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)
(more)

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
Ah Fong	...	The Businessman (uncredited)
Jules	...	The Captain (uncredited)

Directed by
F.W. Murnau

Writing credits
F.W. Murnau		(told by)
Robert J. Flaherty		(told by)
Edgar G. Ulmer		uncredited

Produced by
David Flaherty	....	associate producer
Robert J. Flaherty	....	producer
F.W. Murnau	....	producer

Original Music by
Hugo Riesenfeld
W. Franke Harling		(uncredited)
Milan Roder		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Floyd Crosby
Robert J. Flaherty

Film Editing by
Arthur A. Brooks

Production Management
Edgar G. Ulmer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Bambridge	....	assistant director
David Flaherty	....	assistant director

Editorial Department
H.H. Caldwell	....	supporting editor (uncredited)
Katherine Hilliker	....	supporting editor (uncredited)
Edgar G. Ulmer	....	supervising editor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Murnau-Flaherty Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1931) (USA) (theatrical)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (USA) (DVD)
• Milestone Film & Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Tabu (USA) (poster title)
Tabu (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Kärlekens ö (Sweden) [sv]
Tabù (Italy) [it]
Tabou (France) [fr]
Tabu (Portugal) [pt]
Tabu - kiellettyä rakkautta (Finland) [fi]

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:

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.