Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

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 (reri) (as Reri)
Bill Bambridge	...	The Policeman (as Jean)
Hitu	...	The Old Warrior
Jean	...	Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kong Ah	...	Chinese

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:

Producer/Director/Co-writer F.W. Murnau died in a car accident a few days after starting work on the music for this film. The film had its New York premiere a week later.

Movie Connections:

Featured in La Marie du port (1950)

Soundtrack:

Nocturnes

Most Beautiful Film Ever Made

TABU is a fabulous film with a theme of devotion and love. Some internet research led me to information that said it was intended to be filmed with the "Color-Art" process, but the camera equipment and film were not provided. I suspect it would have been a two-strip color process. However, in black and white, it is still superb, and as mentioned somewhere, truthfully, "no dialogue titles", just a few shots of written information about the storyline. The film needs no spoken dialogue or title cards. The pantomime performances are universally understood. The biggest mystery of all is why Anne Chevalier (Anna Chevalier?) as Reri was not developed as a film icon, she was inexplicably overlooked by Hollywood, but she is glimpsed, if you look hard, in a few close-ups in the church destruction by water scene of "THE HURRICANE" in which she is uncredited. Very odd for a leading lady from a Murnau/Flaherty film to be so minimized as an actress. I also bought a copy of "BLACK PEARLS" which I found on a website called Poland Art (I hope it is permissible to quote that source). There is an obvious missing scene of Miss Chevalier dancing, I was disappointed to see a curtain on a cabaret stage raising, then an abrupt cut to another scene. It is an interesting, dramatic film with an ironic climax. I wonder why French filmmakers did not utilize her, what a fascinating addition to an early Jean Cocteau film she would have been. As for that handsome, virile actor who portrayed Matahi, I can find no information whatsoever. The songs in "TABU" are beautiful as all vintage Tahitian music is. In my opinion this is the greatest film ever made, pure cinematic art.