This is one strange French film! This isn't to say that it's bad---just VERY strange. The best way to describe it is a combination of Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and Disney's Cinderella. Despite having live actors, the colors, costumes and sets look almost like animation come to life. This is a very good thing, as the colors are incredibly bright and just plain cool. The reason I say it reminds me of Cocteau's masterpiece is that there are so many weird story elements and camera tricks that Cocteau must have inspired for this movie (such as running scenes backwards).
The basic plot is just kind of sick--a king wants to marry his biological daughter! Too weird. She runs away with the help of her fairy godmother (though she herself seemed more than willing to go through with the wedding, her fairy godmother was appalled). So, to help her escape, the fairy godmother instructs her to wear a donkey skin and RUN! She goes to another kingdom and everyone seems to think she's an ugly scullery maid--though she is the incredibly beautiful Catherine Deneuve (there must have been a magic spell on the skin, as it was very obvious to the viewers that this was Daneuve). A passing prince sees her and is smitten and the rest is kind of like Cinderella.
However, there is so much weirdness in the story! I'll cite just a few examples: 1. The donkey, before he is skinned, is an enchanted one. He poops gold and precious gems! 2. After she runs away with the donkey skin, she meets an old hag who after talking a sentence or two, spits live frogs out on the ground! 3. The servants in her own country wear all blue with painted blue skin. In the prince's land, they all have red faces and clothes.
So I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants something different. It is a kids' movie, though adults will likely enjoy it as well. However, due to the extreme yuckiness of the plot (incest), this may definitely scare away many and may require parents to discuss this with their kids afterwards!
The basic plot is just kind of sick--a king wants to marry his biological daughter! Too weird. She runs away with the help of her fairy godmother (though she herself seemed more than willing to go through with the wedding, her fairy godmother was appalled). So, to help her escape, the fairy godmother instructs her to wear a donkey skin and RUN! She goes to another kingdom and everyone seems to think she's an ugly scullery maid--though she is the incredibly beautiful Catherine Deneuve (there must have been a magic spell on the skin, as it was very obvious to the viewers that this was Daneuve). A passing prince sees her and is smitten and the rest is kind of like Cinderella.
However, there is so much weirdness in the story! I'll cite just a few examples: 1. The donkey, before he is skinned, is an enchanted one. He poops gold and precious gems! 2. After she runs away with the donkey skin, she meets an old hag who after talking a sentence or two, spits live frogs out on the ground! 3. The servants in her own country wear all blue with painted blue skin. In the prince's land, they all have red faces and clothes.
So I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants something different. It is a kids' movie, though adults will likely enjoy it as well. However, due to the extreme yuckiness of the plot (incest), this may definitely scare away many and may require parents to discuss this with their kids afterwards!