Classic Cinema Spotlight: Donkey Skin (1970)

A Vintage Nerd, Classic Movie Blog, Donkey Skin 1970, Peau d'âne, The Magic Donkey, Catherine Deneuve, Vintage Blogger, Classic French Films, Jacques Demy

“Once upon a time, there was a king so great, so loved by his people, and so respected by neighbouring kingdoms that he was the happiest of monarchs" is how Donkey Skin (1970) begins. A beloved King utterly enamored with his beautiful Queen looking lovingly out their window to admire their equally beautiful daughter. The narrator states that their daughter had such grace and charm that that they never regretted having but one child. The first moments of Donkey Skin (1970) whisk the viewer immediately into a fairytale land far, far away.

The fairytale begins with a King (Jean Marais) walking through his kingdom blissfully happen with his family. He is also fortunate to also have prosperous kingdom all thanks to his prized pet donkey. His donkey is no ordinary pet because he excretes jewels from his body which the King uses to finance his luxurious lifestyle. As perfect as everything seemed to be tragedy found the King when he lost his beloved wife. On her deathbed the Queen (Catherine Deneuve) had the king promise that after her passing he will only marry a woman as beautiful and virtuous as she. In his grief and with the pressure of his advisers he is somehow convinced that woman that he should marry, the woman who could fulfill the promise he made to his wife would be his own daughter.

Now if I lost you there I don't blame you. Aside from this odd situation this film is actually pretty spectacular. But it wouldn't be a fairytale if there wasn't any tragedy or drama. The King's interest in marrying his daughter is as tragic and dramatic as the loss of his wife. In his twisted mind he truly believes he is making good on his promise to his belated Queen. The Princess (Catherine Deneuve) in her own innocent way just wants to make her father happy not fully understanding how disturbing this entire scenario is. Then before things get any weirder in walks the Princess's godmother (Delphine Seyrig) who happens to be a Lilac Fairy. It is the Lilac Fairy (who also seems to have a mysterious past with the King) who brings common sense to the mind of the Princess and tells her that she must never marry her father because it is wrong.

To deter the King from marrying the Princess the Lilac Fairy convinces her to demand a series of seemingly outrageous nuptial gifts in the hope that her father will be forced to give up his plans of marriage. The Princess first asks for a gown that is the color of weather, then for a gown that glows like the moon, and then for a gown that shines brightly like the sun. Somehow all of the gowns are created and the Princess finds herself feeling defeated. The Lilac Fairy comes to the Princess's rescue once again when she suggests that she demand the skin of the King's prized donkey. To the Princess's shock the King presents her with the skin of the donkey that provided the wealth for his kingdom. With the encouragement and support of the Lilac Fairy, the Princess dons the donkey skin and flees father's kingdom to avoid the incestuous marriage.

Disguised in the donkey skin the Princess finds work at a local kingdom as a pig keeper. There she lives in a tattered hut where she finally feels safe. The Lilac Fairy provided the Princess with a wand where she could change from her nightgown and donkey skin and make her surroundings more to her liking. One day a Prince (Jacques Perrin ) sees her in her hut wearing her sun gown. He is immediately enraptured by her beauty. No longer dirty and wearing her smelly donkey skin, the Princess is looking like her usual stunning self. The Prince falls in love with her at first sight. When he returns to his kingdom he is beside himself with love sickness. He then requests that "Donkey Skin" bake him a cake so that he can be restored to good health. The Princess quickly bakes the Prince a sweet treat and places her ring inside so that he could find it. It is in that discovery that he knows her love is reciprocated.

With the Prince's parents, the red King (Fernand Ledoux) and red Queen (Micheline Presle), loving support and encouragement they decide to invite all the women of the kingdom to try on the ring. That way whoever fits the ring will be the Prince's new bride. Everyone from the very young to the very old make their way to the kingdom and line up according to social status. One by one the Prince tries on the ring and to no avail it fits no one. That is until "Donkey Skin" makes her way to the Prince who puts the ring on her finger and then she magically changes into her Princess self. A royal wedding ensues and they married. The Princess's father surprises the newlywed couple with his own special news. And yes, they all lived happily ever after.

Donkey Skin (1970) is based on Donkeyskin, a 1695 fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a king who wishes to marry his own daughter. The great Jacques Demy directs this extraordinary fairytale and brings to life this captivating story. The film was shot completely in France at various châteaus which gave each location that enchanting look. The color palette that Demy used throughout the film was inspired by Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast". The film uses a vibrant, watercolor-like palette, evoking the whimsical and fantastical nature of the story. The colors that were used both on costumes (by costume designer Gitt Magrini) and scenes each had a deeper meaning. The blue represented the Princess's kingdom/royalty, red represented the kingdom of the Prince/revolution, white represented innocence/healing/marriage, and purple represented the Lilac Fairy who was a bridge to both kingdoms. The colors used in this film helped to create a fantastical and dreamy atmosphere reflecting a fairytale world.

Jacques Demy created a dreamy world of fantasy that melded romance, tragedy, and taboo-weaving in moments of comedy and musical numbers. That isn't easy feat. Mixing too many genres can oftentimes lead to box office failure. In Demy's case he gave the world of cinema a retelling of a classic fairytale that is an endless feast for the eyes. The film is perfect in every way minus the incest storyline. It is the one part of the film I cannot fall in love with. But if I remove that from my mind for a moment, this film is everything you could wish a fairytale would be. It transports you to another world filled with magic and adventure.