Funeral Parade of Roses

Funeral Parade of Roses
Japanese film poster
Directed byToshio Matsumoto
Written byToshio Matsumoto
Produced by
  • Mitsuru Kudo
  • Keiko Machida
Starring
CinematographyTatsuo Suzuki
Edited byToshie Iwasa
Music byJoji Yuasa
Production
company
Matsumoto Productions
Distributed byArt Theatre Guild
Release date
  • 13 September 1969 (1969-09-13)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Funeral Parade of Roses (薔薇の葬列, Bara no Sōretsu) is a 1969 Japanese experimental film written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto. It is a loose adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, set in the underground gay culture of 1960s Tokyo. Considered part of the Angura film movement, it combines elements of arthouse, documentary, and experimental filmmaking. The film centers 'gay-boy' Eddie, a young transgender woman working at a gay bar in Tokyo played by well-known Japanese gay entertainer Peter. The plot follows Eddie as she engages in a sexual relationship with the bar's owner, who promotes her as the lead girl of the establishment. According to Matsumoto, Funeral Parade of Roses is "in a way a film about filmmaking" and "a film about boundaries".

Funeral Parade of Roses originates from the Japanese New Wave film movement, and is considered a monumental work of queer cinema. It is theorised to have influenced Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange. The film was released by ATG (Art Theatre Guild) on 13 September 1969 in Japan, but it did not receive a United States release until 29 October 1970. In June 2017, it received a 4K restoration and a limited theatrical re-release.