Proteus
In 1725, two young men meet while working in the prison garden of Robben Island, Cape Town’s penal colony. Claas Blank (Rouxnet Brown) is a quick-witted convict, determined to escape at any cost. Rijkhaart Jacobs (Neil Sandilands) is a soft-spoken Dutch sailor serving time for sodomy. Despite the vast racial and cultural taboos, they embark on a tentative affair that neither has words for.
Their relationship is witnessed by Virgil Niven, the Scottish botanist who runs the prison garden. This strange triangle of fascination and repression continues for 10 years, ignored by the prison authorities, until Niven returns to the Cape and inadvertently brings about their downfall.
Their relationship is witnessed by Virgil Niven, the Scottish botanist who runs the prison garden. This strange triangle of fascination and repression continues for 10 years, ignored by the prison authorities, until Niven returns to the Cape and inadvertently brings about their downfall.
| Director: | John Greyson |
| Studio: | Pluck Productions |
| Producer(s): | Anita Lee, Platon Trakoshis, Steven Markovitz |
| Cast: | Rouxnet Brown, Neil Sandilands, Shaun Smyth, Kristen Thomson, Tessa Jubber, Terry Norton, Grant Swanby |
| Writer(s): | John Greyson, Jack Lewis |
| Official Site: | www.telefilm.gc.ca/data/production/prod_2764.asp?lang=en&c=1 |
