The Guest: An episode in the Life of Eugène Marais
The Guest: An episode in the Life of Eugène Marais is a film written by Athol Fugard and Ross Devenish.
Also known simply as The Guest
The original text
A film about Eugène Marais, Afrikaner intellectual, naturalist, poet, author, playwright and political rebel, who went to live on a remote farm, in an attempt to overcome his drug habit. There Marais observes the animal world and comes to understand the essence of dependency.
Originally called The Guest at Steenkampskraal, the film was directed by Ross Devenish with Athol Fugard, Marius Weyers, Gordon Vorster, Wilma Stockenström, Trix Pienaar and James Borthwick.
The film is based on an episode in Leon Rousseau's biography of Eugene Nielen Marais, called Die Groot Verlange ("The Great Longing") dealing with the months Marais spent on the Van Rooyen family's farm to cope with this drug addiction.
The film was first shown at the XXX Fetival Internazionale Del Film, Locarno 4 - 14 August 1977, and went on general release on 14 September, 1977. The English text was published by David Philip in 1977.
It was also released in an Afrikaans version as Die Besoeker: 'n episode in die lewe van Eugène Marais, translated by Wilma Stockenström and Schalk Jacobsz (according to IMDb), the Afrikaans text published in English and in Afrikaans by AD Donker in 1977 (the translation credited to Wilma Stockenström alone).
The film
Sources
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128241/
NELM Poster Collection [Collection: POSTERS]: 1997. 21. 1
Photographs and publicity material relating to The Guest held by NELM in various locations.
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