Silent Era : Home Video Reviews

Silent Era Home Page > Home Video > The Freshman

Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

The Freshman
(1925)

This Harold Lloyd comic masterpiece features Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict, James Anderson and Hazel Keener in support.

The Criterion Collection
2014 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition

The Freshman (1925), black & white and color-tinted black & white, 76 minutes, not rated, with The Marathon (1919), black & white, 14 minutes, not rated, An Eastern Westerner (1920), black & white, 28 minutes, not rated, and High and Dizzy (1920), black & white, 27 minutes, not rated.

The Criterion Collection, CC2346BDDVD, collection number 703, UPC 7-15515-11291-8, ISBN 978-1-60465-808-8.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24FPS progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 33.7 Mbps average video bit rate, 2.3 Mbps audio bit rate, LPCM 48 kHz 24bit 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 11 chapter stops; and two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 6.0 Mbps average video bit rate, 384 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 11 chapter stops; three-disc plastic trays in cardboard wrap in cardboard slipcase; $39.95.
Release date: 25 March 2014.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 9 / audio: 8 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

This dual-format Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition has been mastered from the 1998 35mm restoration by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The results are excellent.

The Freshman is presented with a music score composed and conducted by Carl Davis, and with optional audio commentary by Leonard Maltin, Richard Correll and Richard Bann.

This combo BD/DVD home video edition is the best-available home video of this wonderful film, and we recommend it highly.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca.

United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc / Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk.

New Line Home Entertainment
2005 DVD edition

The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection, Volume 2 (1919-1930), black & white and color-toned black & white, 466 minutes total, not rated, including The Freshman (1925), black & white and color-toned black & white, 76 minutes, not rated.

New Line Home Entertainment, N8447,
UPC 7-94043-84472-0, ISBN 0-7806-5290-8.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; and one dual-sided, dual-layered (side A)/single-layered (side B) Region 1 NTSC DVD disc, (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, English and Spanish language subtitles; closed captions; chapter stops; standard two-disc DVD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 15 November 2005.
Country of origin: USA

This two-disc DVD collection is mastered from 35mm restoration prints overseen by The Harold Lloyd Trust, which should represent the best-surviving prints of these seven Harold Lloyd shorts and feature films.

The Freshman is presented with a music score composed by Robert Israel, and with optional audio commentary by Leonard Maltin, Rich Correll and Richard Bann.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Alpha Video
2024 DVD edition

The Freshman (1925), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with The Relay (1927), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 8589D, UPC 0-89218-85899-3.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $8.98.
Release date: 20 February 2024.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm or 8mm reduction print.

The film is likely accompanied by a music score compiled from preexisting recordings.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is also available directly from . . .