Peau d’Âne
A colourful fairy-tale musical featuring Catherine Deneuve in a dual role, about a king who, following the death of his stunningly beautiful wife, vows never to marry anyone less attractive. The only woman who fits the bill is his daughter.
When a princess is threatened with being forced by her father to marry him, she flees the kingdom on the advice of her fairy godmother, hidden beneath the skin of a magical donkey. Disguised as a simple maid, she tries to build a new life for herself, until a prince discovers her true identity.
For his first fairy-tale film, Jacques Demy adapted Charles Perrault’s famous story into an enchanting musical brimming with fantasy, humour and visual inventiveness. With Michel Legrand’s sparkling music, extravagant costumes and a world in which magic and reality blend seamlessly, Peau d’Âne went on to become Demy’s biggest box-office hit in France and a much-loved classic for young and old alike.