Saturday, August 05, 2023

Bara no sôretsu (1969)

 English title: Funeral Parade of Roses

Loosely based on the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, first published around 429 B.C.

Eddie, an effeminate man who works entertaining customers at a homosexual bar vies for the position of "madam", which is occupied by the bar owner's current lover. Eddie has a troubled family past which will bear tragic consequences for his future. A parallel plot centers on the (fictional) actor playing Eddie as he performs his work and interacts with his friends.

While this film's critical status is in part due to its use of pop art techniques, which can be a little annoying at times, and its fame probably stems significantly from its (once) controversial subject matter, it's only fair to say that its narrative bits are quite competently staged, especially in its ability to elicit convincing performances from its actors.

Rating: 50

Link to an online copy (I watched it on TV though): Funeral Parade Of Roses : Toshio Matsumoto : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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