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Goes to War

Goes to War

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I enjoyed them but parental discretion is advised.
Review: I love these cartoons and their adult themes (hence the double meaning for "Booby Traps"), humor, and writing of Ted Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) who wrote about 6 of them. You'll recognize his rhyming style so familiar in "The Cat in the Hat" but used in a few SNAFU cartoons.

These are black and white and weren't ever released theatrically. They were so-called "army training films" but I'm sure they were used for comic relief and morale builders for the G.Is.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This DVD re-creates the TV watching experience.
Review: I suggest that you avoid buying the DVD "Complete Uncensored Private Snafu."

During World War II, Warner Bros made a series of cartoons featuring a character called Private Snafu. The cartoons were created for the specific purpose of being viewed by members of the U.S. military.

Recently, all of these cartoons were released on this DVD. The cartoons are fine. The problem, however, is that when the cartoons are playing, there is an on-screen "Bosko Video" logo that appears on top of the cartoons. It's really no different than the kinds of logos that appear on broadcast TV. Except that this isn't broadcast TV. It's a DVD.

I find it very ironic that a DVD which includes the words "Complete" and "Uncensored" in its title is, in fact, because of this logo, UNcomplete, and it IS censored.

Were it not for this on-screen logo covering up the cartoons, I would give this DVD 4 stars. But, because the logo ruins the cartoons, I am giving the DVD only 1 star.

If anybody from the video company that produced this DVD is reading this and wants to send me an email explaining why the logo appears on the cartoons, please do so. My email address is real.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The makers of this DVD have deliberately ruined it.
Review: I'm going to keep this review very brief. The cartoons on this DVD are pretty good. However, these cartoons are covered up by a "Bosko Video" logo. In my opinion, this logo ruins the DVD.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: WHERES THE 2 UNRELEASED EPISODES!!!
Review: Overall a great CD, but I was very disappointed that Coming Home and Secrets of the Caribbean (the two unreleased Snafu cartoons) were not included.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Collection
Review: Some of the best wartime cartoons are included on this set. Unfortunately, they are not properly presented in window boxed form resulting in lost picture. There is also a logo which appears onscreen, which isn't as much a nuance. There are some superb shorts included, like Bob Clampett's "Fighting Tools," which shows the unfortunate results of not keeping your weapons clean. Another excellent short is Frank Tashlin's "The Home Front," that has a memorable gag about it being so cold "it could freeze the nuts of a jeep"! And yes, contrary to what the previous reviewer said, "Coming Home" directed by Chuck Jones, IS included in the collection. "Secrets of the Caribbean" might not even exist anymore, so it's not included. Overall a nice set that could have been better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nothing Wrong With the On Screen Logo
Review: The best collection of Private Snafu shorts. The logo that appears on screen is no big deal at all, and it only poses a problem to those who would want to copy and bootleg the disc. The logo is tiny, and only comes on screen for about 2 seconds. These cartoons are a history lesson, and provide a good look at wartime paranoias. Some of the best are "Spies", "Booby Traps" (the title speaks for itself), and "The Goldbrick", but every single one is a gem. The cartoons were made especially for the troops overseas, and obviously contain things that aren't for kids because they were never released in the US. Most have good quality, considering that these are from the public domain, and none are of un-watchable quality. Great job, Image!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great cartoons, terrible transfer to DVD
Review: These are famous cartoons from WWII. But the transfer to DVD was totally botched. There's a grey frame around the image, cutting off part of the original picture. A "Bosto Video" logo appears over the image occasionally. This despite the fact that Bosto does not own the copyright in the original material. (Ref Library of Congress control number 97515282; the copyright applies to text and editing only.) Many of these cartoons are available from other sources at better quality. Still, Bosto did get them all on one DVD.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great cartoons, terrible transfer to DVD
Review: These are famous cartoons from WWII. But the transfer to DVD was totally botched. There's a grey frame around the image, cutting off part of the original picture. A "Bosto Video" logo appears over the image occasionally. This despite the fact that Bosto does not own the copyright in the original material. (Ref Library of Congress control number 97515282; the copyright applies to text and editing only.) Many of these cartoons are available from other sources at better quality. Still, Bosto did get them all on one DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy this DVD before the PC police recall it.
Review: This DVD contains some great cartoons which are not shown anymore because they are not PC. Also of note, the "Private Snafu" cartoons, alone, are well worth the cost of the DVD. The restoration of the cartoons was excellent. The only negative I can find is that they do not show the entire opening credits.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Ultimate SNAFU
Review: This is the most complete collection of the SNAFU toons I've yet seen, and all on one disk no less--it even includes the rare "A Few Quick Facts" shorts featuring SNAFU. Other companies only issue the toons that are in the best condition (in which case we may never have seen "Three Brothers" again) or censor them for language/partial nudity/racial stereotyping. Yes, there is objectionable content here, but these toons are a portrait of their era and audience. Several of them are quite simply lost gems from the golden age of Looney Tunes--toons such as "Booby Traps," "Outpost" and "Hot Spot." The carping in previous reviews about the Bosko logo seems rather beside the point--yes, I would have preferred it not be there, particularly the "solid" version of the logo, but it's not large, doesn't stay on the screen long, and appears to have been carefully timed so that its appearance doesn't conflict with significant scenery or action (which means in some toons it only appears towards the middle or end). The editing on this volume is distinctly superior to other releases--unlike some companies, Bosko didn't clip off the end of the cartoons, and even left the original Army-Navy Screen Magazine "tag" on some. If you're genuinely interested in these fascinating (and funny!) relics, this is definitely the volume for you.


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