Editing Film (film) (section)

====Preparation of room====
Systematically, O takes each object or creature in the room and disables its ability to 'see' him: he closes the blind and pulls the net curtains across, he covers the mirror with the rug, the cat and dog (“a shy and uncooperative, little [[Chihuahua (dog)|Chihuahua]]”<ref>Knowlson, J., ''Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett'' (London: Bloomsbury, 1996), p 523</ref>) are – with some difficulty – ejected from the room and the picture is torn up. Although stated simply, the mechanics needed to execute these tasks are laborious (e.g., as he passes the window, he hides behind the blanket which he holds in front of himself to cover the mirror and he carries the cat and dog facing away from him as he tries to put them out the door).

After all the above, he goes to sit in the chair. There are two holes in the headrest that suggest eyes.<ref>In his manuscript notes Beckett had not envisioned these 'eye' holes but had written "Make chair back memorable" and foresaw an “upright back, intersecting wooden bars or [[Lozenge (shape)|lozenges]]”. – Notes for ''Film'' (Reading University Library MS 1227/7/6/1 p 15), quoted in Knowlson, J., ''Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett'' (London: Bloomsbury, 1996), p 802 n 54</ref> He ignores them and sits. O takes the folder from his case and goes to open it, but there are "two eyelets, well proportioned";<ref>Knowlson, J., ''Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett'' (London: Bloomsbury, 1996), p 524</ref> he turns the folder through 90° but he's disturbed by the parrot's eye and has to get up and cover the cage with his coat. He sits again, repeats the same process with his folder and then has to get up and cover the goldfish bowl, too.

"Beckett initially contemplated setting ''Film'' in the evening, but had to decide against it for a practical reason: 'to remove all possibility of his putting off light in room.'"<ref>Pountney, R., ''Theatre of Shadows: Samuel Beckett's Drama'' 1956-1976 (Gerrards Cross: Colin Smythe, 1988), p 127</ref>