Never on Sunday

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.

This article is about the 1960 film. For other uses, see Never on Sunday (disambiguation).
Never on Sunday
Directed byJules Dassin
Written byJules Dassin
StarringMelina Mercouri
Jules Dassin
Giorgos Fountas
CinematographyJacques Natteau
Edited byRoger Dwyre
Music byManos Hatzidakis
Production
company
Melina Film
Distributed byLopert Pictures Corporation (United States)
Release date
  • 1 October 1960 (1960-10-01)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryGreece
LanguagesGreek
English
Russian
Budget$150,000[1][2]
Box office$4 million (rentals)[3]

The film tells the story of Ilya, a contented Greek prostitute (Melina Mercouri), and Homer (Dassin), an earnest American classicist. Homer attempts to steer her toward morality while Ilya attempts to make Homer more relaxed. The original screenplay examines the impact of intellectual imperialism upon indigenous Joie de vivre. It constitutes a variation of the Pygmalion plus "hooker with a heart of gold" story.[4]

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.[5]

Plot

Ilya, a self-employed, free-spirited prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus in Greece, meets Homer Thrace, an American tourist and classical scholar and passionate Philhellene. Homer feels that Ilya's promiscuity typifies the epicurean degradation of Greek classical culture and attempts to steer her onto the path of morality while Ilya attempts to relax him and avoid his getting into unnecessary arguments and fights.

Cast

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 rated it as VM16, not suitable for children under 16. The committee also demanded dialogue modifications and the excision of explicit scenes.[6]

Home media

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

Stage adaptation

Dassin and Mercouri adapted the film for Broadway as a musical, titled Illya Darling, starring Mercouri again in the title role.[7] She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.

References
  1. Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 127
  2. "On $151,000 Negative Cost, Forsee 'Never On Sunday' Rentals of $8 mill". Variety. 1 November 1961. p. 1.
  3. "All-Time Top Grossers", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 69
  4. Christopher Bonano, Gods, Heroes, And Philosophers, p. 53
  5. "Festival de Cannes: Never on Sunday". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  6. 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.
  7. Tams Witmark Illya Darlingaccessed 06/24/2023
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