''Never on Sunday'' ( el, Ποτέ την Κυριακή, ) is a 1960 Greek

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film starring, written by and directed by

Jules Dassin Julius "Jules" Dassin (December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, whe ...

. The film tells the story of Ilya, a Greek prostitute (

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...

), and Homer (Dassin), an American classicist. Homer attempts to steer her toward morality while Ilya attempts to make Homer more relaxed. It constitutes a variation of the

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

plus "

hooker with a heart of gold The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character involving a courtesan or prostitute who possesses virtues such as integrity, generosity and kindness. Characteristics The character type is defined by morally positive traits, which are contra ...

" story.Christopher Bonano, ''Gods, Heroes, And Philosophers''
p. 53
/ref> The film's

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

theme became a hit and the film won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

(

Manos Hadjidakis Manos may refer to: Films * ''The Hands'' (Spanish: ''Las manos''), a 2006 Argentinean-Italian film * '' Manos: The Hands of Fate'', 1966 horror film Music * Manos (band), German Black metal band * ''Manos'' (album), by The Spinanes Other use ...

for "

Never on Sunday ''Never on Sunday'' ( el, Ποτέ την Κυριακή, ) is a 1960 Greek romantic comedy film starring, written by and directed by Jules Dassin. The film tells the story of Ilya, a Greek prostitute (Melina Mercouri), and Homer (Dassin), an Am ...

"). It was nominated for Academy Awards for

Best Actress in a Leading Role The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

(Mercouri), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay as Written Directly for the Screen (both Dassin). Mercouri won the award for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

at the

1960 Cannes Film Festival The 13th Cannes Film Festival was held from 4 to 20 May 1960. The Palme d'Or went to the ''La Dolce Vita'' by Federico Fellini. The festival opened with '' Ben-Hur'', directed by William Wyler. Jury The following people were appointed as the Ju ...

Plot

Ilya, a self-employed, free-spirited prostitute who lives in the port of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...

in Greece, meets Homer, an American tourist and classical scholar who is enamored of all things Greek. Homer feels that Ilya's lifestyle typifies the degradation of Greek classical culture and attempts to steer her onto the path of morality while Ilya attempts to relax him.

Cast

as Ilya *

as Homer Thrace *

Giorgos Fountas Giorgos Fountas ( el, Γιώργος Φούντας; February 13, 1922 – November 28, 2010) was a Greek actor in film and television. Biography Fountas attended the Dramatic School at the Athens Odeum. He appeared for the first time in ...

as Tonio *

Titos Vandis Titos Vandis ( el, Τίτος Βανδής; 7 November 1917 – 23 February 2003) was a Greek actor. Biography Vandis began his career on the Greek stage in the late 1930s. In 1962, he won the Best Actor award for the film ''Poliorkia'' at ...

as Jorgo * Mitsos Ligizos as The Captain (as Mitsos Lygizos) *

Despo Diamantidou Despoina "Despo" Diamantidou ( el, Δέσπω Διαμαντίδου; 13 July 1916 – 18 February 2004) was a Greek actress. She appeared in more than seventy films from 1949 to 2003. She played Tatiana in Alan King's summer replacement sitcom, ' ...

as Despo * Dimos Starenios as Poubelle *

Dimitris Papamichael Dimitris Papamichael ( el, Δημήτρης Παπαμιχαήλ ; 1934–2004) was a popular Greek actor and director. In 1965, he married Aliki Vougiouklaki, the so-called "national star" of Greece. The star couple remained married for a decad ...

as Sailor (as Dimitri Papamichael) * Alexis Solomos as Noface *

Thanassis Veggos Thanasis Veggos (alternatively spelt Thanassis and/or Vengos; Greek: Θανάσης Βέγγος; pronounced: ''Thanássis Véngos''; 29 May 19273 May 2011) was a Greek actor and director born in Neo Faliro, Piraeus. He performed in around 130 film ...

Phaedon Georgitsis Phaedon Georgitsis ( el, Φαίδων Γεωργίτσης; 21 January 1939 – 1 March 2019) was a Greek actor. He was a popular actor of Greek cinema. He starred in many films, 13 of which were produced by Finos Film. He was also one of the main ...

as Sailor * Nikos Fermas as Waiter

Reception

When the film was first released in Italy in 1960, the Committee for the Theatrical Review of the

Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities The Ministry of Culture ( it, Ministero della Cultura - MiC) is the ministry of the Government of Italy in charge of national museums and the '' monuments historiques''. MiC's headquarters are located in the historic Collegio Romano Palace (v ...

rated it as VM16, not suitable for children under 16. The committee also demanded dialogue modifications and the excision of explicit scenes.Italia Taglia
Database of the documents produced by the Committee for the Theatrical Review of The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, from 1944 to 2000.

Home media

MGM released ''Never on Sunday'' on VHS in 2000 as part of its Vintage Classic lineup.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Never On Sunday 1960 films 1960 romantic comedy films 1960s sex comedy films 1960s English-language films English-language Greek films 1960s Greek-language films Greek black-and-white films Films about prostitution in Greece Films set in Greece Films shot in Greece Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award Films directed by Jules Dassin Greek multilingual films Piraeus American multilingual films Films scored by Manos Hatzidakis Greek romantic comedy films 1960s multilingual films Censored films