The film was notable for being written and produced by a woman, Helene Terrie, which was uncommon in the adult film industry at the time. This contributed to a narrative style that focused more on character motivations and social dynamics than many of its contemporaries. It is often discussed in the context of the transition from theatrical adult cinema to the burgeoning home video market. Significance & Legacy Industry Awards:
If you are a collector who has only seen the fuzzy, cropped, public domain version circulating on shady websites, you have not seen Taboo . The "new" 1980 cut is a revelation. It transforms a dirty movie into an art film about the dirtiness of the human soul. taboo 1 1980 new
Taboo did not exist in a vacuum. The concept of a parent-child relationship had been touched upon in arthouse films before, most famously in Louis Malle's 1971 film Murmur of the Heart . However, Kirdy Stevens and Helene Terrie took the concept and made it the unflinching, central focus of their film. The film was notable for being written and