The Prisoner of Second Avenue appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a fairly good presentation.
Sharpness appeared generally positive. Occasional shots demonstrated some softness, but those never caused significant distractions. The majority of the movie showed largely positive clarity and delineation.
Jagged edges and shimmering seemed non-existent, and edge haloes failed to mar the presentation. Grain remained appropriate, and I noticed no signs of specks, marks or source flaws.
Colors went with a natural palette that came across well. The palette tended to be a bit low-key, but the tones felt acceptably vivid.
Blacks were appropriately dark and dense, while shadows seemed good. This ended up as a satisfactory presentation.
The DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack of Prisoner was perfectly fine, and speech played the most important role. Dialogue showed reasonably natural tones and avoided much edginess or other issues.
Effects came from environmental elements, with an emphasis on city ambience. These elements were clear and reasonably accurate, and the score felt clear and full. Nothing here excelled, but the audio worked fine given the material’s age.
A Making of featurette runs five minutes, 53 seconds and offers a vintage piece. Though it mostly consists of footage from the set, it brings some comments from actors Anne Bancroft and Jack Lemmon.
It’s pretty insubstantial, but some of the shots from the production become interesting, especially since we see more of then-unknown Sylvester Stallone in his tiny role.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we finish with Anne Bancroft on Dinah!, a seven-minute, 41-second TV excerpt. Bancroft chats with host Dinah Shore about Prisoner and whatever else comes to their minds. It’s not informative but it boasts a casual charm.
Overdone and grating, The Prisoner of Second Avenue lacks much charm. Despite a talented cast, the characters remain so off-putting that we never invest in their fates. The Blu-ray comes with reasonably positive picture and audio as well as minor bonus features. Avenue becomes a dated dud.