In late 1927, both Flaherty and acclaimed German filmmaker F.W. Murnau were nearing the end of a contract with Fox Studios. Both men were fed up with the Hollywood studio system, which for its part seemed to have no further use for them. Collaborating on a Romantic tale that combined Flaherty’s penchant for protagonists struggling for physical survival with Murnau’s fascination with the struggle for spiritual survival, the story focuses on a pair of young Tahitian lovers who flee oppressive tribal rule only to find themselves at the mercy of predators both in and out of the water.  The scenario was a true collaboration between the two filmmakers, and Murnau relied heavily on Flaherty’s experience with shooting in a remote location and working with a non-professional cast. However, as filming advanced, Murnau took over, and by the end of the shoot, Flaherty had more or less abandoned the film. Today, we recognize Tabu as Murnau’s last masterpiece, but it could not have been made without Flaherty. – David Pendleton