Tabu

Tabu (also called Tabu, a Story of the South Seas) is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods. The second chapter, "Paradise Lost" depicts the couple's life on a colonised island and how they adapt to and are exploited by Western civilisation.... more

Tabu (also called Tabu, a Story of the South Seas) is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods. The second chapter, "Paradise Lost" depicts the couple's life on a colonised island and how they adapt to and are exploited by Western civilisation. According to an intertitle at the beginning, "only native-born South Sea islanders appear in this picture with a few half-castes and Chinese". The title of the film comes from the concept of tapu (sometimes spelled tabu, which originated the concept of taboo). It is a form of sacredness in many Polynesian cultures (see: tapu (Polynesian culture). The film's story was written by Robert J. Flaherty and F.W. Murnau. With the exception of the opening scene the film was directed solely by Murnau. This was his last film. He died in hospital after... less