grass-labyrinth

[grass-labyrinth]

Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

3.8/5.0

This is an experimental film that weaves together the story of Eddie, who works at a gay bar while carrying the trauma of his past, with sudden, radical footage inserted throughout the movie. Toshio Matsumoto is generally known as an avant-garde documentary filmmaker, so I wasn’t familiar with his narrative films. It was clear he enjoyed piecing together ridiculous comical images and abrupt, documentary-like interview scenes into Eddie's story. These served as buffers, softening the impact of the film’s dark themes like incest, trauma, and sexual repression, making it feel way more engaging than it might have otherwise. I also liked the unexpected mutes of the background sounds, which drew me into an uncanny atmosphere.

Additionally, I discovered that Matsumoto was involved in radical guerrilla theater at the time. This explains the scene of people in gas masks marching through the city, seemingly incorporating elements of underground theater from that era (by the way, I’m a big fan of this period’s underground theater).

Not sure if it was intentional, but the vibrant, rough visuals matched the coarse texture typical of old films. While I’ve heard there’s a remastered version available, I personally think it’s better left in its raw, original form.

Experimental films, with their lack of smooth narrative flow, often make it hard for me to stay focused. However, with this film, I stayed captivated until the end. I think it was because I was drawn to the star power of the main character, Eddie. Initially, I found Eddie somewhat annoying, acting overly vulnerable, but as the story progressed, he seemed more radiant and perfectly suited to be the “madam” of the gay bar.

As for the ending, I found myself wishing for a more dramatic climax. The story’s foundation as an homage to Oedipus Rex didn’t feel particularly novel to me, so I wasn’t especially drawn to that aspect. The final scene, where blood flows from Eddie’s eyes, was a bit creepy, especially because the people on the street just stared in silence instead of panicking. Still, I couldn’t help but hope for one more twist. Yet, rewinding to the moment where Peter, who plays Eddie, casually spoils the ending in the middle of the film was brilliant. Great storytelling!

As a side note, there’s a scene where a flower emerges from someone’s butt. I’ve seen a similar depiction in plays featuring drag queens. I tried researching whether this is a common icon representing drag queens, but I couldn’t find any information about it online.

 -EE