NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (April 2025): Criterion have transferred Sean Baker's Prince of Broadway to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Sean Baker and restoration supervisor Alex Coco". The Criterion 1080P was sourced from the original 16mm negative and the transfer enhances Baker’s grainy cinematography. The bustling streets of Manhattan’s wholesale district - filmed in the Flatiron District around 28th Street - reveal intricate textures in the gray pavement, graffiti-covered walls, and cluttered storefronts. Close-ups of Lucky’s (Prince Adu) expressive face and Prince’s innocent eyes gain clarity, while interiors, like Lucky’s cramped apartment with its peeling wallpaper, show improved detail in the worn furniture and dim lighting. The muted palette of urban grays, whites, and blues in the street scenes is rendered with natural fidelity, reflecting the cold winter light of Manhattan. Overall the rendering is housed on a dual-layered disc and the high bitrate maintains the film’s authentic texture. 

NOTE: We have added 48 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. Ambient drones in street scenes enhance the urban alienation, benefiting from the surround channels’ added dimension. The urban soundscape - car horns, street chatter, footsteps - is vividly rendered, with the 5.1 mix placing sounds like vendor shouts and distant sirens in the surround channels, immersing viewers in the wholesale district’s chaos. The soundtrack of Prince of Broadway pulses with an eclectic, streetwise energy that mirrors the film’s gritty New York setting and Sean Baker’s knack for blending authenticity with emotional resonance. Featuring a mix of original tracks and licensed songs, the music underscores the hustle and humanity of Lucky’s world. Alex Thaler’s contributions, like the tender “You and I” and the soulful “I Never Knew” (co-produced with Chris Bergoch), add a personal, introspective layer to the narrative, contrasting with the raw bravado of Erick Sermon and Lomerrill Jones’ (p/k/a Tone Kopome) hip-hop cuts - “I Don’t Give a Fuck,” “Reasons,” “Do Dat,” “Danger,” and “Classic” - which infuse the film with an unapologetic urban swagger. Meanwhile, Final Outlaw & Pegasus’ “Once Upon a Time” and Stephonik’s “Tight Shorts” keep the vibe rooted in indie rap, while Ari Hoenig Quartet’s jazz-inflected “The Painter” and Igor Dvorkin & Duncan Pittock’s “Raga Lotus” bring unexpected texture. Global flavors emerge with Ma Superstar’s “I Say What I Say” and Kagiso Skeat Thabano’s “Dumelang,” reflecting the diaspora of the diamond district, and Boards of Canada’s ambient “Dayvan Cowboy” closes the lineup with a haunting, cinematic drift - together creating a soundscape as vibrant and chaotic as the film itself. Prince of Broadway's sound is effectively rendered via the lossless. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers two commentary tracks. The first features Sean Baker, providing insights into his directorial process, the film’s improvisational approach, and shooting on location in Manhattan’s wholesale district. The second commentary includes producer and cowriter Darren Dean, associate producer and actor Victoria Tate, and actor Karren Karagulian, discussing the production challenges, casting nonprofessional actors, and the collaborative dynamic. Baker’s commentary offers a personal, auteur-driven perspective, detailing his neorealist influences and the $45,000 budget’s impact. The second commentary provides a broader production context, with Dean, Tate, and Karagulian adding firsthand accounts of the improvisational process and the authenticity brought by nonprofessional actors like Prince Adu. Together, they enrich the viewer’s understanding of the film’s creation. There is a new 10-minute introduction by Sean Baker who provides an overview of the film’s significance in his career, its neorealist approach, and the restoration process. Included are 8-minutes of archival interviews, with Baker and actor Prince Adu, likely sourced from festival appearances or early promotional materials, discussing the film’s production and Adu’s experience as a nonprofessional actor. There are two documentaries - clocking in at 55:55 and 35:01 - exploring the making of Prince of Broadway, covering the improvisational process, shooting on location with a skeleton crew, and working with nonprofessional actors. They are showcasing Prince of Broadway's scrappy, on-location production and the authenticity that defines Baker’s style. A 4-minute restoration demonstration with Baker and Coco highlights the technical wizardry behind the 4K upgrade, and a pair of trailers round out the disc’s offerings. The package is further elevated by liner notes with an essay from film critic Robert Daniels, providing thoughtful analysis, and a striking new cover by Drusilla Adeline/Sister Hyde, with photography by Ivory Woods, making this a visually and intellectually rewarding release that honors Baker’s indie roots.

Prince of Broadway, directed by Sean Baker, is a raw, empathetic snapshot of struggling existence and makeshift family in New York’s bustling wholesale district, blending neorealist grit with a tender humanism that foreshadows Baker’s later works like The Florida Project. The narrative thrives on its slice-of-life simplicity, eschewing melodrama for quiet moments of connection and tension, such as Lucky’s evolving bond with the child or his strained camaraderie with Levon. While the plot occasionally meanders, its strength lies in Baker’s keen eye for the marginalized, exposing the precariousness of their dreams without judgment, making Prince of Broadway a compelling study of resilience amid the fringes. The Criterion Blu-ray showcases Sean Baker’s early triumph in all its raw, neorealist glory. The centerpiece is a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by Baker and restoration supervisor Alex Coco, which breathes fresh life into the film’s handheld aesthetic, capturing the gritty vibrancy of Manhattan’s wholesale district with stunning clarity. There are exceptional extras including two commentaries and two documentaries as well as a interviews and a booklet. Sean Baker fans will positively want to own this package.

Gary Tooze