Tabu: A Story of the South Seas
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"F. W. Murnau's travels abroad resulted in the film Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, which was censored in America because it showed images of bare-breasted "native" Polynesian women."--Sholem Stein |
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Tabu (also called Tabu, a Story of the South Seas) is a 1931 film which tells the story of two lovers in the South Seas, who must escape their village when the girl is chosen as the holy maid to the gods. The actors are billed as Reri, Matahi, Hitu, Jean and Jules.
The movie was written by Robert J. Flaherty, F.W. Murnau and Edgar G. Ulmer. It was directed by Flaherty and Murnau. The title of the film comes from the concept of tapu (sometimes spelled tabu), a form of sacredness in many Polynesian cultures.
Tragically, Murnau was killed in an automobile accident on 11 March 1931, shortly before a preview screening of Tabu was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles.
Cinematographer Floyd Crosby, father of musician David Crosby, won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on this film. In 1994, Tabu was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Tabu was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and has been released on DVD by Milestone Films and on a special edition DVD and book by Masters of Cinema.
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