Tabu: A Story of the South Seas

7.8

1,898

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Original title: Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
Year: 1931
Running time: 90 min.
Country: United States
Director: F.W. Murnau
Screenwriter: F.W. Murnau, Robert J. Flaherty
Music: Hugo Riesenfeld (Silent movie)
Cinematography: Floyd Crosby, Robert J. Flaherty (B&W)
Cast: Matahi, Anne Chevalier, Bill Bambridge, Hitu, Ah Fong
Producer: Paramount Pictures / Murnau-Flaherty Productions
Genre: Drama. Romance. Adventure | Silent Film
Synopsis / 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". They ran away from that tradition. Will they be happier and luckier in the more "civilized" society?

Awards: 1930: Oscar: Best Cinematography

1931: National Board of Review (NBR): Top 10 films

Critics' reviews

"It is an enchanting piece of photography synchronized with a most pleasing music score arranged by Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld (...) It is like a picture poem"

Mordaunt Hall: The New York Times
"The exquisite tragic ending —conceived musically and rhythmically as a gradually decelerating diminuendo— is one of the pinnacles of silent cinema."

Jonathan Rosenbaum: Chicago Reader
"The story is simple to the point of universality (...) The feature is most fascinating as a showcase for a master challenging himself (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"

Jake Cole: Slant
"A strong love story"

Variety
"[A] supreme example of poetic cinema (...) Crosby's images (...) are shimmering, silvery, blindingly hypnotic."

Philip French: The Guardian
"The film is a rhapsody of textures and an exceptionally sensuous play of light, rhythm and composition (...) It's extremely beautiful."

Tony Rayns: Time Out

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