Sweeney Todd
MRS. LOVETT Nothing’s gonna harm you, Not while I’m around. Nothing’s gonna harm you, darling, Not while I’m around. Demons’ll charm you With a smile For a while, But in time Nothing’s gonna harm you, Not while I’m around. The music continues as she holds him. There are tears in her eyes. But we see that her gentle song has calmed him.
MRS. LOVETT Funny we should be having this little chat right now … ‘Cause I was just thinkin’, you know how you’ve always fancied coming into the bakehouse with me to help make the pies?
TOBY Yes, ma’am. She quickly dries her eyes and then turns him to look at her.
MRS. LOVETT Well … no time like the present. 102
INT. BAKEHOUSE STEPS — EVENING
102 Mrs. Lovett leads Toby down the claustrophobic, long stairway toward the bakehouse.
TOBY My heart bleeds for you havin’ to go up and down all these stairs!
MRS. LOVETT Well, that’ll be your job now.
TOBY Yes, ma’am! She arrives at the heavy iron door to the bakehouse. We can hear the seismic rumble of the bake oven within. She unbolts the door and ushers Toby in. And we finally enter… 103
INT. THE BAKEHOUSE — EVENING
103 A macabre vision of Hell. The roof hangs low in this subterranean chamber. The grisly tools of her trade are scattered about the place: a large, stained chopping block; a meat grinder; buckets of questionable viscous liquid; cleavers and bone saws and meat hooks; wet sewer grates for the blood. A metal sheet, hinged at the top, has been attached to cover an opening in the wall: the mouth of the chute from the barber shop above. And eeriest of all … the thundering roar of flame coming from a large industrial oven against one wall. Toby takes in the cavernous bakehouse:
TOBY Coo, quite a stink, ain’t there? She indicates the sewer grates:
MRS. LOVETT Those grates go right down to the sewers and the whiffs come up, always a few rats gone home to Jesus down there.
TOBY So — where do I start?! She leads him across to the thrumming, fiery oven:
MRS. LOVETT Now this would be the bake oven … Ten dozen at a time. Always be sure the doors is closed properly, like this.
TOBY (trying to remember it all) Yes’m, always closed properly. She leads him to the meat grinder:
MRS. LOVETT And here’s the grinder … … You pop in the meat, give it a good grind and it comes out here.
TOBY (practicing with the grinder) Good grind, comes out there.
MRS. LOVETT That’s my boy. Smoothly, smoothly — Now I’ve got to pop upstairs, back in two shakes, all right?
TOBY Yes’m.
She begins to go. He stops her with:
TOBY Do you think I might have a pie while I wait? She turns. He is standing at a rack of cooling pies.
MRS. LOVETT As many as you like, son … As many as you like. She goes and shuts the door behind her. 104
INT. BAKEHOUSE STEPS — EVENING
104 She leans against the bakehouse door, tormented, gasping for air. Then she slowly bolts the door.
A120 105
INT. FOGG’S ASYLUM — EVENING
105 A cacophony of madness. The ragged inmates of the asylum are slammed together in a series of cramped cells, the low ceiling pressing down. We discover Anthony, dressed as a fashionable wigmaker, walking past the cells with the odious MR. FOGG. Fogg carries a large pair of scissors.
FOGG … Oh yes, sir, I agree it would be to our mutual interest to come to some arrangement in regard to my poor children’s hair. He moves to one of the cells and unlocks it:
FOGG I keep the blondes over here. It was yellow hair you was looking for, sir?
ANTHONY Yes. Fogg goes into the crowded cell — the inmates, all blonde women, scurry back, clearly terrified of Fogg. Anthony sees Johanna, wearing a filthy straitjacket, hunched like a feral animal, cowering in a corner of the cell.
ANTHONY That one has hair the shade I need.
Fogg goes to fetch Johanna, hauls her to Anthony:
FOGG Come, child. Smile for the gentleman and you shall have a sweetie. Johanna’s eyes shoot wide when she sees Anthony, but she says nothing.
FOGG Now, where shall I cut? Before Fogg can react — Anthony pulls a revolver from his clothing, grabs Johanna and pushes Fogg back into the cell. He swings the cell door shut, locking Fogg in.
ANTHONY Not a word, Mr. Fogg, or it will be your last … Now, I leave you to the mercy of your “children.” He grabs Johanna and pulls her away. Mr. Fogg turns. He is locked in with the blonde inmates. They slowly begin to advance on him. Menacing. It is likely they are going to rip him limb from limb… 106
EXT. PIE SHOP — EVENING
106 Todd and Mrs. Lovett are hurrying down the stairs from the barber shop, urgent. Todd has a razor.
MRS. LOVETT … I got him locked in — but if he escapes he’ll go to the law!
TODD Then he can’t escape.
MRS. LOVETT Mr. T. — I don’t know — maybe we could–
TODD The Judge will be here soon! I have no time, woman! Come on–! They turn a corner and walk straight into– The Beadle!
MRS. LOVETT Excuse me, sir! — You gave me a fright.
BEADLE Not my intention, good madam, though I am here on official business. (elaborately prepares a pinch of snuff) You see, there’s been complaints. About the stink from your chimney. They say at night, it’s something most foul. Health regulations — and the general public welfare, naturally — being my duty, I’m afraid I’ll have to take a look … (inhales the snuff, Sneezes and daintily wipes his nose) … at your bakehouse.
TODD Of course … But first why don’t you come upstairs and let me attend to you?
BEADLE Much as I do appreciate tonsorial adornment, I really ought see to my “official” obligations first.
TODD An admirable sentiment — But I must ask you, out of professional curiosity you understand, is that a cream or a tallow pomade?
BEADLE Oh, not a pomade at all! Me secret is a touch of ambergris.
TODD But, sir, hair that delicate requires a genuine pomade! Come along, let me show you the difference.
BEADLE Well … you are the expert in these matters…
TODD And we’ll finish you off with a nice facial rub of bay rum.
BEADLE Oooh, bay rum is bracing.
TODD And all on the house, for my friend, Beadle Bamford.
BEADLE Well, sir, I take that very kindly … Lead on.
TODD I am, sir, entirely at your — (his eyes flit to Mrs. Lovett) — disposal. He leads the Beadle away. Mrs. Lovett allows herself a breath. 107
EXT. PIE SHOP — EVENING
107 From across the street, we see Todd leading the Beadle up the stairs to the barber shop, chatting with him easily. We realize we are seeing the perspective of the Beggar Woman, hunched across the street, watching them closely. 108
INT. BAKEHOUSE — EVENING
108 Toby is eating a pie as he slowly wanders around the bakehouse. He stops to consider the many stained cleavers and bone saws, curious. Then he bites on something hard — stops — he reaches into his mouth and pulls something out. Looks at it: It is a fingernail. To be exact, it is the severed tip of a finger. Toby drops it in horror and starts back– Suddenly, a loud THUMPING and CLANGING makes him spin, alarmed– As — The bloody body of the Beadle EXPLODES SUDDENLY from the mouth of the chute– Toby screams and races to the door– Pulls at it. Locked. No use. He bangs on the heavy iron door wildly:
TOBY MRS. LOVETT! MRS. LOVETT! LET ME OUT!
MRS. LOVETT! The thundering roar from the bake oven seems to rise to match his frenzy as– In panic, Toby races to the sewer grate, yanks it up and disappears down into the sewers as the shrill factory whistle SCREAMS and we cut to– 109
INT. BARBER SHOP — EVENING
109 Todd stands by the chair, his razor high– His eyes blazing– His face covered in a spray of blood– Lost in rapture. Not for long. The Gentleman, the Banker, the General move into the frame with purpose, impatient. The Gentleman flicks out his handkerchief and begins to clean the blood off Todd’s face — he is not gentle, the blood smears–
GENTLEMAN The engine roared, the motor hissed, And who could see how the road would twist…? Meanwhile, the Banker pulls off Todd’s stained barber tunic and hands Todd his jacket–
BANKER In Sweeney’s ledger the entries matched: A Beadle arrived, and a Beadle dispatched… Meanwhile, the General is cleaning up the blood on the barber chair–
GENERAL To satisfy the hungry god Of Sweeney Todd…
GENERAL The Demon Barber of Fleet… SUDDENLY — a sharp cry from across the room — Todd spins–
GENERAL …Street! Todd sees that more and more of the ghastly specters are moving around the room — multiplying exponentially — we see the TOURIST, the STUDENT, the PRIEST and others. They are more intrusive than they have ever been — touching Todd — eagerly preparing him for the finale of his drama —
GHOSTS Sweeney! Sweeney! Sweeney! Sweeney! Sweeney! By now the ghosts are fully Furies, demented and threatening–
GHOSTS Sweeney! Sweeeeeeneeeeey…! The screeching music transforms into a strange symphony of inarticulate moans and howls and chants, taking us to… 110
INT. SEWERS — NIGHT
110
GHOSTS (V.O.) Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeeeey… Sweeneysweeneysweeneysweeney… Todd and Mrs. Lovett are searching for Toby through a horrible catacomb of decaying sewers. Todd carries a razor. Their voices echo bizarrely:
MRS. LOVETT Toby! Where are you, love?
TODD Toby! Where are you, lad?
MRS. LOVETT Nothing’s gonna harm you…
TODD Toby!
MRS. LOVETT Not while I’m around…
TODD Toby!
MRS. LOVETT Nothing’s gonna harm you, Darling…
TODD Nothing to be afraid of boy…
MRS. LOVETT Not while I’m around.
TODD Toby…
MRS. LOVETT Demons are prowling everywhere Nowadays…
TODD Toby… Music takes us to… 111
INT. BARBER SHOP — NIGHT
111 Anthony and Johanna hurry into the barber shop. She is now dressed as a scruffy boy, a cap hiding her hair. She is distracted and disturbed.
ANTHONY Mr. Todd…? No matter. You wait for him here — I’ll return with the coach in less than half an hour… She gently touches Todd’s collection of razors…
ANTHONY Don’t worry, darling, in those clothes, no one will recognize you … You’re safe now.
She picks up the largest razor, looks at it, an eerie echo of her father.
