Director: Yasuzo Masumura
Screenplay: Yoshihiro Ishimatsu, Yasuzô Masumura
Based on a Novel by: Masayuki Tôyama
Starring: Mari Atsumi, Akemi Negishi, Yusuke Kawazu, Kô Nishimura, Ryôichi Tamagawa
Country: Japan
Running Time: 94 min
Year: 1970
BBFC Certificate: 18
Arrow have been forging their own mini-renaissance for the Japanese filmmaker Yasuzo Masumura over the past few years, releasing some of his better-known films on Blu-ray, such as Blind Beast, Giants and Toys, Irezumi and Red Angel. Masumura directed around 60 films between the late-50s and mid-80s though, so there’s plenty more to explore in his vast and eclectic back catalogue.
Arrow haven’t released any of Masumura’s films for a couple of years but now they’re back with a surprising title from his filmography, Play it Cool (a.k.a. Denki kurage). It’s a film dismissed by many critics specialising in Japanese cinema but it has its fans and Arrow are hoping to boost its reputation a little further.
I’ve been impressed by the films I’ve seen from the director so far, so I got hold of a copy of Play it Cool and my thoughts follow.
In the film, Mari Atsumi plays Yumi, the beautiful daughter of an ageing geisha, Tomi (Akemi Negishi). Tomi has cared for her daughter largely by herself and is keen to bring her up ‘properly’ and keep her away from the world in which she works. However, when Tomi’s current boyfriend, Yoshimura (Ryôichi Tamagawa), rapes Yumi, Tomi murders him in a blind rage.
With her mother in prison, Yumi must get a job to make ends meet and one of Tomi’s friends hires her as a geisha. Tomi isn’t happy about this, of course, but can’t do much about it and grows to become proud of the success her daughter finds in the business.
Indeed, Yumi has her own ways of dealing with clients, forcing them to play poker to win her services. Being a good player, she earns well through this approach, though this doesn’t go down well with the other workers at the club.
During her time as a geisha, Yumi also falls in love with Nozawa (Yûsuke Kawazu), the club’s manager. He seems to like her too, but is reluctant to act on this, due to his relationship with the club’s madame (Sanae Nakahara) and a promise he made to a Yakuza boss named Kada (Kô Nishimura).
Play it Cool is actually part of a loose, unofficial series of six ‘mollusc’ or ‘jellyfish’ films centred around the actress Mari Atsume. These films take advantage of her beauty, with mildly erotic sequences, but generally lean closer to melodrama than the Pinku films that were popular at the time or the Roman Pornos that would follow.
As such, some fans of more extreme Japanese genre cinema might find Play it Cool disappointing but I found myself intensely drawn to its story and characters. It becomes an unusual form of revenge film, with a feminist slant, particularly after some quite shocking twists at the end.
Whilst it might appear quite exploitative at first, with Yumi’s rape and journey into the world of sex work, Play it Cool manages to depict a strong female character who uses her sexuality to achieve her goals. Yumi makes the most of a bad situation, cleverly bending the rules to make more money and do things on her own terms, to an extent.
Sadly, in reality, the actress Atsumi was badly treated by the industry, despite her popularity, and disappeared from the public eye after a brief 5-year career.
So, what seems like a sordid sex drama on the surface turns out to be a curious, engrossing tale of female empowerment. Play it Cool may not be as stylish or immediately enticing as some of Yasuzo Masumura’s better-known films but that doesn’t make it any less interesting or well-crafted.
Play it Cool is out on 3rd March on region B Blu-Ray, released by Arrow Video. The transfer is lacking a little detail in places and colours are slightly dull but the picture is clean and the transfer is generally decent. I imagine Arrow have done the best they can with the source material. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks. The audio is good, other than the usual limitations you get with sources from that era.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
– High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
– Original uncompressed mono audio
– Optional English subtitles
– Brand new audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight
– Too Cool for School, brand new video essay on Play it Cool and the career of writer-director Yasuzō Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts
– Original theatrical trailer
– Image gallery
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
– Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Earl Jackson
Jasper Sharp and Anne McKnight talk about the film in their commentary. They provide a deep contextual analysis, looking at the cinematic landscape that spawned the film and what that led to.
Mark Roberts discusses the life and career of Yasuzo Masumura before describing how Play it Cool fits among it. It’s an intelligent and fascinating piece.
I didn’t get a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately.
Overall, Arrow have given Play it Cool the respect it deserves and long hasn’t enjoyed. Some might not get into its melodramatic style but it clicked with me and I’d recommend any fans of Japanese cinema give it a shot.
Disc/Package:
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