Tabu DVD Review

Director: F.W. Murnau

Starring: Matahi, Reri, Bill Bambridge, Hitu, Ah Fong, Jules

Running Time: 82 Minutes

Certificate: PG

Extras: Commentary by R. Dixon Smith and Brad Stevens, TABU: The Cinematic Legacy -15 minute German documentary on TABU, Outtakes, 56 page booklet, Treibjago In Der Sudsee – short film,

F.W. Murnau’s final film before his untimely death showed one of the masters of German expressionism taking a much brighter look in terms of visuals if not in theme. Paired with documentarian Robert J. Flaherty, Murnau’s final piece is a magnificently structured romantic tragedy.

Set on the islands of Bora Bora, TABU focuses on a young man named Matahi falling in love with a local girl, Reri. Soon after they meet, Reri is promised as a holy virgin which causes Matahi and Reri to run away, despite the risk to their lives. It’s a tale of doomed lovers which looks at the tragic nature of love itself and how it can be torn apart by greed, power, and nature itself. Despite talkies making an impact in cinema, Murnau decided to keep the film silent, an amazing choice as the film is one of the best examples of visual storytelling. Anyone new to silent movies could do a lot worse than starting here.

Filmed on location in Tahiti and using locals as the stars, it’s not surprising that TABU began life as a documentary before Murnau steered it towards a strict narrative. The stunning backdrops are captured by cinematographer Floyd Crosby, who went on to win an Oscar for his work. Despite being in black and white and captured in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio, every shot is filled with a vibrant sense of life and detail. This new Masters Of Cinema transfer makes the film look brand new, with a great range of lights and darks and barely any noise to speak of.

Murnau fills his last film with many fascinating themes and motifs. There’s a critical voice concerning patriarchal societies and how money breeds corruption but ignorance towards finance can cause despair. To explore such themes in a purely visual way is extraordinary, and even more impressive when considering that the actors are not professional; the way Matahi and Reri interact with each other reeks of a naturalistic innocence. Such purity makes the later tragedies even harder to bear.

The love affair may be rather obvious in terms of its progression, but that’s also coming from a view 82 years after the fact. This is a tale that still holds up today, with the only weak spot in terms of production being an exceptionally fake looking shark. If you find it hard to enjoy silent films, the pacing here is similar to that of today’s blockbusters.

Although you will fail to find the unique and disturbing visuals present in NOSFERATU and FAUST, Murnau’s hands are still plastered all over this final effort, he just manages to interject that foreboding feeling amongst sunny, sandy beaches and energetic dance sequences. When discussing films that have aged well, TABU should be towards the top of that list.

EXTRAS: A warm and insightful commentary from two respected film historians is the prize here. Detailing the film’s historical context, giving an analytical perspective, as well as interesting personal reactions, both Smith and Stevens impress. Treibjago In Der Sudsee, is a 1940 short film comprised of unused footage during Murnau’s shoot of TABU. It provides an intriguing look at the power of editing, as well as showing what condition the feature film’s footage would have been in before the latest transfer.  The 15 minute documentary, TABU – The Cinematic Legacy, packs in as much information as possible.

TABU is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th June via Eureka’s Masters Of Cinema range.