Lighting

The lighting throughout the whole movie, Sweeney Todd, is sombre in keeping with the theme, the weather and the cold, dark city of London in Victorian times. The lighting gives the impression of mischievous happenings of a sinister nature where Todd and Mrs Lovett work together to kill men, and turn them into pies, purely for revenge. His razor blades, with which he was reunited, catch the light coming in from the attic window which emphasizes their importance and significance in the movie. When Sweeney holds the blade up to the light he says "At last my arm is complete again" and he is bathed in light through the window.

In the opening scene there is a ship that emerges from the night fog. It is carrying Sweeney Todd on his return to London, and Anthony (another passenger). The sky over London is overpowered by thick cloud. The only lighting in the scene is the moon which is peeping through the clouds, and the street lamps flickering. The scene appears to be in black and white, but is actually in dull colour. In most of the movie, the only lighting is natural; such as the moon light shining in through the windows. You rarely see a light on, apart from street lamps.

The only time that we really get to see colour and strong lighting is in the flashbacks of happier times that Todd is reminded of. This shows that the present time he is in, he is angry and lost, while the past was happy and full of life as he had everything he ever needed. But now he has nothing, but a need for revenge.

In one of Mrs. Lovett's songs "By the Sea" she sings about the perfect life with Mr Todd. While she sings, a fantasy world begins to appear with bright happy colours, blue sky, and birds chirping. The colour reflects her unrealistically thought out future that will never be. Therefore, the only bright, happy colours are in thoughts and dreams.