brilliant actors, brilliant editing

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

. . . are BOTH acronyms, too. SNAFU, of course, is U.S. Military shorthand for Some Normal, Average Fellow, Usually. THREE BROTHERS introduces SNAFU's two siblings in the Army, That Aimless, Really Fowl Usher (TARFU), and Frankly Under Bad Alternate Reality (FUBAR). While SNAFU must spend World War Two sorting combat boots (he specializes in size 9 1/2, mostly "B" or "C" width, with an odd "D" thrown in every now and then), TARFU has to sit on the Army's carrier pigeon eggs whenever the moms fly off to deliver a message, as FUBAR is charged with impersonating Japanese sappers for the training of the Army's attack dog canine corps. Each of the brothers imagine their siblings to be living the "life of Riley" while enjoying fun adventures at the Front, while they themselves fester in menial stateside assignments. Probably the morale of the story the Army is trying to get across (through the use of American taxpayer dollars, no less), is that "The grass always looks Bloodier on the other side of the fence."

Three Brothers may not be one of the very best of the Private Snafu series like Spies and Booby Traps are, but it's in the better half and well worth tracking down. If a Private Snafu entertains while also getting its message across effectively it does its job well, Three Brothers does both well.For Private Snafu, a series of cartoons that contained some material that was daring and ahead of its time (i.e. The Home Front for instance), it is pretty tame which some may feel on the bland side in comparison to others in the series. The pacing occasionally lacks crispness too and it's a touch routine story-wise.However, the animation is very good indeed and holds up well. The characters move smoothly, the backgrounds show some meticulous detail without being simplistic or too complicated and the black and white is crisp. Carl Stalling was a remarkably consistent composer whose music always breathed life into any cartoon it appears in, the music in Three Brothers does nothing to change that. It's very vibrantly orchestrated and rhythmically it's very energetic and lively. A music score for a cartoon is even greater when it not only synchronises effectively with the action but also enhances that, the music does that brilliantly and in a way that only Stalling could do.The cartoon is very funny and wittily written, no surprise seeing as Dr Seuss was at the writing helm, with sharp, playful dialogue that is enough to make one smile and well-timed visual gags. The story structurally is not the most exceptional, which is forgivable as the cartoon is very short even for a short film, but the charm and general energy is infectious, there is a great important message that is handled in a way that makes its point without feeling heavy-handed, and the characters carry Three Brothers beautifully. Snafu is still endearing regardless of how inept he is, his brothers Tarfu and Fubar are nice additions who are no less sweet and amusing, Technical Ferry-First Class is a blast and there's a delightful cameo from Bugs Bunny. Mel Blanc as always does a great job voicing the characters, very few voice actors could voice multiple characters in the same cartoon and give them each an individual personality, something that Blanc was pretty much an unparallelled master at.All in all, funny, well-made and makes its point just fine. It is pretty tame and not one of the very best of the series, but that certainly does not stop it from being well worth tracking down. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a short in a series of training films done under contract by Warner Brothers studio for the US Army during World War II. There will be spoilers ahead:The Private Snafu shorts center around one Private Snafu, the worst soldier in the US Army. Each short, a little over four minutes in length, had a training message for the troops and they weren't intended for the general public. As the name Snafu is an off-color acronym used by soldiers derisively, the shorts are a bit comparatively coarse and frank than what showed in movie theaters of the period.This short is actually rather tame, but it addressed the assignments given out to troops in the military and the reality that much of it was basically drudgery, as with Snafu's duty at the beginning of the short.Snafu is sorting and stocking boots based on their size and is tremendously bored. He laments his lot and wishes he could be doing the job his brother Tarfu (another colorful acronym) has, working in the messaging service. Technical Fairy First Class shows up and offers to let Snafu see just what Tarfu is really doing.Tarfu is babysitting carrier pigeons, who essentially boss him around and is, if anything, even more miserable than Snafu. He's required to serve them birdseed on demand, to sit on a nest of eggs and to fetch towels. Tarfu in turn longs to have the third brother's job, but Fubar (yes, another acronym) has the worst job of all. This is, in many ways, the best part of the short, with a cameo appearance I won't spoil. The end of the short has Snafu returning gleefully to sorting boots.This short is available on various DVDs and also online. It's worth tracking down.

Snafu couldn't take all the K.P. he's been doing. He wished he had a better possession in the army like his brothers do.Technical Fairy First Class appears out of nowhere like always. And shows Snafu how his Borthers are doing.His 2 Brothers are Tarfu(Things Really Fouled Up) and Fubar(Fouled up Beyond All Repair). As you may guess they are as dimwitted as Snafu himself.They too hate they're own possessions in the army and wish they had better possessions from where they are.To make a long summary short it's another good Snafu short. Tarfu and Fubar look like Snafu only with different hair cuts.