More Than a Miracle


More Than a Miracle is a 1967 film also titled Cinderella Italian Style and Happily Ever After. It stars Sophia Loren, Omar Sharif and Dolores del Río. The movie has a fairy tale narrative. Filmed in the countryside outside Naples, Francesco Rosi directed and Carlo Ponti produced. The theme music was a hit for Roger Williams, reaching #2 on Billboard's survey. Sergio Franchi recorded the title song on his 1968 RCA Victor album, I'm a Fool To Want You.

Plot

The film recounts the misadventures of a beautiful and temperamental Neapolitan village girl Isabella and an ill-tempered Spanish prince, Rodrigo. The prince was a risk taker, avoiding his parents' wishes for him to marry. One day while riding a horse in the countryside, he becomes distracted by a noise and sees someone flying across the sky. This person predicts his future and gives him a donkey to take him in the right direction if he pats its back and feeds him flour. On the way back, he meets Isabella. He is very much attracted to her, but she rejects him.
The king of Spain orders Rodrigo to choose a wife among seven Italian princesses within seven days, and for that he arranges a gathering, despite his attraction to Isabella. She joins the cooking team for the seven-day function while the prince searches for her in the countryside. With the help of witches and saints, Isabella finally conquers the heart of her prince and marries him.

Cast