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(aka "Denki kurage" or "Play It Cool" or "Electric Jellyfish" or "Electric Medusa")
Directed by Yasuzō Masumura
Japan 1970
Play it Cool is a
chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day
Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated
hierarchies of Tokyo's seductive but treacherous nightclub culture. *** An exploitation sex drama just this side of pinku-eiga with yakuza elements... |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 2nd, 1970
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:32:27.583 | |
Video |
2.35 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 44,676,356,701 bytesFeature: 28,579,036,608 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.67 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio
Japanese 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB |
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Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Arrow
2.35 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 44,676,356,701 bytesFeature: 28,579,036,608 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.67 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • 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 (46:07) • Original theatrical trailer (2:07) • 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
Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 13 |
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Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 82 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Arrow use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the
original Japanese language. Play it Cool
has few aggressive moments that come through with modest depth. The
jazzy, moody score is by
composer Hikaru
Hayashi (Irezumi,
Blind Beast,
Death
By Hanging,
Voice Without a Shadow,
Onibaba,
Kuroneko,
The Naked Island)
sounding authentically flat but clear and audible with minor effects. Arrow offer optional English subtitles on
their Region FREE
Blu-ray.
The Arrow
Blu-ray
Yasuzō Masumura's Play it Cool
is a provocative Japanese drama with a mix of melodrama, crime, and
erotic undertones, produced by Daiei Film. It’s a gritty, stylish
exploration of survival and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of urban
Japan’s seedy nightlife. The film showcases Masumura’s knack for
blending social commentary with sensational storytelling, a hallmark of
his work like
Blind Beast or
Red Angel. The director studied under
Michelangelo Antonioni,
Federico Fellini and
Luchino Visconti at Italy's Centro Sperimentale di
Cinematografia. Akemi Negishi’s role in Play it Cool
as Tomi is brief but impactful. She portrays a weathered, fiercely
maternal figure whose love for Yumi drives her to murder, setting the
story in motion. Negishi, known for roles in films like Akira Kurosawa’s
Donzoko (The
Lower Depths,)
Dodesukaden, and
Ikimono no kiroku (I
Live in Fear) plus
King Kong vs. Godzilla brings a raw intensity to Tomi,
contrasting with Atsumi’s youthful resilience. The film’s visual flair -
sharp cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi (Fires
on the Plain,
The Burmese Harp) amplify its tale of innocence lost in a
predatory world. Play It Cool trades rural superstition for urban
cynicism, focusing on personal survival rather than communal unraveling.
It’s less a thriller and more a character-driven drama, though also
shares a bleak view of human motives. Director Yasuzō Masumura cast Mari
Atsumi as a young woman thrust into Tokyo’s nightlife after her mother
(played by Negishi) is imprisoned for murder. Atsumi brings a compelling
mix of innocence and steely resolve to Yumi, who uses her poker skills
to maintain control in a world of predatory men. Her performance anchors
the film’s blend of melodrama and exploitation, showcasing her ability
to convey both vulnerability and defiance - a hallmark of her screen
presence. She had a memorable career unfolded during a transformative
period for Japanese cinema. She emerged in the mid-1960s as part of
Daiei Film’s stable of young talent, a studio known for prestige dramas
like
Rashomon and later for genre fare like the
Gamera series.
Atsumi’s screen presence - marked by a delicate beauty and a quiet
strength - made her a natural fit for roles that bridged innocence and
resilience, a duality that defined much of her work. I was squarely in
my wheelhouse with the Arrow Blu-ray
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Menus / Extras
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Arrow - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |