The Freshman (1925)

[Scottie]

Harold Lloyd’s biggest box-office hit was this silent comedy gem, featuring the befuddled everyman at his eager best as a new college student. Though he dreams of being a big man on campus, the freshman’s careful plans inevitably go hilariously awry, be it on the football field or at the Fall Frolic. But he gets a climactic chance to prove his mettle—and impress the sweet girl he loves—in one of the most famous sports sequences ever filmed. This crowd-pleaser is a gleeful showcase for Lloyd’s slapstick brilliance and incandescent charm, and it’s accompanied here by a new orchestral score by Carl Davis.

Disc Features
New 4K digital transfer from a restoration by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
New orchestral score, composed and conducted by Carl Davis, presented in uncompressed stereo on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary featuring director and Harold Lloyd archivist Richard Correll, film historian Richard Bann, and film critic and historian Leonard Maltin
Lloyd’s prologue to the film, created for the 1966 rerelease
Three newly restored Lloyd shorts: The Marathon (1919), with a new score by Gabriel Thibaudeau, and An Eastern Westerner and High and Dizzy (both 1920), with new scores composed and conducted by Davis
Big Man on Campus, a new visual essay on the film’s locations by silent-film historian John Bengtson
Conversation between Correll and film historian Kevin Brownlow
Footage from a 1963 Delta Kappa Alpha tribute to Lloyd, featuring comedian Steve Allen, director Delmer Daves, and actor Jack Lemmon
Lloyd’s 1953 appearance on the television show What’s My Line?</>
One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Stephen Winer

[jetthead]

I loved Safety Last! and will definitely pick up this film.

[brandon_260]

Looking forward to this. I didn't care much for Dr. Jack, but Safety Last! was one of my favorite discoveries of this year.

[jamesbobo]

Originally Posted by jetthead

I loved Safety Last! and will definitely pick up this film.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

[pickfair]

more Harold Lloyd is a good thing. Let's hope we see more of his catalogue, perhaps even a collection of his shorts

[AgentOrange]

Another 1 BD + 2DVD.

Won't fit on the shelf next to Safety Last.

[Sweetmeats]

This movie is fantastic. Definite buy for me!

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

Another 1 BD + 2DVD.

Won't fit on the shelf next to Safety Last.

Do the 2 DVDs mean they put it in a DVD-sized box? The 1 BD + 1 DVD titles are still in blu ray boxes, right?

[Sinthetic]

I was dying of laughter watching Safety Last! and am really looking forward to seeing more Lloyd stuff (and in HD).

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by Hypnosifl

Do the 2 DVDs mean they put it in a DVD-sized box? The 1 BD + 1 DVD titles are still in blu ray boxes, right?

I don't know if it's a "DVD-sized" box. It's probably still blu-ray sized, but it will be in a thicker (cardboard) box... like Seven Samurai, Night of the Hunter, Sweet Smell of Success etc.

Some people might say "who cares", but if Criterion is going to start doing this with almost all of their titles... some of us will start running out of shelf space (or at least a good place to "set aside" these cardboard boxes that require extra care). These "soft" boxes tend to get damaged/squished, whereas you don't need to worry about that with the normal releases. I was worried about this happening from the moment they made their "dual-format" announcement.

edit: I would hope the 1+1 titles are just in a normal case with double tray (since they used that double trey a few times for 2 blu-ray releases). But I guess we'll have to see. Unfortuantely it seems like at this point more of their releases will be 1+2, than 1+1. I really wish they would compromise and just save the "combo-pack" packaging for the latter. I would be OK with that.

[Lepidopterous]

Love love love this film!

[BENNIE QUINCY SHAFT]

Originally Posted by Hypnosifl

Do the 2 DVDs mean they put it in a DVD-sized box? The 1 BD + 1 DVD titles are still in blu ray boxes, right?

The overlapping disc wells in the combo cases are terrible. The lower disc is hard to remove and to replace. The upper disc spindles release the disc okay, but putting the disc back is a problem. The 2 little stubs that hold the disc don't engage on both sides. I have written CC with the suggestion to STOP using overlapping tray wells. They COULD merely use a case with a single disc well on EACH SIDE. They COULD use the spindle type with the 4 little ARROWS that release with 4 little clicks and re-engage with one push. We both have very bad arthritis, and CC is keeping us from seeing their fine titles.

[pro-bassoonist]

The Freshman Blu-ray REVIEW



(More photos in the review).





Pro-B

[The Crimson King]

I loved Safety Last! so much, so I'm definitely looking forward to this. I've now watched all of Chaplin's feature length movies, and want to see more of Lloyd and Keaton, and these Criterion releases are a helpful way of doing so in terms of quality.

[drak b]

So it is a digipack? Dang it! I guess I'll just hold off for now in the hopes that they will release a 'normal' case version in the future. I'll pick it up someday, but there's plenty of other releases to hold me over in the meantime.

Absolutely awful packaging aside, I'm glad that Criterion put a lot of work/love into the discs themselves.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by drak b

So it is a digipack? Dang it! I guess I'll just hold off for now in the hopes that they will release a 'normal' case version in the future. I'll pick it up someday, but there's plenty of other releases to hold me over in the meantime.

Absolutely awful packaging aside, I'm glad that Criterion put a lot of work/love into the discs themselves.

You need to get your eyes checked if you think that packaging looks awful.
One of their classiest looking ones yet but if you wanna miss out its up to you.

[HotRats]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

You need to get your eyes checked if you think that packaging looks awful.
One of their classiest looking ones yet but if you wanna miss out its up to you.

Far be it from me to put words in the mouths of others, but he didn't say it looked awful. Maybe, like me, he thinks it looks fine but thinks cardboard boxes lack the durability of plastic, particularly when subjected to the postal system. It took me four tries to get an undamaged Night Of The Hunter from Amazon. I'd be much happier if Criterion ditched the superflous DVDs and reserved the artwork for a book inside a plastic case.

[Boston007]

I can't stand Criterion's new packaging.

One of the reasons I loved Criterion was their clear BD case, it was a standout in my library. Sure some had the cardboard packaging but the standard was the clear case.

NOW the standard is this stupid fold out packs. I can't stand it.

[Boston007]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

You need to get your eyes checked if you think that packaging looks awful.
One of their classiest looking ones yet but if you wanna miss out its up to you.

These cardboard packages do NOT hold up.

Heat eventually unseals the glue that holds the plastic to the cardboard.

These cardboard cases are AWFUL, IMO

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by HotRats

Far be it from me to put words in the mouths of others, but he didn't say it looked awful. Maybe, like me, he thinks it looks fine but thinks cardboard boxes lack the durability of plastic, particularly when subjected to the postal system. It took me four tries to get an undamaged Night Of The Hunter from Amazon. I'd be much happier if Criterion ditched the superflous DVDs and reserved the artwork for a book inside a plastic case.

My mistake! Misread the "absolutely awful packaging" (which I still disagree with).
As for the supposed durability issues I've yet to receive one damaged (to a problematic degree anyways) or had one fall apart on me so I've never understood the flood of complaints on them, I've had a lot more plastic cases come more annoyingly damaged.
And while I've had little marks form on them, my plastic cases have shelf wear too so no differences on that end either.
Ain't nothing wrong with the digipacks and I'm looking forward to this one in particular.