johnny depp, pictures, films, biography, life

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Johnny Depp is a brilliant actor no matter what part he is playing,

but something magical happens when he is teamed with director Tim

Burton.

The first Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie I ever saw was Edward

Scissorhands. It's a wonderful film, and just the type of story that

Tim Burton's dark vision is perfect for. Johnny Depp is Edward, a sort

of modern-day Frankenstein's monster who has been created by a recluse

inventor (played by the late Vincent Price). The inventor

unfortunately dies before he can complete his creation and so Edward

is left with knives and scissor blades instead of hands. It's a sad

and touching story of a man whose outward appearance keeps people from

seeing his gentle heart.

Depp's character in another Tim Burton film, Willie Wonka and the

Chocolate Factory, is in some ways about as far from Edward as you can

get, yet there are similarities. Willie Wonka has also lived in

isolation, keeping to his factory just as Edward was confined to the

inventor's old mansion. Willie Wonka has a quirky personality, and

often it is hard to tell whether he is being sinister or is just

completely innocent of the effect of his words. I love his expression

and his delivery when he tells the children in the chocolate room that

"Everything in this room is eatable, even I am eatable. But that is

called cannibalism, my dear children and is in fact, frowned upon in

most societies". That's probably my favorite moment in the film.

And interestingly, cannibalism figures into Depp's current teaming

with Burton on Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Although it seemed a most unlikely tale for a Broadway musical, it was

nevertheless a spectacular success with a score by Stephen Sondheim.

In case you don't know the story, Sweeney Todd is a barber who out of

a pathological need for revenge commits serial murders with his

straight razor. Mrs. Lovett (played by the still-lovely Helena

Bonham-Carter) is his partner in crime who disposes of the bodies by

baking them into meat pies. I have already been to visit the official

Sweeney Todd movie site. It will be interesting to see what Johnny

Depp does with this character, but he's a versatile actor who, so far,

has yet to disappoint.

To check out some video and more info you can visit Sweeney Todd on

MySpace

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