deeply affects Murtaugh; he is the most entangled and has the most to lose from this situation. By actually giving Riggs a chance (whose life literally hangs in the balance if he can’t find a working partnership), Riggs no longer lives dangerously for the sake of trying to feel alive whilst consumed with grief, he instead directs all of his ferocity towards protecting Murtaugh and his interests; this deep sense of caring spreads to the wider community surrounding him, seen when he is willing to grapple in the mud with Joshua after he murdered his fellow officers.

Lethal Weapon, in the contest of greatest redemption arc, takes the victory: Riggs is quite literally pulled from the jaws of death by the power of found family through his partnership with Murtaugh – they even share Christmas dinner. This transformation from death to life proves that Lethal Weapon values family the greatest.

True Christmas films are affairs of great emotion, our heroes often go through hell to then be redeemed with the happiest of endings. This is true for both Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, but it is proven that Lethal Weapon boasts the most intense and emotionally driven Christmas tale of hope.

All you Die Hard fans may have to reconsider your all-time favourite Christmas film, but if you guys don’t change your mind, there is nothing but respect for you: Die Hard is pretty kickass.

Recommended for you: 10 Excellent Non-Christmas Films Set at Christmas

In 2018, I watched Home Alone for the first time and it was magical. So this year, I thought I’d watch another classic Christmas film that I should have watched by now… Die Hard.

Before sitting down to watch the film, I knew only 2 things:

1. There is much debate about whether or not it is actually a Christmas film.
2. Alan Rickman is in it and Alan Rickman is hot.

Die Hard begins with John McClane (Bruce Willis) visiting his wife and children who have moved to LA for his wife’s work – well done Mrs McClane (Bonnie Bedelia), you go girl. John visits her office Christmas party and is the grumpiest man in the world – no wonder she left him – but then of course, as happens with all office Christmas parties, terrorists (led by the beautiful Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber) storm the offices to steal some money or codes or something like that. It is the 80s after all.

Importantly, the standout element of the movie was Holly (Mrs. McClane).

Holly McClane is a feminist icon, not only because of her power-suits and amazing 80s hair, but because she followed her own career from New York to LA; she’s independent and powerful in her own right.

She is thriving in her career and is, by all accounts, doing fine without her man – a part of me even hoped she was having a steamy affair with the hot bearded guy.

When John says that her move to LA changed their marriage, she tells him that ‘it changed your idea of what a marriage should be’. It is really exciting to see a genuinely independent woman. She stands up for her colleagues, standing up to Alan Rickman with sass and sexual tension (though maybe that’s just me?). When he says: ‘What idiot put you in charge?’ She returns with: ‘You when you murdered my boss.’ YAS QUEEN!

Then I remembered that this was a film released in 1988 and that I am more impressed with this representation of women than a lot of the women in the films of 2019. Then it became a point of sadness.

But back to Alan Rickman because Alan Rickman is hot!

I have always liked Alan, even as Snape. This is probably why it was even a surprise to me that I hadn’t seen Die Hard before now.

He doesn’t disappoint either; he is charming, cunning and of course very attractive. This was also Rickman’s first film! Can you believe that?

I particularity liked the scene in which McClane and Gruber met and, as I learned watching the Netflix’s “The Movies That Made Us”, this moment came by accident when Rickman said on set that he could do a convincing American accent. This moment was a saving moment for McClane, as it was important for him to prove that he was more than just an annoying grumpy cop that takes over when someone else is clearly more qualified. In this moment, he proved that he’s smarter than both Rickman and I thought he was.

I do not want to start another argument about whether or not this is a Christmas movie – I will leave that to Jack in The Film Magazine’s article “Is ‘Die Hard’ a Christmas Film?” – but my two cents are this: Die Hard is not a Christmas film.

It might be a film set at Christmas but it is not a Christmas film.

It is actually a film about a husband who should have just said sorry to his wife.

The only element of the film that makes it Christmassy is that it is set at Christmas, and people in the film try to force the idea that this is a Christmas film by whistling Christmas songs at me. I mean what says Christmas more than someone blowing off someone’s knee caps?

Die Hard is, however, important for Christmas because it helps to create a ritual for people that do not want to watch any of the plethora of sugar-coated Christmas films at this time of the year. It’s like how I personally watch Trainspotting on Valentine’s day.

As Jack says: ‘perhaps, it’s a Christmas film for those not so big on Christmas’.

Regardless of how typically Christmassy this film is, I did find myself asking: will I be watching this every Christmas for the rest of my life?

My answer: yes of course!

Whilst the voices of the cast for this gothic musical aren’t considered to have been the best to have ever been featured in a film, the songs remain some of the most catchy and most epic put to screen this century.

That’s why in this edition of Ranked, we’re ranking every song from Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd from worst to best. Stick around to see if your favourite makes it to the top spot.

Have an opinion? Let us know in the comments or tweet us!

20. Alms! Alms! – Lucy Barker/Beggar Woman

Of all the songs in this movie, this one falls easily into the number 20 spot. It’s just… not great. It’s not even catchy!

19. Ladies In Their Sensitivities – Beedle Bamford

Ah yes… stubble. Because that’s why the girl you keep imprisoned in your house doesn’t want to marry you!

The purpose of this song seems out of touch with today’s standards, and honestly it’s just not very memorable either.

18. Green Finch and Linnet Bird – Johanna

We’ve quickly hit the “not actually terrible” range of songs with this one. The issue here is that “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” feels out of place in comparison to the rest of the songs in the movie. Moreover, it’s not an exciting song to watch on the big screen.

Girl sits by window. Boy watches her from the street. Man watches her through the wall. Nobody really does anything.

Yawn.

17. Wait – Mrs. Lovett

This son is a twisted lullaby really, isn’t it?

Mrs. Lovett is essentially trying to talk a grown man out of throwing a tantrum when all she really wants to do is decide which flowers to put out. It’s not the best song in the film but it does get points for comedic value.

For this list, we’ve analysed the contemporary era of cinema (1970 and beyond) for the very best rom-com ensemble casts that came to define eras, surprise audiences and ultimately sell their film, whether the picture could be considered good or not.

As a rule, we’ve avoided films that are firmly attached to other genres, such as musicals like Grease and La La Land or dramas like The Silver Linings Playbook and Shakespeare In Love (all of which have rom-com elements), and have judged all casts based on casts alone – beware, there may be some seriously trash movies in the list ahead!

In no particular order…

1. No Strings Attached (2011)

Starring that year’s Best Actress Oscar winner Natalie Portman and arguably the decade’s most trustworthy go-to rom-com leading man Ashton Kutcher, this early 2010s offering from Ivan Reitman, the director of Ghostbusters (1984), featured a stacked cast of future industry leaders including Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig and multi-time Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling.

Oscar winning actor Kevin Kline played Kutcher’s father, meanwhile Lake Bell, Ophelia Lovibond, Ludacris and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s Jake Johnson offered their two cents in some of the film’s smaller roles, filling No Strings Attached to the brim with some of the decade’s most influential and recognisable names.

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Lake Bell, Cary Elwes, Greta Gerwig, Olivia Thirlby, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling, Jake Johnson, Ophelia Lovibond

2. You’ve Got Mail (1998)

The 2nd half of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks rom-com double bill, You’ve Got Mail, also directed by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally), peaks its older sister to this slot due to each of its stars (particularly Hanks) being even closer to the top of their game, with the supporting cast being nothing short of a who’s who of top class late 90s names.

Leading male Tom Hanks had won two Oscars between Sleepless In Seattle and You’ve Got Mail (for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump) and was about to win his 3rd for 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, while the supporting cast featured that year’s Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, award-winning comedian Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, Parker Posey and even Chris Messina in a small role.

Cast: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, Heather Burns, Jean Stapleton, Chris Messina

Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson.
Plot: When terrorists hijack a Christmas party at the Nakatomi plaza in attempt to steal a large some of money, only New York cop, John McClane is able to stop them.

Now that it’s December it’s deemed socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music and start watching Christmas movies, but what makes a Christmas film exactly? It seems simple enough, as long as you have Santa Claus with a bit of snow and Christmas spirit thrown in, you can’t really go wrong. Some of the obvious Christmas films that come to mind are: Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, The Grinch and even Home Alone; but there are some films that are still up for debate, with 1988’s Die Hard being the biggest. Now, there’s a fifty percent chance that after reading that you’re probably tempted to report me for crimes against humanity for suggesting such a thing, but there’s also a fifty percent chance you’ll be delighted to discover that you may not be alone after all. For this article, I will take some of the biggest and most common codes and conventions of Christmas films and see if/how they are implemented in Die Hard, then I will answer the biggest Christmas movie debate of the century; is Die Hard a Christmas film?

Die Hard is set in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, where New York police office John McClane (Willis) has ventured out to spend Christmas with his wife and children in order to form a resolution in regards to their long-distance relationship. Whilst attending his Wife’s work’s Christmas party, the building is taken over by terrorists and everyone in the building, apart from McClane, is held hostage. After the terrorists initially prevent any police intervention, McClane must find a way to alert the authorities, save his wife Holly (Bedelia) and the rest of the hostages, and foil the terrorists’ plan. Other than being set on Christmas eve, it doesn’t seem to have too much of a holiday feel, but let me continue…

What’s the most obvious theme in a Christmas film? Probably Christmas itself. Now that idea can come across rather vague as a film’s plot could be directly based around typical Christmas stories, or it could just simply take place during Christmas. One thing that can be guaranteed however, is that if it’s released during December and the plot is somewhat related to Christmas, it’s usually a sign that the film is trying to be festive. Die Hard actually takes place on Christmas Eve and it’s about a father wanting to reconcile with his wife and celebrate Christmas with his family. In this regard it seems festive on the surface. After all, Christmas is all about spending time with loved ones, right? This is a crucial plot point that is so often completely swept under the carpet due to the remainder of the film which is filled with swearing and graphic violence, but it remains true. As for the film’s release… the UK got it in February, while the US got it in summer blockbuster season (the middle of July); not exactly the ideal time to release a prototypical Christmas film. However, it was screened at the London film festival at the end of November, and Argentina and Portugal released the film on the 15th and 16th of December respectfully. So, while the film’s release date doesn’t really suggest a particularly festive intention, the film’s ideology definitely does; it takes place during Christmas and to an extent promotes the values of it.

What about a Christmas song? Every Christmas film is littered with festive music, whether it’s the likes Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin a Christmas soundtrack is instantly recognisable and really helps give a film a Christmas ambiance. When you think of Die Hard, you don’t really associate it with any Christmas music, but in truth it’s everywhere in the film. The first song comes on during John McClane’s limo journey where the hero of the piece is subjected to listening to Run-D.M.C.’s ‘Christmas in Hollis’. In fact, McClane asks: “You got any Christmas music?” To which Argyle responds: “This is Christmas music!” Naturally, due to the song’s genre, it isn’t instantly recognised as being festive, but whichever way you look at it, it is a Christmas song. Secondly, as minor as it may be, John McClane can be heard whistling ‘Jingle Bells’ whilst walking through the Nakatomi plaza and, thirdly, ‘Let it Snow’ by Vaughn Monroe is played during the end credits. It’s also worth mentioning that parts of ‘Winter Wonderland’ by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith was implemented and blended in with the film’s main soundtrack to maintain a festive consistency throughout the film. The film’s composer Michael Kamen also uses the sound of sleigh bells at the start of the film during the airport scene. Whilst the sound of sleigh bells is traditionally festive, in this instance they are composed in a menacing way to juxtapose the joyful, festive season with a sense of danger and dread.

So, Die Hard is set during Christmas, it promotes Christmas values and it has an abundant Christmas soundtrack; but what else does it need to really make it a Christmas film? Is it in a Christmas environment? Well, the answer to the second question is that the film is set in Los Angeles on Christmas eve, which doesn’t necessarily have a festive atmosphere, but the warm climate of the West Coast explains the lack of snow, a major factor in many Christmas films. Despite this, the building is smothered in Christmas decorations and during the end scene, the explosion of the building produces a snow-like confetti of money, which acts as a substitute for snow. Just for good measure the film even throws in a number of Christmas references and the majority of characters acknowledge the festive season. Finally, and perhaps this is a ridiculous personal theory of mine, John McClane is a representation of Santa Claus. Like Santa, he arrives on Christmas Eve via a flying carriage wielding gifts (or in this case via an aeroplane and wielding a giant teddy bear), and while he doesn’t wear a red and white suit or a large white beard, by the end of the film he’s in a white vest and is covered in blood, which of course, is red. As well as being an expert in abseiling down a building, as opposed to going down the chimney, at the end of everything, he manages to save Mrs Claus – Holly McClane – and save Christmas.

After looking at all the themes and ideas, I think it’s clear that this iconic member of the action movie genre is a Christmas film, and that it’s really surprising that a large percentage of people still dismiss it as so. Perhaps it’s the summer release and the violent nature of the film that are the contributing factors? After all, it’s fair to understand that people don’t want to associate Christmas with terrorism and violence, but rather a light-hearted film with a positive message. The film’s violent and graphic nature is perhaps enough to take away all of the other factors that arguably make it a Christmas film, but Die Hard is simply a slightly unconventional Christmas film that deviated from the typical idea of what they should be. Therefore, despite the violence, I still believe Die Hard carries enough justification to be classed as a Christmas film; it’s bold, exciting and emits a strong Christmas vibe without being too corny. Perhaps it’s a Christmas film for those not so big on Christmas.

19/24

A Little Chaos (2014)

Plot: Sabine De Barra is chosen by landscaper André Le Nôtre to work as a landscape gardener at the Palace of Versailles.

Director: Alan Rickman

Cast: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory.

The film is set in 16^th century France during the age of absolutism under the reign of Louis XIV (Alan Rickman). The king gives André Le Nôtre (Matthias Schoenarts) a vital task: to build the new gardens of the Versailles Palace that will show the power and strength of France to the entire world. In order to do so, Le Nôtre has to choose a landscape gardener that will have to carry out the project. At this point in the story we meet the troubled but lovely and honest Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet), whose talent will almost immediately capture the master’s attention and things will turn out unexpectedly.

The characters in this film were all equally interesting and Alan Rickman’s performance as both actor and director was compelling. I was looking forward to watching this film not only for the story but also for the cast, and I was particularly curious to watch a film directed by Alan Rickman because I kept wondering if he would be as good of a director as he is an actor. I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. Still, I would definitely suggest that Alan Rickman should keep being an actor instead of a director, he wasn’t bad at all but I think that acting is his main talent – his portrayal of Louis XIV was different from the way you would aspect an absolute monarch to be portrayed, especially in the sequence in the garden, when he talks to Madame De Barra and asks her advice. I won’t share much more about it, but it was undoubtedly one of my favourite scenes. I will just say that he seemed devoted and kind.

Kate Winslet is also a remarkable and versatile actress. I enjoyed watching her in this film: she was exactly as good as I expected, considering that almost all the films in her past acting career were successful and involving. As Sabine De Barra she gives a remarkable insight into the character’s mind and feelings; her distress and sadness caused by shocking past events that still haunt her.

André le Nôtre is brilliantly portrayed by Matthias Schoenaerts. I’ve seen him in other films and he’s always quite fascinating and intriguing – I enjoy watching his films and this one was no exception. André seems an honest man committed to the king and the task he has been given. He lives with a selfish wife Madame Française Le Nôtre who is not capable of  love; she’s just cold and cruel, and she keeps playing with other people’s lives (especially André’s). She seems to see him and treat him just like an object and she expects him to behave and act as she commands him to. André is not of the same opinion, of course, as he’s a strong man who knows what he wants. The scenes between Matthias Schoenearts and Helen McCrory were few but intense and important, as I believe they revealed a lot about both characters’ inner selves and intentions. Another meaningful moment was the first dialogue between Sabine and André at the beginning of the film, although they always shared meaningful moments and their dialogues were enjoyable so it’s a bit difficult to narrow them down.

Overall the film was very good, compelling, interesting and original. The writers were quite imaginative and clearly put a lot of effort into this project. Nevertheless, there are a few things that I didn’t quite like. For example, the film seemed a bit slow and maybe too long; the story wasn’t all that complicated so I think it could have been managed in less screen time. Some moments are too slow and don’t seem to get to the point immediately. And, I personally found the dancing scene at the end of the film a bit over the top – I just think it was a bit too much – although the French Court was famous for its excess and ostentation. You could also easily tell that A Little Chaos wasn’t filmed in France but I guess in the end that wasn’t a really big fault.

I really liked this film and I certainly recommend that anyone who is interested in French history should watch it. Even though it’s not a biopic or a historical film, I still found it interesting. It was a watchable and enjoyable film.

16/24

 Number 10: Mamma Mia (2008)

Mamma Mia is the ultimate feel good movie with a soundtrack that everyone can sing along to. Based on the Broadway musical, it combines the uplifting music from Abba and the beautiful location of the Greek islands, and is simply fun. Where in many cases it may be considered a guilty pleasure, it is a film that does not take itself too seriously; it is meant to be enjoyed and that is what makes a good musical. To top this all off it has an all-star cast with the one and only Meryl Streep as the lead, and even though at times the singing is down right terrible, it doesn’t even seem to matter when a film is this enjoyable. Mamma Mia had cinema audiences clapping and singing along, that is a sign of a hit.

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Number 9: Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Little Shop of Horrors is a brilliant, weird, tongue in cheek musical based on the black comedy of the 1960’s and the Broadway musical. The perfect casting of Rick Moranis as the nerdy Seymour and Steve Martin’s cameo as the evil dentist make just two of the amazing characters in this wacky story. At its core it is a boy likes girl story, but throw in a giant man eating plant and that’s what makes for an interesting musical. The sci-fi element of Little Shop of Horrors has the feel of an old B-Movie and the music seems to come right out of the 50s.

Number 8: The Producers (2005)

Where as most of the films on this list are adaptations of Broadway shows, nothing seems to get as close as The Producers, even down to the casting of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick as the leads. The Producers feels like a classic musical, in particular its styling (the bright colours for example), it has big musical numbers and it feels like a stage show in front of the camera, which in many cases would not work at all but with The Producers works only to enhance the experience. The script is funny and does not stray from the original stage show, the songs are big and the cast is brilliant.

Number 7: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

If anyone was going to adapt the dark and gory stage show of Sweeney Todd it was going to have to be Tim Burton – his quirky and Gothic style compliments the story without overpowering it. Even though it is gruesome and full of blood, Burton brings an elegance to it so that it does not feel overwhelming. The songs are great and the all star cast led by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman are incredible, even if their singing is not the best. The film looks like it has come right out of a Penny Dreadful and that suits it perfectly. Tim Burton has certainly done the stage show justice with this adaptation and, in fact, it is probably some of his best work as a director.

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Number 6: Les Miserables (2012)

Les Miserables is a breathtaking and emotional stage show that has transcended into an emotional film. Tom Hooper’s direction, cinematography and art design decisions truly capture the heart of this story perfectly. Also, the decision to have the actors sing live instead of a pre-recorded soundtrack is not only something that makes this film unique but intensifies the passion and emotion of the characters. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean carries the film superbly, and the supporting cast of the likes of Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne are just as incredible. The film did not stray too much from the stage show and as a result it felt like a theatre experience in the cinema.

Number 5: Once (2006)

Where as many of the films on this list are screen adaptations of popular stage musicals, Once is the exact opposite. It started out as as small Irish indie film and is now a hugely popular West End and Broadway musical stage show. The beauty of Once is its simplicity. There are no big musical numbers nor is it over theatrical, it is just two people expressing their emotions through song. The entire soundtrack is made up of original songs written by the two stars of the film Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and are beautiful yet simple pieces that work to completely sum up the emotion of the film. The film feels organic and the music is inserted naturally into the story, so even people who shudder at the thought of watching a musical could enjoy Once.

Number 4: Evita (1996)

Evita is an adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical that is famed for its music, story and edge. It is based on the life of Eva Peron, and translating it to screen was going to be no easy task. However, the film Evita turned out beautifully and is one of the greatest musical adaptations of modern times. The success of the film however, can mainly be credited to the cast and, in particular, the casting of Madonna as Eva. Since the story is almost completely told through song it seems natural that they would choose someone with a strong voice to carry it, but who could have predicted that Madonna would have acted the part so incredibly? She completely owns this film and makes the part her own; she is completely captivating and her performance is what makes Evita so great.

Number 3: Pitch Perfect (2012)

Pitch Perfect is the perfect musical for modern times. It is not an adaptation, it is something completely original and all round fun. Upon its release, many people went in to this expecting something along the lines of Glee, but Pitch Perfect defied all expectations and was something funny and cool, and thoroughly enjoyable. The musical numbers are relevant to the story; it is not the typical classic musical where they burst into song at any given moment. The characters are interesting and captivating and easy to relate to, not to mention Fat Amy being laugh-out-loud funny. The script is clever and the comedic timing is spot on.

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Number 2: Chicago (2002)

Chicago is the multi-Academy-Award-winning film which is an adaptation of the Broadway stage show. The film is a masterpiece; everything from the expertly crafted costumes and sets to the beautiful cinematography and the incredibly talented cast come together to make one hell of a good film. It has been said by many people that the film actually turned out better than the stage show and that is a rarity in stage-to-screen adaptations. The style of this film works perfectly to capture the era and the story entirely. The dark black and red colouration that seems to run through the film highlights the violence, passion and desperation of the characters and sets the mood for the intense and seductive narrative. Chicago has the feel of a classic movie musical but with a modern style, and it comes in at number two on this list.

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Number 1: Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge! is like no other musical on this list – it was something new and inventive – and with director Baz Luhrmann in charge it was always going to be something creative and beautiful. Moulin Rouge! took the style of a classic musical and Greek tragedy, and combined them with popular songs that everyone knows such as Elton John’s, “Your Song”. It is this mix of classic and modern that makes the film so unique. It’s a highly stylized and colourful film, with a great story and interesting larger than life characters. Luhrmann created a musical that no-one expected and sparked off a new era of modern musicals. Whereas many musical films are still adaptations of stage shows, Moulin Rouge paved the way for originality and is still loved more than 10 years after its release. Moulin Rouge fully deserves the number one spot on this list.

10. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Although hugely popular, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has only made number 10 on this list. It is a bright Burtonesque retelling of a children’s classic, and although it may not quite live up to the original, Burton has certainly left his mark on this one. His imagination truly came to life inside the chocolate factory, as it is a stunning setting for this story. To top it all off Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonka is mesmerizing, therefore it simply had to make it onto this list.

9. Mars Attacks (1996)

Mars Attacks was a little step away from the norm for Tim Burton. Although it was truly weird in nature, it was much more colourful than what we usually see from the director. The star studded, sci-fi cult film was something other than the dark Gothic tales that Burton usually brings to the table, but it worked none the less, and as always you can clearly see that it is a Tim Burton creation.

8. Corpse Bride (2005)

Corpse Bride was Burton going back to what Burton does best. Where this may not quite be Nightmare Before Christmas, it does show off Burton’s artistic talent and the wonders he can do with stop motion animation. Corpse Bride is Burton going back to his routes, creating beautiful, artistic characters from scratch, and putting them into a fun, heartfelt story that the viewer can completely engage with. This film completely demonstrates Burton as an artist in the more typical sense, reaffirming that his talents go further than his typical role as director.

7. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Sleepy Hollow is a Tim Burton film that I feel often slips under the radar, and yet it is one of my personal favourites of his. While still being clearly stamped with Burton’s style (as all of his films are), Sleepy Hollow has more of a traditional Gothic element to it. It is bringing to life one of the most famous horror stories of all time, and while it is quite scary at times, it also has a sense of humour, and Johnny Depp’s Ichabod Crane is an awkward and sensitive yet brave character that you can’t help but love.

6. Batman (1989)

This was the first film of the Batman reboot, and Burton basically reinvented the caped crusader. Instead of the cheesy and over the top camp Batman that we knew from the 1970’s, this was a whole new and much darker look for Gotham City. While this was still quite colourful compared to the second installment in the series, also directed by Burton, it was a far cry from the grey and yellow spandex that we had grown to recognise.

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5. Beetlejuice (1988)

Weird, wonderful, creepy and beautiful, Beetlejuice has become iconic when it comes to Tim Burton films, and to cult classics for that matter. If there was a film to sum up the style of Tim Burton it would be Beetlejuice. It is one of the few films on our list that does not star Johnny Depp, but with a performance like that from Michael Keaton who cares? Beetlejuice used to terrify me as a child and yet I loved it all the same.

4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

If anyone was going to bring this Gothic stage musical to life and do it any sort of justice it had to be Tim Burton. Sweeney Todd is probably one of Burton’s most popular films and it is by far one of his best. Along with staples to his films, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, he gathered together an all-star cast to make this film a triumph. Yes, Depp’s London accent maybe questionable and yes most of the cast are not the great at singing, but in the end the film is so good that these are just minor facts that are easily overlooked.

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3. Ed Wood (1994)

Ed Wood is probably Burton’s most underrated film, but in my opinion it is some of his best work. It is a film about film-making, based on the life of director Ed Wood and how he was dubbed ‘the worst director of all time’ for making Plan 9 From Outer Space. The entire film is shot in black and white, a bold style choice considering the time it was released. Johnny Depp plays the eccentric, cross dressing, character to full Johnny Depp potential, making this an outstanding film.

2. Batman Returns (1992)

Batman Returns is quite possibly the best of the Batman series from the early 90’s. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is sexy and exactly how Catwoman should be, and Burton’s vision for the portrayal of The Penguin is close to perfect. The film is dark and Gothic and is clearly a Burton film in the way it looks, but it doesn’t lose the fact that it is a comic book film, and the meshing of the two styles gives us number 2 on our list.

1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

I have to admit that I may have been a little biased when picking Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands as the number one on this list as it is one of my favourite films of all time. However, I do believe that it is Tim Burton’s greatest creation. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking, weird and wonderful, with a complete fairytale feel to it. Edward is a character that you can fall in love with. Not only are the characters interesting, and the story compelling, the entire film looks beautiful, and it is in completely the style of Burton, making it the number one Tim Burton film.

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