CLASSIC JAPANESE CINEMA: “FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES”

“This film owes much to the game changing works of the French New Wave of in the late 50s, particularly that of the highly idealistic and abrasive works of Jean-Luc Godard, who at this point was getting progressively more political and left of center in his filmmaking evolution. Upon first glance, Toshio Matsumoto’s Funeral Parade of Roses could easily be from the same batch of the ultra-stylish and inventive works of the French New Wave, but it’s important to note Japan’s own New Wave movement of the time, who were also rewriting the rules and reinventing the wheel within the cinematic medium. And although a free-form sexual revolution was happening the world over, there were very few films that would tackle gay and lesbian themes, let alone ones with trans characters tackling themes relating to gender and sexual identity within an overwhelmingly heterosexual world. So this isn’t just a majorly important piece of queer filmmaking in Japan, it’s a vital, and most certainly a revolutionary piece of queer film history that still proves to be way ahead of its time in critical thinking and its ability to poke, prod and evoke the most visceral of responses.” – Perrin Faerch

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