gor[b] Paul Gorbould: Words and Pictures

Quiet moment

This afternoon I took advantage of a little-used perk of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre: The Graham Spry Theatre.

The 30-seat theatre is located right beside the CBC Museum, and frequently runs "sneak peaks" of upcoming CBC and Newsworld programs (usually documentaries.) These shows play on the enormous screen on a continuous loop all day long.

As usual, the theatre was empty. I sat down (I imagine the seat you choose in an empty theatre says something about you, psychologically...) and spent a delightful 10 minutes with a coffee and a documentary.

Today's flick was "Call of the Wild", about a Scot named Guy Grieve who leaves his family and office job in Edinburgh to live alone in an Alaskan log cabin for a year.

It was at times funny and alarming - there are more than a few hints of The Shining as he talks to his dog and his handycam in the dark. It was moving, too - Grieve watches a video of his sons opening their Christmas presents in his absense, then discovers what happens when a sled dog tries to have puppies in isolated, -50 degree conditions. "Triste," said the one other person who popped into in the theatre.

The show airs tonight at 10:00 on CBC Newsworld.

Now, I sure as hell wouldn't spend a year alone in a cabin, but I did appreciate the moment of calm in the middle of an urban work day - and the film only enhanced the feeling.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll drop into the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church next door on Simcoe St. - for years I've seen the sign that says, "Drop in and find a quiet moment", but I've never taken them up on the offer.