Viva lo sport

Perhaps one of the best comedies by Mr. Lloyd. The final football game is just a perfect and unique moment in the silent movies history. I was a child when saw The Freshman for first time. It was my first Lloydian "experience". It was enough to fall in love his comedian style. TRIVIA: In Spain this is one of the most popular Lloyd movie. The Spanish title was "El estudiante novato" (The new student). With this film Mister Lloyd showed he could keep the high level showed on his previous long movies. Without doubt he was on the top. His character in this film, Harold Diddlebock, was used again in 1947 in the last Lloyd's film "The sin of Harold Diddlebock", by Preston Sturgues. In this film, the young student is now a medium age clerk tired of his so boring life...An interesting imagination exercise about the future of The Freshman's main character

As I continue to delve into the Harold Lloyd films, courtesy the Lloyd Collection DVDs, this movie still ranks as the most entertaining of his silent films. ...and perhaps his funniest, but humor is subject. So far it's number one with me and I know I'm not alone.

Many silent comedies, Lloyd's and others, take 15-20 minutes to warm up but this is fun right from the start. I love Harold's "jig" as he introduces himself to people, thinking he would be "cool" and accepted by doing that, and calling himself "Speedy." I laughed every time he did that, beginning with a very early scene as he prepares himself for college. He was ready to make a big first impression. Of course, all it did was make himself look like a sap, but that's Harold for you, and the type of character he liked to play: a meek, corny-but good-hearted guy who becomes the hero in the end of his stories.

Harold does what he can to become popular in college, figuring the best way would be to be a football hero, since the current gridiron star is the "big man on campus." Harold makes the team, but only out of sympathy for his "spirit." Then, the big game comes and all I can say is that this almost looked like the wild-and- crazy ending of the Marx Brothers in "Horse Feathers." It's not as crazy as the game in that film, but it isn't far behind.

That ending was total lunacy but great fun and Harold winds up making that silly jig and handshake which now has become "in" thing to do, since Harold is the hero! This is a great silent comedy, one of the best from anyone.

I tried really hard to get into this film, yet perhaps my greatest impediment was that I tried a bit too hard.

Having thoroughly enjoyed "Safety Last!" (1923), I was struggling to move past mere admiration for "The Freshman" (1925). I did admire the technical astuteness of it, the timing of the gags, and Lloyd's impeccable expertise. Yet that's admiration, whereas I'm looking forward to be swept off my feet and to fall in love. (This reaction is not too dissimilar to my feelings about Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" [2012]; there's another movie of technical and comic brilliance that I'm more inclined to admire but not love like I did "The Grand Budapest Hotel" [2014], in fact every single minute of it.)

But the final climax, the football game, is perfect and without any doubt the gem of the film. That's where everything seems to transcend that which has come before, and every single gag take a completely new meaning on a whole different kind of level of existence. I was enthralled, laughed out loud, and was holding my breath. What else can one wish for when seeing a film? That final sequence alone makes "The Freshman" a worthwhile experience for me, and perhaps one day I'll be able to appreciate it more as a whole than I do now. But, for the time being, I'll cherish that last run.

THE FRESHMAN is the best college spoof film ever made. Outside being lap-slapping hilarious throughout, it has some most original, poetic, and convincing romantic moments as well, like when Harold saw the girl from the reflection of the mirror in his room; or while dancing with other women he saw how she revealed her love for him on the bouquet he gave her, that moment is a wonder. Besides the great football sequence, this film is full of wonderful gags, especially that little dance Harold invented, and the party sequence. Not only this film hasn't aged a bit, but the formula of this film is still used in Hollywood nowadays, but the results hardly, if ever, top this one here.

I was fortunate enough to have seen this film in the theater many years ago and I can owe it to this film for sparking my life-long love of the old comedies. I only recently saw it again but this time on DVD and found the film to be even better than I remembered.

For those used to seeing slapstick shorts (including those of Lloyd), this film is quite different. Instead of the focus of this film being comedy, the humor seems incidental to the story and the character development. Because of this, the first 1/4 of the movie does not have tons of laughs--because it's building and developing the story and not trying to elicit cheap laughs. However, as you watch, the humor increases and because this came as the character developed, you really find yourself hooked into caring for Harold and you are emotionally in-tune with him. So, as the movie continues, you find your heart breaking for the guy (yes, Chaplin was not the only silent comedian to use pathos). And, when the end of the picture arrives, you feel his triumph. An exquisite and highly artistic treasure.

PS--I watched the DVD with the optional commentary from Leonard Maltin et al. This REALLY improved my understanding and appreciation for the film. I rarely ever use this option, but as I was re-watching the film and since it was a silent, this option is a major plus.

Interestingly enough, Buster Keaton came out with a similar movie just a few years later (COLLEGE). However, it isn't even close to being as good as THE FRESHMAN. I love Keaton, but not this film. If you must seem one silent college picture, see THE FRESHMAN--and maybe the Marx Brothers' HORSE FEATHERS for a much stupider but terribly funny sound take on college life.