| | Donkey Skin DVD (1 Customer Review)
| Category | Dramas DVDs, Foreign Films Movies, Adventure Videos, Family Interaction, Essential Cinema, Fantasy, French, Mythology | | Starring | Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Jacques Perrin, Micheline Presle | | Director | Jacques Demy |
Catherine Deneuve stars in Jacques Demy's classic film as a princess fleeing marriage in her father's kingdom, wearing his prize donkey skin as a disguise. Score by Michel Legrand. Jacques Demy takes his unique and musical vision to the world of fairy tales in this fantastical film. Based on a story by Charles Perrault, DONKEY SKIN takes place in an amorphous medieval kingdom of a king (Jean Marais), his queen, and their beautiful daughter, the princess (Catherine Deneuve). When the queen dies, the king takes an oath that he will only marry a woman more beautiful than she. Unable to find such a woman, the king settles upon the unlikely candidate of his daughter. In horror the princess flees, helped by her sassy fairy godmother (Delphine Seyrig). Mystical, surreal, and fantastical events as well as several musical numbers by Demy's longtime collaborator, Michel Legrand, lead the princess to flee the castle in the skin of her father's favorite donkey (it had bowel movements of jewels and gold). Her new existence as a filthy scullion named "Donkey Skin" is thankless and sad, and the princess longs for love. When a neighboring Prince comes to town a romance is born, and proceedings of epic fairy tale proportions lead the prince and the former princess "Donkey Skin" together, bringing this extravagantly filmed, whimsical and decorative tale full circle. DONKEY SKIN, a lyrical fantasy based on a fairy tale by Charles Perrault, takes place in a mythical kingdom where a queen's dying wish is that her husband remarry someone more beautiful than she. Unfortunately that woman turns out to be their daughter (played by Deneuve). After consulting her Fairy, the Princess conceives several schemes to escape her father, finally escaping in the skin of his favorite donkey and hiding in the outer reaches of the kingdom. In her new persona of "Donkey Skin," the princess lives life as a simple scullion, but eventually a handsome prince discovers the princess in hiding. Donkey Skin Reviews: "...Gently charming, opulently beautiful and slyly humorous..."-- Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times "Demy's use of colour is ingenious, the Michel Legrand music is as enchanting as ever..."
-- Geoffrey Macnab, Sight and Sound Donkey Skin | List Price | $24.98 (You save $8.69) | | Studio | E1 Entertainment Distribution | | Orig Year | 1971 | | All Time Sales Rank |  24949  | | CD Universe Part number | 6842169 | | Catalog number | 3047 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | May 10, 2005 | | Rating | Not Rated | | Also Known As | Peau D'Aine | | Running Time | 89 Minutes | | Additional Info | Widescreen; Remastered | | Movie Details | Color; Widescreen; Remastered |
Donkey Skin Movie Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)  Fairy tale for people who like fairy tales
This is a very good movie, made by a fine director, Jacques Demy. But it is not so much a "children's movie" as it is a movie for adults and children who like fairy tales.
If you know that Demy made The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, you'll be ready for the mix of child-like sweetness and grown-up sophistication in Donkey Skin (not to mention the Michel Legrand music). This is a French New Wave fairytale which comes off a bit like its star, Catherine Deneuve - sometimes a little awkward, but always full of charm. The film it most resembles is probably Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast.
The print on the DVD is very fine, with the light, clear color characteristic of the New Wave. And the extras are something else, including kids and psychiatrists talking about the movie (if you know the story you'll understand why), plus a relevant section from Agnes Varda's wonderful documentary on Demy.
Submitted by Bill (Melbourne, Australia) 
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Donkey Skin DVD Keep Case
Audio:
(unspecified) - French
Subtitles - English
Additional Release Material:
Interviews: Mag Bodard
Original French Theatrical Trailer
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