Tabu: A Story of the South Seas

Reri and Matahi live as happy young lovers on an island in the South Seas. But Reri is destined to be the holy virgin of the gods and is thus taboo for all men – including Matahi. The two lovers flee their island for civilization, to a pearl trading town where Matahi hires himself out as a pearl diver – he has plunged into debt overwhelmed by the abundance on offer in the modern age. But they are also tracked down in the city; Reri who has since given up her resistance, voluntarily boards the ship that is to take them back to her homeland. Matahi tries to catch up with the boat by swimming but is lost in the sea. TABU is F. W. Murnau's final film. Using his private assets, shot exclusively with amateur actors and on original locations, he finally realised a film according to his ideas. However, Murnau did not live to see the premiere of the film on March 18, 1931. The director died a few days earlier as a result of a car accident. "An extraordinary poetic and atmospheric blend of feature film and ethnographic study, sensitive and tactful," is the verdict of the German Encyclopedia of International Film.