Plots(1)
Subtitled a “Story of the South Seas”, Tabu concerns a Tahitian fisherman (played by an islander, Matahi) and his love for a young woman (played by fellow islander Reri, who went on to star on Broadway) whose body has been consecrated to the gods, rendering her tabu as far as mortal men are concerned. The lovers flee their island and its restrictive traditions, but will their love prevail in the “civilised” world? (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (2)
Working with non-actors once again proves to be beneficial if you want to capture a beautiful and cruel story of love. Yes, comparing it to the drama "Romeo and Juliet" is completely appropriate, because the story of both couples is originally tragic. Murnau, by placing it in an interesting and different environment, has also achieved an additional effect of alienation, which greatly helps the film.
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Shortly after watching it, I was amazed that Tabu went too far with darkness, the fated nature of sin, and the consequences of breaking taboos, and yet it was that overblown ending I just couldn't get out of my head. Stories about people who will inevitably suffer for their piece of happiness usually infuriate me, but here, thanks to the honest faces of Anne Chevalier and Matahi, it once again hit the desired target. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau was completely different from the rest in his silent creative expression, and it is a great shame that all the tragic spirit of the storytelling from Bora Bora foreshadows his own fate.
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Photo © Paramount Pictures
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