Adding to the confusion: I read an interesting review recently that teasingly dropped another possible allegorical/literal reading of this film without developing a close reading. The film's dates closely correspond to the birth and death of silent film, which give the final scenes' tonal changes added resonance, if you're so inclined. This is admittedly hard to justify, point for point. But one thing we can all agree on: The meat pies in Sweeney Todd obviously symbolize Darfur.
