1970 Movie
Dir. Jacques Demy · France · French
Jacques Demy adapts this strange fairytale through this eccentric yet enchanting comedic musical
Given the subject matter of Charles Perrault’s Donkeyskin, it’s not surprising that Disney didn’t adapt this one. It’s not just that it’s too similar to Cinderella, with a donkey instead of a goose that lays gold, it’s also most probably because of the strange incestuous wedding proposal presented at the start. Yikes. But filmmaker Jacques Demy proves that no tale can be truly unadaptable, and the best way to adapt such a weird fairytale is by going even weirder, albeit in the most grandiose and colorful way possible. So yes, this means helicopters, plastic, and unusual sets and costumes that could only exist in the modern era, but with Demy’s colorful style, his muse in musicals Catherine Deneuve, Michel Legrand’s fantastic music, and the surreal understanding how beauty has been the true cash cow (or rather cash donkey) of both the monarchy and film, Donkey Skin is a fanciful, fantastic fairytale film for the adults to enjoy.
A fairy godmother helps a princess disguise herself so she won't have to marry her father.
After the death of her mother, the princess must go into hiding as a scullery maid in order to dodge the widower king’s promise to marry a woman as beautiful and virtuous as the late queen, a standard only the princess could match.
It’s just so, so beautiful.
Live action Disney could never.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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