Donkey Skin
The education of a princess wrapped in a love story. A king and queen live happily until her sudden death. The king decides to marry his lovely daughter. She's willing, but the Lily Fairy serves as a social conscience, intent on thwarting incest. She instructs the princess to request a series of dresses impossible to make; however, the king's tailor succeeds. So the fairy plots the princess's escape, wearing the skin of the king's prize donkey. She's spirited away to be a scullery maid dressed in the noisome skin. A wandering prince sees her in the woods and is smitten. Can love find its course, and does the princess learn a lesson of life's hardships?
The film earned $13.2M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Donkey Skin (1970) demonstrates meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Jacques Demy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 30 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The idyllic Blue Kingdom in prosperity. The Princess lives in splendor with her loving parents, the King and Queen, blessed by the magic donkey that produces gold. The fairy tale world at its most beautiful and innocent.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when The Queen falls mortally ill. On her deathbed, she makes the King promise to remarry only a woman more beautiful than herself. This seemingly innocent request sets catastrophe in motion.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 22 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to When the King sacrifices the magic donkey to obtain its skin, the Princess realizes she must flee. She dons the filthy donkey skin and escapes the palace, leaving behind her identity as princess. An active choice to save herself through exile and degradation., moving from reaction to action.
At 44 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The Prince, lovesick after seeing the beautiful woman in her Sunday dress, demands that "Donkey Skin" bake him a cake. She accepts, seeing opportunity. This is a false victory - she has his attention but is still trapped in her disguise. Stakes raise as she must reveal herself without truly revealing herself., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 66 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All the women of the kingdom have tried the ring and failed. The Prince grows deathly ill from despair, fading away. The "whiff of death" is literal - true love appears to be dying. The Princess faces losing everything: the Prince will die, and she'll remain in exile forever., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 72 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The Princess requests to try the ring. She sheds the donkey skin and appears in her magnificent sun dress, revealing her true identity. The synthesis of her two worlds: she is both the peasant who survived and the princess who maintained her virtue. She chooses to be seen., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Donkey Skin's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Donkey Skin against these established plot points, we can identify how Jacques Demy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Donkey Skin within the comedy genre.
Jacques Demy's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Jacques Demy films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.4, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Donkey Skin represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Jacques Demy filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Jacques Demy analyses, see The Young Girls of Rochefort, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The idyllic Blue Kingdom in prosperity. The Princess lives in splendor with her loving parents, the King and Queen, blessed by the magic donkey that produces gold. The fairy tale world at its most beautiful and innocent.
Theme
The Lilac Fairy speaks to the Princess about true love and the importance of self-worth: "Never compromise your virtue for comfort or fear." The theme of maintaining one's integrity against impossible demands.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the magical kingdom, the royal family's happiness, the magic donkey's importance, and the Princess's sheltered but joyful life. The Queen's love for her family and the kingdom's dependence on the magical creature.
Disruption
The Queen falls mortally ill. On her deathbed, she makes the King promise to remarry only a woman more beautiful than herself. This seemingly innocent request sets catastrophe in motion.
Resistance
The King searches for a bride but finds none equal to the Queen. He realizes his own daughter is the only one who meets the condition. The Princess, horrified, consults the Lilac Fairy who advises her to make impossible demands: dresses of weather, moon, and sun, then the donkey's skin.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
When the King sacrifices the magic donkey to obtain its skin, the Princess realizes she must flee. She dons the filthy donkey skin and escapes the palace, leaving behind her identity as princess. An active choice to save herself through exile and degradation.
Mirror World
The Princess, now called "Donkey Skin," arrives at a farm where she is treated as a filthy servant. This harsh new world contrasts completely with her former life. She is mocked, degraded, and given the worst work - the mirror opposite of her royal existence.
Premise
The "fun and games" of a princess pretending to be a peasant. Donkey Skin works at the farm, secretly transforming in her magical dresses on Sundays. The Prince from a neighboring kingdom glimpses her through a keyhole in her true beauty, becoming obsessed with finding the mysterious woman.
Midpoint
The Prince, lovesick after seeing the beautiful woman in her Sunday dress, demands that "Donkey Skin" bake him a cake. She accepts, seeing opportunity. This is a false victory - she has his attention but is still trapped in her disguise. Stakes raise as she must reveal herself without truly revealing herself.
Opposition
The Princess bakes the cake with her ring inside. The Prince finds it and declares he'll marry only the woman it fits. The kingdom searches, but the Princess remains hidden in her donkey skin. The opposition is time and identity - she cannot reveal herself yet, but risks losing the Prince forever.
Collapse
All the women of the kingdom have tried the ring and failed. The Prince grows deathly ill from despair, fading away. The "whiff of death" is literal - true love appears to be dying. The Princess faces losing everything: the Prince will die, and she'll remain in exile forever.
Crisis
The Princess wrestles with revealing herself. She must choose between safety in anonymity or risk in revelation. The Lilac Fairy's earlier wisdom returns to her - she must not compromise her worth. The dark night before the dawn of decision.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The Princess requests to try the ring. She sheds the donkey skin and appears in her magnificent sun dress, revealing her true identity. The synthesis of her two worlds: she is both the peasant who survived and the princess who maintained her virtue. She chooses to be seen.
Synthesis
The ring fits perfectly. The Prince recovers immediately. The Princess's true story is revealed. The two kingdoms prepare for the wedding. The Lilac Fairy's magic ensures all is put right. The father King, released from his madness, blesses the union. All threads resolve in celebration.
Transformation
The wedding procession in full splendor. The Princess, who began in innocent happiness, lost everything, survived degradation, and has emerged as a woman who chose her own destiny. She rides not as a sheltered princess but as a woman who saved herself and found love on her own terms. The fairy tale ending earned through courage.