The Oscar Project Podcast

A discussion of all the films nominated for Oscars, starting in 1929, plus interviews with filmmakers and authors writing about the film industry.

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The Oscar Project Podcast

4.59-Tabu with James Kreul

July 17, 2026 • The Oscar Project • Season 4 • Episode 59

0:00 | 56:09

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Today's episode is my conversation about the 1931 film Tabu: A Story of the South Seas. I'm joined by James Kreul from the Moving Image Madison newsletter and we talk about how the film's pacing suffers due to trying to blend documentary filmmaking with a loose narrative structure, the film's influence on modern films set in the same region like Moana, and the sad passing of the film's director just a week before it debuted.

You can watch Tabu on Amazon Prime or YouTube or purchase a copy for yourself and be sure to check out James's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Lewis Milestone
Dracula directed by Tod Browning
Nanook of the North directed by Robert J. Flaherty
Moana directed by Robert J. Flaherty and Frances Hubbard Flaherty
White Shadows of the South Seas directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Jaws directed by Steven Spielberg
Sunrise directed by F. W. Murnau
Nosferatu directed by F. W. Murnau
City Girl directed by F. W. Murnau
With Byrd at the South Pole directed by Julian Johnson
Black Pearl directed by Michał Waszyński
The Hurricane directed by John Ford
Mutiny on the Bounty directed by Frank Lloyd
The Last Laugh directed by F. W. Murnau
Trader Horn directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Morocco directed by Josef von Sternberg
Cimarron directed by Wesley Ruggles
The Right to Love directed by Richard Wallace
Svengali directed by Archie Mayo