Ends and Odds (4 page)
Authors: Samuel Beckett
Room: 6 m. Ã 5 m.
1. Door.
2. Window.
3. Mirror.
4. Pallet.
5. F seated by door.
6. F at window.
7. F at head of pallet.
A Position general view.
B â³medium shot.
C â³near shot of 5 and 1, 6 and 2, 7 and 3.
1.
Fade up to general view from A. 10â³.
2. V: Good-evening. Mine is a faint voice. Kindly tune accordingly. (
Pause
.) Good-evening. Mine is a faint voice. Kindly tune accordingly. (
Pause
.) It will not be raised, nor lowered, whatever happens. (
Pause
.) Look. (
Long pause
.) The familiar chamber. (
Pause
.) At the far end a window. (
Pause
.) On the right the indispensable door. (
Pause
.) On the left, against the wall, some kind of pallet. (
Pause
.) The light: faint, omnipresent. No visible source. As if all luminous. Faintly luminous. No shadow. (
Pause
.) No shadow. Colour: none. All grey. Shades of grey. (
Pause
.) The colour grey if you wish, shades of the colour grey. (
Pause
.) Forgive my stating the obvious. (
Pause
.) Keep that sound down. (
Pause
.) Now look closer. (
Pause
.) Floor.
3.
Cut to close-up of floor. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. 5â³.
4. V: Dust. (
Pause
.) Having seen that specimen of floor you have seen it all. Wall.
5.
Cut to close-up of wall. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. 5â³
.
6. V: Dust.
7.
Move to second close-up of wall. Identical. 5”
.
8. V: Knowing this, the kind of floor, the kind of wall, look again.
9.
Cut to general view from A. 5â³.
10. V: Door.
11.
Cut to close-up of whole door. Smooth grey rectangle 0.70 m. x 2 m. Imperceptibly ajar. No knob. Faint music. 5â³.
12. V: Window.
13.
Cut to close-up of whole window. Plain sheet of glass 0.70 m. x 1.50 m. Imperceptibly ajar. No knob. 5â³.
14. V: Pallet.
15.
Cut to close-up from above of whole pallet. 0. 70 m. x 2 m. Grey sheet. Grey rectangular pillow at window end. 5â³
.
16. V: Knowing all this, the kind of palletâ
17.
Close-up of whole pallet continued. 5â³
.
18. V: The kind of windowâ
19.
Cut to close-up of whole window. 5â³
.
20. V: The kind of doorâ
21.
Cut to close-up of whole door. Faint music. 5â³
.
22. V: The kind of wallâ
23.
Cut to close-up of wall as before. 5â³
.
24. V: The kind of floor.
25.
Cut to close-up of floor as before. 5â³
.
26. V: Look again.
27.
Cut to general view. 5â³
.
28. V: Sole sign of life a seated figure.
30.
Move in slowly from A to B whence medium shot of
F
and door.
F
is seated on a stool, bowed forward, face hidden, clutching with both hands a small cassette not identifiable as such at this range. Faint music. 5â³.
31.
Move in from B to C whence near shot of
F
and door. Cassette now identifiable. Music slightly louder. 5â³.
32.
Move in from C to close-up of head, hands, cassette. Clutching hands, head bowed, face hidden. Music slightly louder.
5”.
33.
Move slowly back to A via C and B (no stops). Music progressively fainter till at level of B it ceases to be heard.
34.
General view from A. 5â³
.
All from A except 25-28.
1. V: He will now think he hears her.
2. F
raises head sharply, turns still crouched to door, fleeting face, tense pose. 5â³
.
3. V: No one.
4. F relapses into opening pose, bowed over cassette.
5. V: Again.
6.
Same as 2.
7. V: Now to the door.
8. F
gets up, lays cassette on stool, goes to door, listens with right ear against door, back to camera. 5â³.
9. V: No one.
10.
With right hand
F
pushes door open halfway clockwise, looks out, back to camera. 5â³.
11. V: No one.
12. F
removes hand from door which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5â³.
13. V: Now to window.
14. F
goes to window, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5â³
.
15.
With right hand
F
pushes window open halfway clockwise, looks out, back to camera. 5â³.
16. V: No one.
17. F
removes hand from window which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, back to camera. 5â³
.
18. V: Now to pallet.
19. F
goes to head of pallet (window end), stands looking down at it. 5â³
.
20. F
turns to wall at head of pallet, goes to wall, looks at his face in mirror hanging on wall, invisible from A.
21. V (
surprised
): Ah!
22.
After
5â³ F
bows his head, stands before mirror with bowed head. 5â³
.
23. V: Now to door.
24. F
goes to stool, takes up cassette, sits, settles into opening pose, bowed over cassette. 5â³
.
25.
Same as I.30.
26.
Same as I.31.
27.
Same as I.32.
28.
Same as I.33.
29.
Same as I.34.
30. V: He will now again think he hears her.
31.
Same as II. 2.
32. F
gets up, goes to door, opens it as before, looks out, stoops forward. 10â³.
33. F
straightens up, releases door which closes slowly of itself, stands irresolute, goes to stool, takes up cassette, sits irresolute, settles finally into opening pose, bowed over cassette.
5”.
34.
Faint music audible for first time at A. It grows louder. 5â³.
35. V: Stop.
36.
Music stops. General view from A. 5â³.
37. V: Repeat.
1.
Immediately after “Repeat” cut to near shot from C of
F
and door. Music audible. 5â³.
2.
Move in to close-up of head, hands, cassette. Music slightly louder. 5â³
.
3.
Music stops. Action II.2. 5â³
.
4.
Action II.4. Music resumes. 5â³.
5.
Move back to near shot from C of
F
and door. Music audible. 5â³.
6.
Music stops. Action II.2. Near shot from C of
F
and door. 5â³
.
7.
Action II.8. Sound of cassette laid on stool. Near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
with right ear to door. 5â³.
8.
Action II.10. Crescendo creak of door opening. Near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
with right hand holding door open. 5â³.
9.
Cut to view of corridor seen from door. Long narrow (0.70 m.) grey rectangle between grey walls, empty, far end in darkness. 5â³.
10.
Cut back to near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
holding door open. 5â³.
11.
Action II.12. Decrescendo creak of door slowly closing. Near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
standing irresolute, door. 5â³.
12.
Cut to close-up from above of cassette on stool, small grey rectangle on larger rectangle of seat. 5â³.
13.
Cut back to near shot of stool, cassette
, F
standing irresolute, door. 5â³.
14.
Action II.14 seen from C. Near shot from C of
F
and window. 5â³.
15.
Action II.15 seen from C. Crescendo creak of window opening. Faint sound of rain. Near shot from C of
F
with right hand holding window open. 5â³.
16.
Cut to view from window. Night. Rain falling in dim light. Sound of rain slightly louder. 5â³.
17.
Cut back to near shot from C of
F
with right hand holding window open. Faint sound of rain. 5â³
.
18.
Action II. 17 seen from C. Decrescendo creak of window slowly closing. Near shot from C of
F
and window. 5â³.
19.
Action II.19 seen from C. Near shot from C of
F
mirror, head of pallet.
20.
Cut to close-up from above of whole pallet.
21.
Move down to tighter close-up of pallet moving slowly from pillow to foot and back to pillow. 5â³ on pillow.
22.
Move back to close-up from above of whole pallet. 5â³.
23.
Cut back to near shot from C of
F,
mirror, head of pallet. 5â³.
24.
Cut to close-up of mirror reflecting nothing. Small grey rectangle (same dimensions as cassette) against larger rectangle of wall. 5â³.
25.
Cut back to near shot from C of
F,
head of pallet. 5â³.
26.
Action 11.20 seen from C. Near shot from C of
F
and mirror. 5â³
.
27.
Cut to close-up of
F's
face in mirror. 5â³. Eyes close. 5â³. Eyes open. 5â³. Head bows. Top of head in mirror. 5â³.
28.
Cut back to near shot from C of
F
with bowed head, mirror, head of pallet. 5â³.
29. Action II.24 seen from C. Near shot from C of
F
settling into opening pose. Music audible once settled. 10â³.
30.
Music stops. Action II.2 seen from C. Faint sound of steps approaching. They stop. Faint sound of knock on door. 5â³. Second knock, no louder. 5â³.
31.
Action II.32 seen from C. Crescendo creak of door
opening. Near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
holding door open, stooping forward. 10â³.
32.
Cut to near shot of small boy full length in corridor before open door. Dressed in black oilskin with hood glistening with rain. White face raised to invisible
F.
5â³. Boy shakes head faintly. Face still, raised. 5â³. Boy shakes head again. Face still, raised. 5â³. Boy turns and goes. Sound of receding steps. Register from same position his slow recession till he vanishes in dark at end of corridor. 5â³ on empty corridor.
33.
Cut back to near shot from C of stool, cassette
, F
holding door open. 5â³.
34.
Action 11.33 seen from C. Decrescendo creak of door slowly closing. 5â³.
35.
Cut to general view from A. 5â³.
36.
Music audible at A. It grows. 10â³.
37.
With growing music move in slowly to close-up of head bowed right down over cassette now held in arms and invisible. Hold till end of Largo.
38.
Silence.
F
raises head. Face seen clearly for second time. 10â³.
39.
Move slowly back to A.
40.
General view from A. 5â³.
41.
Fade out.
MUSIC
From Largo of Beethoven's 5th Piano Trio (“The Ghost”).
I.11 | Beginning bar 47 |
I.21 | â³Â         Ⳡ49 |
I.30-33 | â³Â         Ⳡ19 |
II.25-28 | â³Â         Ⳡ64 |
II.34-35 | â³Â         Ⳡ70 |
III.1-2 4-5 | â³Â         Ⳡ26 |
III.29 | â³Â         Ⳡ68 |
III.36 to end | â³Â         Ⳡ70 |
A Television Play
M | Near shot from behind of man sitting on invisible stool bowed over invisible table. Light grey robe and skullcap. Dark ground. Same shot throughout. |
M1 | M in set. Hat and greatcoat dark, robe and skullcap light. |
W | Close-up of woman's face reduced as far as possible to eyes and mouth. Same shot throughout. |
S | Long shot of set empty or with Ml. Same shot throughout. |
V | M's voice. |
Set:
circular, about 5 m. diameter, surrounded by deep shadow.
Lighting:
a gradual lightening from dark periphery to maximum light at centre.
1. West, roads.
2. North, sanctum.
3. East, closet.
4. Standing position.
5. Camera.
