Never on Sunday (Greek: Ποτέ την Κυριακή, Poté tin Kyriakí) is a 1960 Greek romantic comedy film starring, written by and directed by Jules Dassin.
Never on Sunday | |
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Directed by | Jules Dassin |
Written by | Jules Dassin |
Starring | Melina Mercouri Jules Dassin Giorgos Fountas |
Cinematography | Jacques Natteau |
Edited by | Roger Dwyre |
Music by | Manos Hatzidakis |
Distributed by | Lopert Pictures Corporation (United States) |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
Countries | Greece United States |
Languages | English Greek Russian |
Budget | $150,000[1] |
Box office | $4 million (rentals)[2] |
The film tells the story of Ilya, a Greek prostitute (Melina Mercouri), 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 plus "hooker with a heart of gold" story.[3]
The film's bouzouki theme became a hit and the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (Manos Hadjidakis for "Never on Sunday"). It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Mercouri), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay as Written Directly for the Screen (both Dassin). Mercouri won the award for Best Actress at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.[4]
Ilya, a self-employed, free-spirited prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus 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.
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 rated it as VM16, not suitable for children under 16. The committee also demanded dialogue modifications and the excision of explicit scenes.[5]
MGM released Never on Sunday on VHS in 2000 as part of its Vintage Classic lineup.
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Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw | ||
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