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.

Translations and adaptations

The film was also released in a dubbed Afrikaans version titled Die Besoeker: 'n episode in die lewe van Eugène Marais, The translation was done by Wilma Stockenström, and the dubbing for the Afrikaans version directed by Katinka Heyns.

The Afrikaans text was also published by Ad Donker publishers in 1977. In a Foreword to the text, Wilma Stockenström states that the published translation is not a free translation, but a reflection of the text done by her for dubbing purposes and thus bearing in mind lip synchronization of the Afrikaans and English. In this published version of the Afrikaans text she is named sole translator and copyright holder of the Afrikaans text, though Schalk Jacobsz is named a co-translator by IMDb[].

The film credits

Script written by Athol Fugard (based on an episode in Die Groot Verlange by novelist and publisher Leon Rousseau), and translated into Afrikaans by Wilma Stockenström. (The published Afrikaans text names only Stockenström as translator and assigns copyright for the translation to her. On the other hand IMDb lists both Wilma Stockenström and Schalk Jacobsz as translators, though this most probably derives from the fact that Jacobsz was the dubbing director for the Afrikaans version).

Film directed by Ross Devenish, with Athol Fugard, Marius Weyers, Gordon Vorster, Wilma Stockenström, James Borthwick, Emile Aucamp, Trix Pienaar, Susan MacLennan, Thomas Masicane and Grace Nhlovu.

Produced by Gerald Berman, cinematography by Rod Stewart, film editing by Lionel Selwyn, costume design by Jeni Halliday, makeup by Derrick Bosch, production management by Penny Fry, assistant director Bernard H. Nathanson and continuity by Cheryl Frootko.

Dubbing of the Afrikaans text directed by Katinka Heyns.