C’ERA UNA VOLTA (MORE THAN A MIRACLE)

Italy, 1967, 104 minutes, Colour.
Sophia Loren, Omar Sharif, Georges Wilson, Leslie French, Dolores Del Rio.
Directed by Francesco Rosi.

Once Upon a Time is the correct translation of the title of this Italian film which went by the name of More Than a Miracle. It is a charming adult fairy story about a tempestuous Neapolitan peasant (a suitable role for Sophia Loren with her Neapolitan peasant background) and the temperamental Prince of Spain who is to choose a wife from the Neapolitan princesses. Because it is a fairy tale, saints and fairies assist the peasant in her wooing of the prince and melting his heart for her – including a competition for washing up dishes. The film has the light touch – which is unexpected from writer-director Francesco Rosi who made a number of classics of Italian cinema including Salvatore Giuliano, Hands Over the City, Moment of Truth. After More Than a Miracle he made such films as The Mattei Affair, Lucky Luciano, Illustrious Corpses and Christ Stopped at Eboli. He also did a film version of Bizet’s Carmen.

This film has great charm for an adult audience.

1. The impact and appeal of this film? Its charm? Audience response to a fairy tale? Title, colour, widescreen? The initial tone?

2, How was the film a fairy tale? A fairy tale within a real setting, a historical setting? The impact of such a fairy tale?

3. The film as a social fairy tale, especially in the presentation of the prince, the nobility, the peasants and the emphasis on social values?

4. The film as a religious fairy tale? St. Joseph and his kindness, and his final message about happiness rather than mortification? The atmosphere of superstition, witches and spells and the advice from the old Seer?

5. How was the hero a "Prince Charming"? How was he not charming? His arrogance about the wife, his preoccupation with his horse, the happiness of his encounter with Isabella and yet his fighting her? His selfishness, the paralysis by the spell? His attack on Isabella and putting her in the barrel? His arrogance and his skill at the tournament? The competition for his wives? His love for Isabella, and yet his harshness towards her? The final change? The traditional presentation of a prince-hero? The variations on the "Prince Charming" theme? The message via the portrayal critically of the prince?

6. The criticism of the image of the Prince Charming of the fairy tale? Where were the possibilities of change?

7. Isabella and the Cinderella-type character? How attractive her peasant background, the confession? with the prince about the horse, her helping him, the episode with her shrewdness in pretending about his death? yet her suffering? The prince's humiliation of her? her being discovered on the seashore? Her participation in her meeting the prince again, her news in arranging this? Her involvement in the competition and the cheating? The impact of her public abuse of the prince? Her mouthing of the social values? The happy ending, The variations of the "Cinderella" theme?

8. The role of the prince's mother and her influence on him? The criticism of the arrogant nobility?

9. The portrayal of the rival princesses, the poking fun at them, their competition by washing up and the social implications of thing the princess who tainted at the dirty plate? The princess who cheated? The satire on the nobility?

10. The role of the pretentious and aristocratic cook? His role in the kitchen and his arrogance, treatment of the cook, hie participation in the cheating?

11. The portrayal of the ordinary people, their harshness and yet their being downtrodden by the Spaniards, the portrait of the nobility, the people who worked in the castle, the women cooks, the page-boy, the monks and the happiness with the children?

12. The importance of the character of St Joseph? The fascination of his flying? His helping the prince with the dumplings, his death, his special message of happiness in life for Isabella, his continued protection of her, his return to the other flying saints?

13. What conventions of fairy tales did the film use? The variations and significance of the changes?

14. The value of this kind of moral fable?