The Prisoner Of Second Avenue

Year:	1975
Country:	USA
Language:	English
Genre:	Comedy
IMDB:	IMDB Page
Rating:	7.0 Rate
Collection:	Seen It Wishlist
Community:	3 Have Seen


Director	Melvin Frank
Selected Cast	Jack Lemmon as Mel Edison
	Anne Bancroft as Edna Edison
	Gene Saks as Harry Edison
	Elizabeth Wilson as Pauline

On DVD & Blu-ray World

DVD

The Prisoner Of Second Avenue - Warner Home Video - USA (2004)

LaserDisc

The Prisoner Of Second Avenue - Warner Home Video - USA (1991)

DVD

Prigioniero Della Seconda Strata - Golem - Italy (2016)

Images

Comments and Reviews


Twistin 4th Dec 2015		I do have a copy of the film, so I will try to ink in another viewing (forty years later!) and see if it hits me differently. That said, I am reasonably poor (financially) and harbor no disdain towards those with more money than me -- even those excessively rich snobs of the world. I am happy with what I do have and don't respond to class division by money or any other means. :) pe@ce



Quad5point1 4th Dec 2015		I think perhaps you've hit the nail on the head, and you are right, this is by no means a comedy, perhaps more a tragic-comedy. It really showed me the meaning of money, as Mel comments about his musical whiskey pourer, who needs them?. When you go through a crash like that it does make you look at what the important things in life are and basically they are Health & Family, all the rest is just decoration. This is what I got from this movie anyway. But the humour is definitely evident in the movie, from getting his apartment cleared out by burglars in 2 hours that took the 7 Santini Brothers a week to put in, the stewardesses in the next apartment living the high life at ground level and the brother who's in lighting that has a living room that lights up like a football stadium. Look for the humour and it's Juxtaposition to the tragedy. It's very clever stuff



Twistin 4th Dec 2015		I wanted to love it, saw it in the original theatrical release. Watched the trailer many times a month prior to the showing. It looked like a fun Neil Simon comedy like many before it (and after). Also a huge fan of both Lemmon and Bancroft. But I squirmed in my seat and felt exhausted by the catalog of terrible things happening to the main characters, compounded by the punishing assault of the two shouting at one another. A feel-bad comedy, if you will. It was depressing to watch. I don't recall any hope in the film. Having seen director Melvin Frank's A Touch of Class the year before, I was expecting some of the same charm and wit, but it sure was not to be found here. Matter of fact, I didn't even see it as a comedy. I just found no laughs in all of the bad things happening to Mel and Edna, never mind being amused watching a man having a nervous breakdown. It just didn't work for me.



Quad5point1 3rd Dec 2015		I would have to disagree with you completely on this. The Prisoner Of Second Avenue is one of the best portrayals of how economic downturns can affect people and how there is still a feeling of hope that something better will come out of it. The humour in this is superb and it even has irony in there as well. I might be slightly biased towards this movie as it reminds me of a particularly bad time in my life going through the "Thatcher Years" in the UK and if you couldn't smile at it you would have gone crazy



Twistin 30th Nov 2015		Rated 4/10 One of Neil Simon's un-funniest. Mel and Edna are a pathetic couple with a pathetic life. Their situations are depressing and claustrophobic. Sometimes mischaracterized as a black comedy, probably to excuse finding humor in the desperation on screen. Simon's work often walks the tightrope between comedy and cruelty; this film could have used a net to make that fall less painful. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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