Hmmm. This reminds me of a disagreement that I had with my friend after the film. She interpreted Sweeny's reaction to Anthony's interruption of his first attempt to kill the Judge. She felt that he was upset with Anthony because he lost his chance to save his daughter and kill the Judge. That the inability to kill the Judge meant his daughter was lost to him.
I argued that Sweeny didn't care about his daughter. His comment at that point was - that he lost the Judge and so he kills others, since everyone in the world is vermin. Equally I don't think the beggar woman scene is necessary - from the moment he enters the film, his song - about London and what he focuses on in that song - makes it obvious why he has returned and what his intent is. He is not returning to reunite with his family. He isn't even looking for them. He doesn't visit the Judge, he doesn't search them out. EVER. He doesn't even ask Mrs. Lovett so much as she volunteers the information. And once he gets it - it is Anthony who begs his help to save his daughter and he doesn't grant his help, Mrs. Lovett does, and he only goes along because he sees it as a way to the Judge. All Sweeny cares about is hurting those who hurt him. He cares nothing else. I did not need the beggar woman scene to get that across.
I suppose it depends on how you view the character - my friend believed Sweeny could be redeemed that there was a point before Anthony interrupted him that he would have had a less tragic ending. And you believe if he recognized his wife as the poor deluded beggar woman, he would have taken another path. I don't see that - if he'd recognized her - he would have done the same things. It was too late. Sweeny is a bit like the Count of Monte Cristo, but in some ways far more tragic, he became worse than the monsters who condemned him. Ironically - they won. And he made that choice in prison, while away, long before he hit British soil.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-01-06 03:22 am (UTC)I argued that Sweeny didn't care about his daughter. His comment at that point was - that he lost the Judge and so he kills others, since everyone in the world is vermin.
Equally I don't think the beggar woman scene is necessary - from the moment he enters the film, his song - about London and what he focuses on in that song - makes it obvious why he has returned and what his intent is. He is not returning to reunite with his family. He isn't even looking for them. He doesn't visit the Judge, he doesn't search them out. EVER. He doesn't even ask Mrs. Lovett so much as she volunteers the information. And once he gets it - it is Anthony who begs his help to save his daughter and he doesn't grant his help, Mrs. Lovett does, and he only goes along because he sees it as a way to the Judge. All Sweeny cares about is hurting those who hurt him. He cares nothing else. I did not need the beggar woman scene to get that across.
I suppose it depends on how you view the character - my friend believed Sweeny could be redeemed that there was a point before Anthony interrupted him that he would have had a less tragic ending. And you believe if he recognized his wife as the poor deluded beggar woman, he would have taken another path. I don't see that - if he'd recognized her - he would have done the same things. It was too late. Sweeny is a bit like the Count of Monte Cristo, but in some ways far more tragic, he became worse than the monsters who condemned him. Ironically - they won. And he made that choice in prison, while away, long before he hit British soil.