Overview
A tale of forbidden love set against the breathtaking backdrop of the South Seas.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- dreamy
- foreboding
- melancholic
- classic cinema viewing
- film history study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a highly accomplished silent romance whose breathtaking South Pacific imagery and tragic emotional force outweigh its culturally dated perspective.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Girl is designated the Chosen Maid, making even being looked at by a man forbidden and separating her from The Boy.
Bora Bora, the ocean, reefs, and shark-infested waters dominate the film’s black-and-white imagery and mirror the lovers’ vulnerability.
The lovers flee to a westernized island where The Boy’s unfamiliarity with money leaves him trapped in debt.
The lovers flee the sacred prohibition, plan another escape after being found, and face escalating obstacles including debt and dangerous pearl diving.
Films like Tabu: A Story of the South Seas, and why
The Wind
silent-era romance shaped by social prohibition, sacrifice, and expressive visual storytelling
The Last Laugh
romantic tragedy set within an exoticized landscape, combining sensual imagery with fatalistic melodrama
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
visually ambitious silent drama in which lovers confront rigid social forces and an unforgiving fate
Movie Details
- Director
- F. W. Murnau
- Release Date
- 1931-07-30
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (192)
Cast
- Matahi
- Anne Chevalier
- Bill Bambridge
- Hitu
- Jules
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Tabu: A Story of the South Seas about?
- Two young lovers flee a sacred prohibition across the South Pacific, only to find that colonial commerce, social authority, and the sea itself conspire against them.
- What is Tabu: A Story of the South Seas like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Tabu: A Story of the South Seas as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Tabu: A Story of the South Seas violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Tabu: A Story of the South Seas as mild.
- What did critics think of Tabu: A Story of the South Seas?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a highly accomplished silent romance whose breathtaking South Pacific imagery and tragic emotional force outweigh its culturally dated perspective.
- Which films are like Tabu: A Story of the South Seas?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wind, The Last Laugh, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
- How long is Tabu: A Story of the South Seas?
- Tabu: A Story of the South Seas runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Tabu: A Story of the South Seas?
- In United States, Tabu: A Story of the South Seas streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
