Funeral Parade Of Roses

Toshio Matsumoto, 1967, Japanese new wave
Clearly been watching some New-wave, right from the ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’, bodies disconnected and overexposure, at the start (also used in ‘Une Femme Marie’)
This is really a Godard film though, very, very similar; the essay, the different styles
The more objective shots at the start and end, and the subjective camera floating around (likes the tightish framings)
And the alienating effects, including interviews
Used to make us consider the piece, the film is a study on that scene, gives us a cinematographic representation; this is wonderful, really appreciate the style. Very very much like ‘Deux ou Trois Choses que je sait d’elle’)
And the skittish political messages, the presumably unscripted interviews, filmmaking, dancing, all there
Slightly different use of narrative; less so at the start, ramps it up at the end
In a way, a very organised film; less spontaneous and duration-feeling than the classic new wave
But mixes in the different aspects well; not always a perfect mix, of course, a few scenes would be better with longer takes, break up the subjective stuff in the middle a little bit, but this is really so far superior to the vast majority, seems almost churlish
The morals of the script are questionable, at one point almost offensive if it’s trying to posit a ‘cause’ for its subjects, this works better as a self-reflexive essay....
The final scenes would be gratuitous, but entirely saved by the insert, a great moment
A terrific, terrific film, genuinely a thoughtful cinema, an essay on a people and on real life
Could criticise for making so similarly to Godardian techniques, but really, the standard modes of criticism fall down here, need a new kind of engagement
Cinema to take seriously, cinema to love