Overview
Contact:
View
company
contact information for Tabu: A Story of the South Seas on
IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 August 1931 (USA)
more
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"...
more
|
add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 1 win
more
User Comments:
Most Beautiful Film Ever Made
more
Additional Details
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]
more
Runtime:
84 min | Czech Republic:80 min
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1
more
Fun Stuff
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.
more
Soundtrack:
Nocturnes
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on
IMDb message board for Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)
more
Recommendations
Related Links
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.