Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writers:

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

Release Date:

1 August 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Adventure

Plot:

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"...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Pearl | Shark | Nudity | Underwater

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Tabu (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

84 min | Czech Republic:80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Bora-Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Company:

Murnau-Flaherty Productions

Trivia:

Originally conceived as a co-venture with documentarian Robert J. Flaherty. As work on the project progressed, it became increasingly clear to Flaherty that F.W. Murnau did not adapt well to co-directing and that he was being squeezed off the film. A factor helping Murnau in this was that he was one of the chief financiers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Tabu, dernier voyage (1996)

Soundtrack:

Symphony 'Má vlast'

Beautiful...

People with prejudice against silent films should see "Tabu"; it´s a masterpiece of cinema. The storyline is superb, a struggle not between good and evil, but between human will and fate; there´s a beautiful love story of natives of the South Seas, mystery and suspense; and, to boot, some of the most wonderful sights you´ve ever seen in a b&w flick. The anthropological genius of Robert O´Flaherty, and the creativeness of F.W. Murnau cannot be denied; this is the meeting of two movie titans.