Toshio Matsumoto: Funeral Parade of Roses

Loosely adapted from Oedipus Rex, Toshio Matsumoto’s new-wave feature film Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) explores the underground gay scene of 1960s Tokyo, with its divas and drag bars; sex, drugs, and mascara. The transgender actor Shinnosuke Ikehata (aka Peter) gives an astonishing performance as Eddie, a hostess at Bar Genet, caught in a violent love triangle with reigning drag queen Leda for the attention of the club’s owner Gonda. It all ends tragically. The story jumps around, interspersed with documentary-style interviews with cast members about their sexuality and identity. The title is a pun: in Japanese ‘rose’ (bara) has a similar meaning to ‘pansy’.

Formally inventive, Matsumoto’s first feature film has been called a ‘shattering kaleidoscopic masterpiece’ and ‘one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960s’.

Run time is 105 minutes. Screenings at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. WARNING: Adults only. Sex, violence, and profanity.