Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

In one island of Bora Bora lagoon, a young fisherman, Matahi, is in love with Reri. But she is chosen to be the holy maid and therefore becomes "tabu". They ran away from that tradition. ... See full summary »

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

F.W. Murnau (told by), Robert J. Flaherty (told by),

Stars:

Matahi, Anne Chevalier, Bill Bambridge

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Matahi	...	The Boy
Anne Chevalier	...	The Girl (as Reri)
Bill Bambridge	...	The Policeman (as Jean)
Hitu	...	The Old Warrior

Storyline

In one island of Bora Bora lagoon, a young fisherman, Matahi, is in love with Reri. But she is chosen to be the holy maid and therefore becomes "tabu". They ran away from that tradition. Will they be happier and luckier in the more "civilized" society ?

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Plot Keywords:

island | pearl | love | lovers | debt | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Adventure

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tabu

Filming Locations:

Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Murnau-Flaherty Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (R.C.A. Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was censored upon release to remove nudity involving natives on the island.

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Connections

Featured in Tabu, dernier voyage (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Nocturnes"
(1827-46) (uncredited)
Written by Frédéric Chopin

User Reviews

Visually stunning...

"Tabu" is a visually arresting black-and-white silent...and that's a good thing because there's not much else going on here to occupy your mind. Heavy-handed "plot" about a doomed beauty on primitive Bora Bora who flees her island home and family with her lover, unable to escape her unlucky fate, is cast with real islanders so you cannot fault the authenticity; however, there's nobody in the film who leaves an impression. The movie began life as a documentary, but director F.W. Murnau pushed for a fictional storyline to propel the visuals, and this may have been a mistake. As it unfolds, one can see shot after shot of beautiful images that would look wonderful in a coffee-table book for the tiki lounge set, but the dated dramatics muddy things up. Floyd Crosby won a well-deserved Oscar for his cinematography. **1/2 from ****