Tabu: A Story of the South Seas poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Matahi, Matahi Hitu, Jules, Kong Ah, Anna Chevalier ... see more see more... , Jean Jules , Anne Chevalier , Bill Bambridge , Hitu , Jean , Reri Grist

Tabu is a lyrical documentary of Polynesian life, given added audience appeal with a fictional plotline. The story concerns a young island girl (Anna Chevalier, who like everyone in the cast is a non-... read more read more...professional) who has been consecrated to the gods by her tribespeople. It is thus "tabu" for her to marry; still, she falls in love with a handsome young pearl fisherman (Matahi). The island's holy man takes the girl away in his schooner. Her lover swims after her, but eventually sinks disconsolately into the ocean. Shot completely on location, it was supposed to be a collaboration between German director F. W. Murnau and American documentary producer Robert Flaherty. Flaherty withdrew from the project when he realized the film was taking a romanticized approach. Murnau never lived to see the final product; he was killed in a car accident just before the film's opening. Begun as a silent film in 1929, Tabu was released in that form in 1931, despite the fact that talking pictures already had been established for nearly three years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

1,058 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

8 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: F.W. Murnau, Robert J. Flaherty

Release Date: January 1, 1931

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: September 3, 2002

Stats: 67 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (67)

  • brooklynspo
    September 10, 2007
    brooklynspo
    amazing cinematography, nice simple story
  • fb1142797643
    November 12, 2011
    fb1142797643
    The backstory of "Tabu" is more impressive than what appears on screen. Shot in Bora Bora with a cast of "South Sea Islanders and a few half-castes and Chinese," this 1931 silent does a remarkable job of choreographing untrained natives (grass skirts and all) into a cohesive stor... read morey. There are no dialogue cards and, instead, crucial plot information is craftily delivered through shots of diary entries, ship logs and scrolls (luckily for us, the natives print in perfect block letters).

    The plot is essentially an exotic version of "Romeo and Juliet." Seemingly in their late teens, Reri and Matahi are innocent lovers amid their idyllic community, spending their days dancing, swimming and fishing. But trouble comes when a ship docks offshore, carrying white men and representatives from a distant tribe. This tribe's religion apparently requires a sacred maiden to symbolize all that's good and righteous. She is "tabu" (we would say "taboo") and must remain absolutely pure and untouched -- not even the subject of desirous looks. The visiting chief, Hitu, announces that they need a new girl for this role, and their choice is Reri. This is a great honor. Reri is obligated to sail away with the ship, which naturally devastates her and Matahi.

    Matahi and Reri sneak away in the night and sail to a more civilized, white-dominated island. There, they are welcomed into a fishing village where Matahi becomes renowned as a pearl diver. But the "tabu" curse follows them, and it's only a matter of time before the betrayed tribesmen track them down.

    "Tabu" is only 85 minutes but still feels overlong. Its simple plot could have fit into an hour. The film was an unusual collaboration between F.W. Murnau (who tragically died a week before its premiere) and Robert Flaherty ("Nanook of the North"), and its picturesque choreography won Floyd Crosby (father of singer David Crosby) an Oscar. That trio's work is impeccable, but Hugo Riesenfeld's syrupy score is a bit alienating -- it gives the film the ambience of a dated Disney travelogue for kids. I kept expecting an avuncular narrator to enter, winking about how much fun the waterfall lagoon looks.
  • simeondeutsch1
    April 24, 2011
    simeondeutsch1
    Has a very fresh feel to it. Saw this at #271 on a "Top 1000 Movies Ever" list and thought it'd be worth a look. It's essentially a poetic/naturalist/neorealistic retelling of Sunrise, if that makes any sense. In everyman terms- its simple, the performances are splendid, and F. W... read more. Murnau delivers elegantly shot exotic local cinematography of waterfalls and jungles and native festivals, and the beauty comes from this simplicity. The ending made the movie for me. Not in the same league as Murnau's Faust or Nosferatu or Sunrise, since those are all haunting and strewn with shadows. More like a National Geographic program with a "star crossed lovers" storyline. Since it's a silent film, expect your interest to be eroded by slowness, but nevertheless it's worth seeing. 89/100
  • jam233
    March 8, 2010
    jam233
    F.W. Murnau's last film is a brilliantly photographed story of a romance on the south seas island of Boru Boru. Touchingly made, engrossing still after 75 years. Simply filmed and the native cast do remarkable. This film is a piece of history.There is no other film quite like it.... read more Innovative film making at its best.
  • magichelmet
    September 17, 2007
    magichelmet
    A silent film about ill-fated lovers. Reri and Matahi are in love, but she is chosen by a priest to become the newest addition of the sacred virgins on another island, thereby making her tabu to all men. Great cinematography as well as the impressive lighting which gets progressi... read morevely darker as the two desperately try to remain close. From what I understand, the islanders were not professionally trained; their acting comes off unnatural, simplistic, but at the same time this is the type of environment they're familiar with, and so it comes as no surprise that their interactions involving the environment are realistically portrayed.

View All Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mordaunt Hall
January 28, 2006
Mordaunt Hall, New York Times

It is like a picture poem, with its sunshine and happiness in the beginning and its stormy drama in the end. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The exquisite tragic ending -- conceived musically and rhythmically as a gradually decelerating diminuendo -- is one of the pinnacles of silent cinema. Full Review

August 29, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Magnificent, filled with shimmering, luminescent images that evoke both paradise and paradise lost. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
March 16, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

If D.W. Griffith created the language of film, he left it up to his successors to add their own personal esthetics. On the short list of the cinema's all time greatest artists belongs the name F.W. Mu... Full Review

John G. Nettles
November 3, 2002
John G. Nettles, PopMatters

As with so many other great films, this one carries its own burden of real life sorrow. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 30, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Thomas Delapa
May 19, 2005
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

No review available.

Andy Klein
April 7, 2005
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Nanook of the North
    Nanook of the North (50%)

More Movies like Tabu: A Story of the South Seas

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Tabu: A Story of ... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Tabu: A Story of the South Seas. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Tabu: A Story of the South Seas to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?