Revenge is a dish best served cold...

Shakespeare. Titus Veronicus to be specific. In her film adaptation of one of Shakespeare's more obscure, earlier works, Julie Taymor created an amazing visual (yeah, he's gonna say it) tour de force. The film is very difficult to watch, as there are some very strange liberties taken with setting and characters. There are Romans and cars, for example, and the plot itself is long and bleak with many horrific events throughout, not the least of which is the one central theme: revenge.

The titular character, Titus, played amazingly by Anthony Hopkins, suffers horrors and humiliations through the entire length of the film, but it is his revenge on his tormentors that is even more horrific. I won't spoil it, but suffice it to say there are echoes of an earlier Hopkins character, one that launched his career from accomplished actor to cult status.

Revenge is also the impetus of the main character in Tim Burton's new film, Sweeney Todd. I'm not really a fan of Burton's work. With the exception of Sleepy Hollow, which this resembles in look and feel, he seems far too obsessed with the look of the sets and makeup than with production values, and his writing leaves much to be desired. Upon viewing the trailer for Sweeney Todd, I have to say that I'm intrigued enough to put my prejudices aside and see the movie. It looks like it might be very good.

The film stars Johnny Depp, who is nearly always excellent, Helena Bonham Carter, equally so and Alan Rickman who rounds out the cast nicely.

Check out the trailer for yourself. Visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site.

You can also visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace