Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 13, 2015

In what would become his final film, F.W. Murnau’s 1931 epic “Tabu” is a “Romeo and Juliet”-style exploration of forbidden love and tragic mistakes. The emphasis here is placed on tropical locations, with the production traveling to Bora Bora to make a native drama that employs authenticity when visiting local waters and villages, making the feature something of a travelogue for audiences unable to reach the Pacific Ocean paradise.

“Tabu” tells a tale of forbidden love between eager characters, colliding with cultural rituals and western influence to best complicate the purity of romance. The production paints conflict with a thick brush, but the essentials of denial and rebellion are presented, following the leads as they experience separation and reunion, eventually tested by the corruption of so-called civilization. The story is broadly designed but remains potent, with body language explored wonderfully through painterly images, giving the viewer a clear idea of emotion as the screenplay piles on the problems for everyone involved. “Tabu” isn’t complex, but it works, with scenes capturing profound feelings and bold societal challenges.

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.13:1 aspect ratio) presentation represents a restoration event to preserve the original version of "Tabu" for future generations, showcasing work to clean up the feature for the HD realm. The effort is impressive, but damage remains, finding large scratches, chemical splotches, and rough reel changes present throughout the viewing experience. However, clarity is satisfactory, with encouraging detail on locations, preserving depth, and facial textures remain, allowing inspection of performances. Contrast is secure and delineation is comfortable.

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM track remains in step with an era-appropriate sound design, leaving emphasis on the score comfortable, with a degree of instrumentation to best bring out the mood of the movie. Depth isn't found, but tribal drums add a little heft. Hiss and pops are detected but aren't distracting.

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Language of Shadows" (14:53, SD) is a German-language overview of Murnau's interest in island culture and the development of "Tabu." The featurette covers rising tensions on-set and creative inspirations.

• "A Work in Progress" (14:47, HD) takes a brief look at the ten hours of extra footage shot by Murnau, delivering a sample of deleted scenes and moments.

• "Takes & Outtakes" (25:22, HD) returns to excised footage, focusing more on longer examples of missing and aborted shots.

• "Hunt in the South Seas" (11:12, HD) is a 1940 short film assembled with deleted footage from "Tabu."

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The big draw of "Tabu" is the location, which carries a restless energy as native characters visit waterfalls and beaches, partaking in local customs. It's a lovely picture, brimming with life, highlighting Murnau's gift with exploration and use of his surroundings, blending in a little old-fashioned tragedy to help flavor the cinematic exploration.