The Freshman (1925) - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 28 March 2014

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The Freshman - Blu-ray Review

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When it comes to the comedy of Harold Lloyd you just can’t top 1925’s The Freshman. In it, Lloyd plays Harold Lamb – and, yes, that IS the best character name in the Silent Film Era – and the movie traces his comedic journey to become the big man on campus. It is, simply put, a rich comedy of embarrassments. It is also Lloyd’s highest grossing and most popular film. For most people, it was their first exposure to Lloyd.

Last year, the Criterion Collection handled the blu-ray debut of Safety Last and this year audiences get The Freshman. Both are fine releases of classic comedies but it is The Freshman that will make you love Lloyd’s dedication to entertainment. Here, Lloyd perfects the character study of a man who wants so desperately to be loved by someone.

Harold Lloyd is his audience. His character with his “Speedy saves the day” earnestness is easily more relatable than all the other Silent Era clowns. The audiences understand Lamb’s desire to fit in and be a part of the popular culture. The Freshman showcases that fact as well as Lloyd’s strengths with dangerous stunts.

Directed by long-time Lloyd collaborators Sam Taylor and Fred Newmeyer, The Freshman is full of hysterical sequences involving a frisky kitty, a training session in which he becomes the dummy, and a poorly assembled new suit. It also has one of his best known stunts; scaling the side of a building with nothing but your hands to help you. The danger of his situation is explained and accepted. This is gravity-defying mischief at its highest though and Lloyd never once shies away from it. .

Co-starring Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict, James Anderson, The Freshman rolls its way onto several Best-Of lists and shows no sign of slipping. Chaplin won audiences over with emotion. Keaton won audiences over with intellectual mechanics. Lloyd just wowed audiences with sight gags, layered construction of gags and stunts too dangerous to perform today and he became more popular than both.

The Freshman is a fine place to start if new to the era of Silent comedy.

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MPAA Rating: Not rated.
Runtime: 76 mins
Director: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Writer: Sam Taylor, Ted Wilde
Cast: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict
Genre: Comedy | Silent | Classic
Tagline: The Freshman.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I'm just a regular fellow - step right up and call me 'Speedy'"
Distributor: Pathé Exchange
Official Site:
Release Date: September 20, 1925
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: March 25, 2014
Synopsis: Nerdy college student will do anything to become popular on campus.

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The Freshman - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - March 25, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles: None
Audio: Music: LPCM 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set (1 BD, 2 DVDs); DVD copy
Region Encoding: A

Criterion’s 4K transfer of a 1998 restoration by the UCLA Film and Television Archive is virtually pristine (I noticed only a few minor scratches), looking much as it must have when originally projected in 1925. The new score composed by Carl Davis is lively and well-attuned to the star’s personality. As is now standard with Criterion, this edition is dual-format, with one Blu-ray and two DVDs.

Supplements:

Commentary:

The audio commentary features a lively and admiring discussion of the film and Lloyd’s career by Harold Lloyd archivist Richard Correll, film historian Richard Bann and critic Leonard Maltin.

Special Features:

Criterion has loaded the disk with interesting and informative supplements. First up is a conversation between Correll and Kevin Brownlow. There will be a visual essay by John Bengtson that follows. Footage from a 1963 tribute to Lloyd is included. Two short comedies – a one-reeler and a two-reeler – are included.