Ladies of Burlesque: DONKEY SKIN
The Royal Cinema
608 College St
Toronto
ON
43.65515667481522
-79.41443994087133
A donkey that defecates precious jewels; a fairy godmother who travels by way of helicopter; a bereaved king (whose throne is a giant stuffed cat) attempts to marry his daughter in an incestuous power play—these are just a few of the wild eccentricities of DONKEY SKIN. From the director of THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG and THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT comes the postmodern fairy tale musical masterpiece that only the subversive Jacques Demy could envision. As much Cocteau as it is Cinderella, DONKEY SKIN is a surrealist fever dream—a veritable Technicolor rainbow of lush splendor and visual pastiche. And what better performer to kick of the festivities than Delicia Pastiche, with her patented brand of fairy-tale-infused fantasy?!
Based on a lesser known seventeenth century work of Charles Perrault—the author of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty—DONKEY SKIN tells of a beautiful princess (Catherine Deneuve) who flees from a castle after her father, the king (Jean Marais), announces his intention of marrying her. After her incest-disapproving fairy godmother (Delphine Seyrig) sends her away wearing a donkey pelt, the princess implants herself as the village scullery maid, hoping to evade the discovery of her true identity.
Inspired by Cocteau’s THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE BLOOD OF A POET, Demy overturns gender norms and explores sexual taboo with surrealist, comic flare. A French pop throw down that breaks Disney’s stronghold on the genre, DONKEY SKIN—in this glorious digital restoration—is an absolute must! Don’t be an ass: you have to see this on the big screen…