Donkey Skin

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, Peau d’Ane (Donkey Skin) is the story of a princess who goes into hiding after being asked by her father to marry him. Written for the screen and directed by Jacques Demy, the film is a whimsical musical-fantasy that plays into a princess who goes from riches-to-rags in order to do something for herself. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Jacques Perrin, Micheline Presle, Fernand Ledoux, Henri Cremieux, Sacha Pitoeff, and Delphine Seyrig. Peau d’Ane is a charming and delightful film from Jacques Demy.

The film is a simple fairy tale where a king deals with the death of his wife where he makes a vow to marry a woman as beautiful as her in which he picks his own daughter much to her own horror as she goes into hiding wearing donkey skin as a robe and pretends to be a scullery maid. It’s a film that plays into the many elements that are expected in fairy tales but it is also very strange considering that hints ideas of incest. There, the princess (Catherine Deneuve) would try to find ways to not go through with this ordeal as she gets the help of her fairy godmother (Delphine Seyrig) where the results would be humiliating but also a moment that would prompt the princess to find herself. The film’s screenplay does follow a traditional structure that is expected in fairy tales but with some of the dialogue that is sung as well as hints of anachronisms that add to the film’s offbeat humor. Yet, it is largely a fantasy as there aren’t any rules in that genre as it is all about the princess trying to find her true love and happiness.

Jacques Demy’s direction is very intoxicating not just in its approach to imagery but also in how he presents the film as an offbeat fairy tale. From the lavish costumes and set designs to the way servants, animals, and other things look, the film is definitely pure fantasy as Demy creates something that is off-the-wall such as a donkey who defecates gold and jewels for his king. Much of Demy’s direction include a lot of medium and wide shots to play into the look of the kingdom and its many locations in the forests while having this strange mix of elegance and dreariness in the world that the princess would embark. Notably as there are scenes of pure fantasy as it relates to the character of Prince Charming (Jacques Perrin) who would encounter the princess unaware of her true identity. It would then play into elements of comedy and mayhem as well as things that can’t explain that is more in tune with the world of fantasy. Overall, Demy creates a sensational and exhilarating film about a princess who refuses to marry her father.

Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet does brilliant work with the film‘s very rich and colorful photography with its vibrant usage of the Technicolor film stock as plays into the beauty of the locations and settings as well as some unique lighting to play into the element of fantasy that occurs in the film. Editor Anne-Marie Crotet does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of slow-motion and reverse edits as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the musical elements in the film. Production designer Jim Leon and art director Jacques Dugied do amazing work with the set design from the look of the castles and its rooms to the shabby hut that the princess would live in her disguise along with the colors of the different kingdoms.

Costume designers Augusto Pace and Gitt Magrini do fantastic work with the costumes from the design of the dresses as well as the clothes the men wear as it plays into the period of time where men wore tights and the women wore lavish gowns. The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for some of the sound effects in some of the magical moments as well as some of the moments that goes on in some of the celebrations and other quieter scenes. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is incredible for not just its playful orchestral score but also in the songs that are created for the film as it play into emotions of a few of its characters as well as the sense of hope that they long for as the music is a major highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast includes notable small roles from Pierre Repp as the Red Queen’s messenger Thibauld, Sacha Pitoeff as prime minister for the blue kingdom, Louise Chevalier as the old woman who would give the princess the work she needs to do at the farm, Henri Cremieux as the red kingdom’s physician, Fernand Ledoux and Micheline Presle in their respective roles as the Red King and Queen, and Jean Servais as the voice of the film narrator’s who only appears for the film’s opening and closing sections. Jacques Perrin is excellent as Prince Charming as a young prince who encounters the Princess unaware of her true identity nor her disguise as he falls for her and tries to find out who she is.

Delphine Seyrig is fantastic as the Fairy Godmother who tries to help the Princess while doing things that would baffle the Princess as Seyrig brings a lot of charm to her role including some amazing entrances. Jean Marais is superb as the King as a man who is grief-stricken by the loss of his wife where he is convinced that the only way to save his kingdom is to marry his daughter unaware of how disgusting it is. Finally, there’s Catherine Deneuve in a phenomenal performance in the dual role as the Queen and as her daughter in the Princess where her role in the former is very brief while the latter has Deneuve do a lot more in terms of singing and dealing with her situation as she would provide some charm and humility to her performance as it’s one of Deneuve’s finest roles.

Peau d’Ane is a remarkable film from Jacques Demy. Armed with a great cast, sumptuous visuals, and delightful music, the film isn’t just a fascinating take on a French fairytale but also a film that manages to infuse a lot of quirks and ideas that subvert many of its expectations. In the end, Peau d’Ane is an exquisitely rich film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2015

La Bete Humaine

Written and directed by Jean Renoir, with story credit by Emile Zola and dialogue by Denise Leblond, La Bete Humaine (The Human Beast) is the story of a train engineer who falls for the wife of his superior following a horrifying incident involving murder. During the affair, things become more complicated as the engineer is being asked to do things for his lover. Starring Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, and Fernand Ledoux. La Bete Humaine is a chilling yet intoxicating film from Jean Renoir.

Jacques Lantier (Jean Gabin) is a train engineer who loves his job as he works with his friend Pecqueux (Julien Carette) as they take care of their train. When Lantier is given a 36-hour leave so his train can get a few repairs, he goes out to visit his godmother (Charlotte Clasis) and an ex-girlfriend (Blanchette Brunoy) for his leave. Meanwhile, Lantier’s supervisor Rouboud (Fernand Ledoux) wants to go to La Herve with his wife Severine (Simone Simon) whom he suspects is having an affair with her godfather Grandmorin (Jacques Berlioz). During a ride to La Herve with Grandmorin, Lantier steps in for a ride as he notices something is happening as the Grandmorin is found dead.

During questioning, Lantier claims that he didn’t see anything though he did see Rouboud and Severine walk by Grandmorin’s compartment. Rouboud is glad that Lantier isn’t saying anything though a judge (Andre Tavernier) believes that a man named Cabuche (Jean Renoir) is the suspect. Still, Rouboud tries to hide things as Severine feels unhappy as she turns to Lantier for comfort as they eventually get into an affair. With Rouboud becoming more unhinged by what’s going on as he’s hiding something, Lantier also starts to feel uncomfortable by his affairs and what Severine wants to do. When he sees Severine with another man in Dauvergne (Gerard Landry), Lantier realizes what is going on as he becomes consumed with guilt.

The film is a study of guilt as it’s all centered around two men and a woman in this world of murder and adultery. Yet, Jean Renoir creates a story where there’s this simple man who loves being a train engineer as he calls his train Lison. Yet, he is also someone that has own issues where he displays some violent tendencies as he discusses it with his mother who is still worried about him. Then there’s Rouboud who is a rich man that operates the train station that Lantier works with who is a proud man but is wondering if his wife loves him as he becomes more secretive and distant following the murder of Grandmorin. Then there’s Severine who is in the middle of this as this innocent, poor woman is really a manipulator that is willing to make men do anything and pushes them to the edge.

The script works as a study of guilt and motivations yet it’s in Renoir’s direction where the film really takes hold. Opening with this amazing, five-minute montage of a train speeding throughout the French countryside. Renoir manages to keep the film pretty straightforward while his compositions are very striking in the way he creates love scenes or some intense, dramatic moments. It’s also more about what he doesn’t show as it’s focused on sounds or using an image to obstruct what is really happening. That is part of Renoir’s genius as a filmmaker while keeping the intensity going during a key moment of the film that involves Lantier’s troubled behavior that leads to climatic moment in the film. Overall, Renoir creates a film that is very engrossing for its study of behaviors and guilt.

Cinematographer Curt Courant does a great job with the black-and-white cinematography from the sunny look of the French countryside to the dark look of the nighttime exterior and interior settings to help enhance the suspenseful tone of the film. Editors Suzanne de Troeye and Marguerite Renoir do an amazing job with the editing as many of the cuts are straightforward with the exception of a few jump-cuts to play with the film’s rhythm, along with its train montages, and the dissolves for some of the transitional moments of the film.

Production designer Eugene Lourie does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as the ballroom that Lantier goes to with friends where he sees Severine dancing with another man as well as the look for the train compartments. Costume designer Laure Lourie does a very good job with the costumes from the black dresses that Severine wears to the working-class suits of Lantier and more revered suits that Rouboud wears. Sound engineer Robert Teisseire does a nice job with the sound to the way trains are sounded to how it plays for some of its suspenseful moments. The music by Joseph Kosma is exhilarating for its sweeping compositions from fast-paced pieces for its suspenseful moments to more slower, mid-tempo pieces for the dramatic moments of the film.

The cast is truly incredible with notable appearances from Colette Regis as Pecqueux’s wife, Blanchette Brunoy as Lantier’s ex-girlfriend, Charlotte Clasis as Lantier’s godmother, Andre Tavernier as a judge, Gerard Landry as a man whom Severine likes, Jacques Berlioz as Grandmorin, and Jean Renoir as dirty man accused of murder. Julien Carette is excellent in a memorable supporting role as Pecqueux, Lantier’s fellow train engineer who becomes suspicious over what is going on. Fernand Ledoux is great as Rouboud, a station supervisor dealing with his wife’s supposed affairs as well as the things he’s done as he becomes more distant as the film progresses.

Simone Simon is radiant as the innocent though melodramatic Severine, a woman who is abused by her husband as she seeks comfort in Lantier only to manipulate him in order to deal with things. It’s a truly eerie performance as Simon brings a complexity to a woman that is really more of a troublemaker than a victim. Jean Gabin is brilliant as Jacques Lantier, a man with simple pleasures whose new role as a lover for a married woman eventually takes its toll as he would explore his own demons. It’s a very compelling performance from the legendary actor as he creates a character that finds himself in a very bad situation based on a lie he creates.

La Bete Humaine is a mesmerizing yet intriguing film from Jean Renoir featuring a phenomenal performance from Jean Gabin. The film is definitely one of Renoir’s finest films due to its study of character and motivations as well as the world he creates at a train station. While Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion might be better introductions, this is still one of his key films proving why he is such a beloved filmmaker all over the world. In the end, La Bete Humaine is a triumphant suspense film from Jean Renoir.

Jean Renoir Films: (Backbiters) - (La Fille de l’eau) - (Charleston Parade) - (Une vie sans joie) - (Marquitta) - (The Sad Sack) - (The Tournament) - (The Little Match Girl) - (Le Bled) - (On purge bebe) - (Isn’t Life a Bitch?) - (Night at the Crossroads) - Boudu Saved from Drowning - (Chotard & Company) - (Madame Bovary (1933 film)) - (Toni) - A Day in the Country - (Life Belongs to Us) - (The Lower Depths (1936 film)) - (The Crime of Monsieur Lange) - Grand Illusion - (La Marseillaise) - Rules of the Game - (Swamp Water) - (This Land is Mine) - (Salute to France) - (The Southerner) - (The Diary of a Chambermaid (1945 film)) - (The Woman on the Beach) - The River - (The Golden Coach) - (French Cancan) - (Elena and Her Men) - (The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment) - (Picnic on the Grass) - (The Elusive Corporal) - (The Little Theater of Jean Renoir)

© thevoid99 2011