Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film) vocal performance, despite being criticized as lacking certain musical qualities, was generally thought by critics to suit the part. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" was released in the United States on December 21, 2007 and in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2008 to largely positive reviews from critics. The film was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2007 and won a number of awards, including Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy, as well as the Academy Award
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to Sondheim, "Your show is not called 'Nellie Lovett', it's called 'Sweeney Todd'. And I'm the second banana." To convince her, Sondheim "auditioned," writing a couple of songs for her, including the macabre patter song, "A Little Priest." And he gave her the key to the character, saying "I want Mrs. Lovett to have a music hall character." Lansbury, who had grown up in British music hall, immediately got it. "Not just music hall ... but dotty music hall", as she put it. After she was formally confirmed in the role, she relished the opportunity, saying that she loved "the