Peau d'Âne
Encyclopedia
Peau d'Âne is a 1970 French musical film directed by Jacques Demy
. It is also known by the English titles Once Upon a Time and The Magic Donkey. The film was adapted by Demy from Donkeyskin
, a fairy tale by Charles Perrault
about a king who wishes to marry his daughter. It stars Catherine Deneuve
and Jean Marais
, with music by Michel Legrand
. Donkey Skin also proved to be Demy's biggest success in France with a total of 2,198,576 admissions.
Peau d'Âne is distributed on DVD in North America
by Koch-Lorber Films
, a subsidiary of Koch Entertainment
.
) promises his dying Queen that after her death he will only marry a woman as beautiful and virtuous as she. Pressed by his advisers to remarry and produce an heir, he comes to the conclusion that the only way to fulfil his promise is to marry his own daughter, the Princess (Catherine Deneuve
). Following the advice of her godmother, the Lilac Fairy (Delphine Seyrig
), the Princess demands a series of seemingly impossible nuptial gifts, in the hope that her father will be forced to give up his plans of marriage. However, the King succeeds in providing her with dresses the colour of the weather, of the moon and of the sun, and finally with the skin of a magic donkey that excretes jewels, the source of his kingdom's wealth. Donning the donkey skin, the Princess flees her father's kingdom to avoid the incestuous marriage.
In the guise of "Donkey Skin", the Princess finds employment as the pig-keeper in a neighbouring kingdom. The Prince of this kingdom (Jacques Perrin
) spies her in her hut in the woods and falls in love with her. Love-struck, he retires to his sickbed, and asks that Donkey Skin be instructed to bake him a cake to restore him to health. In the cake he finds a ring that the Princess has placed there, and is thus sure that his love for her is reciprocated. He declares that he will marry the woman whom the ring fits.
All the women of marriageable age assemble at the Prince's castle and try the ring on one by one, in order of social status. Last of all is the lowly "Donkey Skin", who is revealed to be the Princess when the ring fits her finger. At the wedding of the Prince and the Princess, the Lilac Fairy and the King arrive by helicopter and declare that they too are to be married.
Numerous elements in the film refer to Jean Cocteau
's 1946 fairy tale film Beauty and the Beast
: the casting of Jean Marais, the use of live actors to portray human statues in the castles, and the use of simple special effects such as slow motion
and reverse motion.
Jacques Demy
Jacques Demy was one of the most approachable filmmakers to appear in the wake of the French New Wave. Uninterested in the formal experimentation of Alain Resnais, or the political agitation of Jean-Luc Godard, Demy instead created a self-contained fantasy world closer to that of François...
. It is also known by the English titles Once Upon a Time and The Magic Donkey. The film was adapted by Demy from Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin is a French fairy tale told by Charles Perrault.Andrew Lang included it, somewhat euphemized, in The Grey Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 510B, unnatural love...
, a fairy tale by Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
about a king who wishes to marry his daughter. It stars Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
and Jean Marais
Jean Marais
-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
, with music by Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
. Donkey Skin also proved to be Demy's biggest success in France with a total of 2,198,576 admissions.
Peau d'Âne is distributed on DVD in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Koch-Lorber Films
Koch-Lorber Films
Koch-Lorber Films, launched in February 2003, is an independent film distributor and DVD label based in New York...
, a subsidiary of Koch Entertainment
Koch Entertainment
Koch Entertainment was a music, film and television distribution company. It was purchased by E1 Entertainment in 2005 and now operates under the name E1 Entertainment.-History:The company began in 1975 as Koch International...
.
Plot
The King (Jean MaraisJean Marais
-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
) promises his dying Queen that after her death he will only marry a woman as beautiful and virtuous as she. Pressed by his advisers to remarry and produce an heir, he comes to the conclusion that the only way to fulfil his promise is to marry his own daughter, the Princess (Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
). Following the advice of her godmother, the Lilac Fairy (Delphine Seyrig
Delphine Seyrig
Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig was a stage and film actress and a film director.-Early life:...
), the Princess demands a series of seemingly impossible nuptial gifts, in the hope that her father will be forced to give up his plans of marriage. However, the King succeeds in providing her with dresses the colour of the weather, of the moon and of the sun, and finally with the skin of a magic donkey that excretes jewels, the source of his kingdom's wealth. Donning the donkey skin, the Princess flees her father's kingdom to avoid the incestuous marriage.
In the guise of "Donkey Skin", the Princess finds employment as the pig-keeper in a neighbouring kingdom. The Prince of this kingdom (Jacques Perrin
Jacques Perrin
Jacques Perrin is a French actor and filmmaker. He is occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Simonet was his father's name and Perrin his mother's.-Life and career:...
) spies her in her hut in the woods and falls in love with her. Love-struck, he retires to his sickbed, and asks that Donkey Skin be instructed to bake him a cake to restore him to health. In the cake he finds a ring that the Princess has placed there, and is thus sure that his love for her is reciprocated. He declares that he will marry the woman whom the ring fits.
All the women of marriageable age assemble at the Prince's castle and try the ring on one by one, in order of social status. Last of all is the lowly "Donkey Skin", who is revealed to be the Princess when the ring fits her finger. At the wedding of the Prince and the Princess, the Lilac Fairy and the King arrive by helicopter and declare that they too are to be married.
Production
Jacques Demy, fascinated by Charles Perrault's fairy tale since childhood, was working on a script for the film as early as 1962. The involvement of Catherine Deneuve was instrumental in securing financing for the production.Numerous elements in the film refer to Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
's 1946 fairy tale film Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1946 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1946 French romantic fantasy film adaptation of the traditional fairy tale of the same name, written by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont and published in 1757 as part of a fairy tale anthology . Directed by French poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, the film stars Josette...
: the casting of Jean Marais, the use of live actors to portray human statues in the castles, and the use of simple special effects such as slow motion
Slow motion
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger....
and reverse motion.
Cast
- Catherine DeneuveCatherine DeneuveCatherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
: La première reine (First Queen), la princesse (The Princess) "Peau d'âne" - Jean MaraisJean Marais-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
: Le premier roi (The First King) - Jacques PerrinJacques PerrinJacques Perrin is a French actor and filmmaker. He is occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Simonet was his father's name and Perrin his mother's.-Life and career:...
: Le prince charmant (The Prince) - Micheline PresleMicheline PresleMicheline Presle is a French actress also known in English language films as Micheline Prelle.Born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne in Paris, she wanted to be an actress from an early age. She took acting classes in her early teens and made her film debut at the age of fifteen in the...
: La reine rouge (The Red Queen), la seconde reine (Second Queen) - Delphine SeyrigDelphine SeyrigDelphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig was a stage and film actress and a film director.-Early life:...
: La fée des lilas (The Fairy) - Fernand Ledoux: Le roi rouge (The Red King), le second roi (The Second King)
- Henri Crémieux: Le chef des médecins (The Doctor)
- Sacha PitoëffSacha PitoëffSacha Pitoëff was a French film actor and theater director.Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Pitoëff played his first film role in 1952. Appearing in over 50 movies, he is probably best known for his performance in Alain Resnais' enigmatic Last Year at Marienbad , as a character known simply as "M"...
: Le premier ministre (The Prime Minister) - Pierre ReppPierre ReppPierre Repp was a French humorist and actor. His real name was Pierre Alphonse Léon Frédéric Bouclet. On 14 August 1930, he married Ferdinande Alice Andrée Bouclet in Lille.Famous for his unique stuttering talent...
: Thibaud - Jean ServaisJean ServaisJean Servais was a Belgian actor trained at the Brussels Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, where he won the Second Prize....
: Récitant (Narrator voice) - Georges Adet: Le savant (The Scholarly)
- Annick Berger: Nicolette
- Romain Bouteille: Le charlatan (The Charlatan)
- Louise Chevalier: La vieille fermière (The Old Farmer)
- Sylvain Corthay: Godefroy