Sweeney Todd

[jekylljuice]

Originally Posted by Imaginary Light

Spoiler Below

In the original stage musical, Anthony and Johanna turn up in the basement with the law. That's...pretty much it though. It's still left pretty open in the original, albeit less open than in the movie though. I think it's really up to the viewer to determine if everything ended "happily ever after" for the lovers (I don't think it did, honestly. After all that the they had been through...it seems impossible to have a happy ending).

As for Mrs. Lovett's death being more brutal than Sweeney's...I just took the idea of having her burn alive to be the equivalent of what she was doing to all the victims. Sweeney sliced peoples' throats, so he died by having his throat sliced. Mrs. Lovett cooked the people into pies, so she dies by burning in her oven with the pies

Thanks IL, much appreciated.

Spoiler Below

The possibility of Mrs. Lovett's demise being "poetic justice" for her own complicity in Mr. Todd's extremely sinister practices did occur to me, only what really stood out for me is that she went through a lot more suffering than she'd actually put any of her victims through. They, after all, were all dead before she processed them, placed them into pastries and then into the oven. While I can see the appropriateness of her finally being incinerated alongside the fruits of her bloodthirsty labours, I guess I'd have to interpret that additionally nasty aspect of her demise as further emphasis of Sweeney's brutal and unforgiving nature. Prior to her death, I was half-expecting Tobias to intervene and try and save her, as he promised he would in his song, but then again why should he? She was all prepared to betray him to Sweeney.