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      Peau D'ane

      Released Oct 22, 1971 1h 30m Fantasy List
      90% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 76% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings In a magical, faraway land, a widower king (Jean Marais) decrees that he will wed his daughter, the princess (Catherine Deneuve), because she's the only woman able to match his former queen's beauty. To dodge the incestuous union, the princess -- with the help of a magical fairy (Delphine Seyrig) -- disguises herself as a donkey and escapes to a neighboring kingdom. There, the donkey-skinned maiden encounters a handsome prince (Jacques Perrin) who falls in love with her. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Geoff Andrew Time Out Even on paper this couldn't have seemed such a terrific idea. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Donkey Skin is told with the simplicity and beauty of a child's fairy tale, but with emotional undertones and a surrealistic style that adults are more likely to appreciate. Rated: 3/4 Aug 11, 2005 Full Review Dan Callahan Slant Magazine There's plenty of disguised sex in Donkey Skin. Rated: 3.5/4 May 9, 2005 Full Review Elisa Guimarães Collider With a bizarre plot and a crazy color palette, this is the kind of gem that only the early 70s could produce. Jan 29, 2024 Full Review Saffron Maeve Screen Slate A work so warmly assured that it eludes the parabolic quality of its source material, censuring nothing but laughing at everything. Jul 2, 2022 Full Review Ian Thomas Malone ianthomasmalone.com The costumes are gorgeous, completely over the top. Each royal character's wardrobe looks like it was designed to achieve maximum flamboyance, layers upon layers of excess. Apr 23, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      jon p The movie cobbles together familiar elements from classic romantic fairy tales but not in any way that feels like it has true heart and soul. Once the fun of being immersed in a beautiful looking, modernized fairy-tale world wears off, you're not left with much reason to keep watching. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Donkey Skin is a visually rich film. It all takes place in a fairy tale world, and the production design team fully embraced that. Every set is intricately decked out with so many unique things, it perfectly sets the tone for the entire story. Even the extras are painted to match the color of their kingdom, and dressed in elaborate costumes that fit the theme. The entire film definitely transports you to another place with all the delightful things to see, but then stumbles right at the end with something so anachronistic that it completely took me out of the film. Believe me, I recognize that this is all a fantasy world, so there are no real-world rules to it. However, even this fantastical reality has a certain period feel to it, and when you introduce a helicopter into a scene, it feels a bit ludicrous. Otherwise, every frame of the film looks like it could have been pulled straight from a storybook. The story of Donkey Skin has some elements of a classic fairy tale, but with a different twist on them. I’ve seen a princess who hides in the woods, and falls in love with a prince at first sight. However, I’ve never seen a scenario where the reason for her fleeing to the woods is to avoid being forced to marry her own father. That’s more than a little creepy, to be honest. Thankfully, it’s treated as a negative in the story, and not something that the princess should accept. The film is a musical, which I would ordinarily adore, but I only found a couple of the songs to be melodious to my ear (one of which stuck in my head almost instantly.) Most of the others felt a little rambling, without a solid melody line. Donkey Skin was an odd yet pleasant film to watch, but it didn’t hook me in to the point where I’d want to seek it out again. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/20 Full Review Audience Member A beautiful and stunning work, from both the acting primes of Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais and Delphine Seyrig, and the directorial prime of Jacques Demy. One of the most exquisite and memorable transfers of a children's fable to the big screen. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Catherine Deneuve was the princess, Jacques Perrin was the prince, in this French-made fairy tale directed by Jacques Demy. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member I'm still in awe of Jaques Demy's talent with color and music in this odd little fairy tale that kind of mixes together "Cinderella" and "The Princess and the Frog". Of course, the ridiculous fairy godmother was a hoot, the songs were catchy, and the special effects were great. Overall, just a fun film in general. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member I tried so hard. I felt it important to put forward the effort from both a personal and a creative assignment. This film is beloved in France. This is all the more interesting because the idea of traditional musical has always been a hard sell to French culture. This is based on an old French fairy tale. And, really, there is nothing conventional about Jacques Demy's 1971 movie. It is kind of comical that this is children's story about a kingdom dependent upon a donkey's ability to defecate crown jewels and a beautiful princess who may be forced to marry The King, her own father. Yes. Incest. All of this is delivered in sincerity. No hint of irony. It might sound "compelling" but it isn't. It is painfully steeped in late 1960's style. Legrand's score is lack luster. It is far too long. I'm sorry. I just don't get it. And I resent the fact that I "own" a copy of this blu-ray in the Criterion Box Set. I had no choice. For me, "Donkey Skin" is cinematic torture. Wait. Think about that. Catherine Deneuve is stuck in the literal costume of an actual skin and head of a dead donkey. And incest. Is this really appropriate? I guess over 60 million people can't be wrong. And check out the ratings here on RT. I don't know. Maybe it's me. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Peau D'ane

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis In a magical, faraway land, a widower king (Jean Marais) decrees that he will wed his daughter, the princess (Catherine Deneuve), because she's the only woman able to match his former queen's beauty. To dodge the incestuous union, the princess -- with the help of a magical fairy (Delphine Seyrig) -- disguises herself as a donkey and escapes to a neighboring kingdom. There, the donkey-skinned maiden encounters a handsome prince (Jacques Perrin) who falls in love with her.
      Director
      Jacques Demy
      Screenwriter
      Jacques Demy
      Genre
      Fantasy
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 22, 1971, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jun 28, 2005
      Runtime
      1h 30m