The Documentary You Never Knew Tilda Swinton Narrated
Tilda Swinton uses her calm voice and presence to her advantage in her work, which crosses dozens of genres. The actress was recently cast in Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio," joining a pretty star-studded cast of Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, and Christoph Waltz (via IMDb). It will be a very different story from what people are familiar with — especially with the recent Disney live-action remake having just come out.
Del Toro's film follows a more "Frankenstein" vibe (via Digital Spy), with the director explaining how both stories are "about a child that is thrown into the world" and that they "tackle very deep ideas about what makes us human." Swinton is often involved in projects that involve "deep ideas," whether in mainstream, arthouse, or independent films. But she's also lent her voice to an array of documentaries of equal importance, including a BBC docu-series that won a Peabody Award in 2006.
Swinton's serene narration in this documentary helped it win a Peabody Award
In 2006, Tilda Swinton narrated a three-part documentary for the BBC titled "Galapagos: Born of Fire." The film charted the natural history of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, which are best known for Charles Darwin's studies on the endemic species that call the island home, like marine iguanas, lava lizards, and giant tortoises (via Galapagos Islands website). These studies would be collated into Darwin's scientific work "On the Origin of Species," published in 1859 (via Britannica).
The documentary won a Peabody Award (via Peabody) in 2006 for the work of the BBC Natural History Unit and the efforts and techniques they undertook to capture the nature of the islands. Peabody describes Swinton's narration as "serene," adding it "provides the perfect counterpoint to the blaze of the islands." Those on the Peabody committee called the film "stunning" and "astonishing," writing that it won the award for its exhilarating exploration of a fascinating microcosm of the Earth lost in the vastness of the pacific ocean."
The actress has narrated documentaries on a variety of topics
"Galapagos: Born of Fire" isn't the only documentary Tilda Swinton has narrated. She voiced the British traveler Gertrude Bell for the 2016 film "Letters from Baghdad" about the life and work of Bell, who has often been recognized as the "female Laurence of Arabia" (via the film's official site). Swinton was an executive producer on the film, which also included the voice of "Game of Thrones" actress Rosie Leslie. "Letters from Baghdad" was chosen for official selection at the BFI London Film Festival, DOC NYC, and the International Documentary Filmfestival in Amsterdam following its release, and also won the Audience Award at the Beirut International Film Festival.
In 2005, Swinton narrated a documentary about the battle of the Somme titled "Line of Fire: The Somme" (via IMDb). She also starred in the documentary/independent film "Strange Culture," which captured the life of Steve Kurtz (played by Thomas Jay Ryan), who went on trial for bio-terrorism charges in 2004. Swinton played his wife, Hope Kurtz. Steve Kurtz was an artist, professor, and member of the Critical Art Ensemble, and his art focused on science — particularly genetically modified food — which caused alarm when scientific equipment was found in his home after his wife died from heart failure (via Speed Art Museum), prompting the FBI to get involved.