Never on Sunday

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Thirty-two years before My Big Fat Greek Wedding brought Greek-American culture to a mainstream audience, Never on Sunday took mainstream culture to Greece, with similarly popular results. Expatriate director Jules Dassin wrote, directed, and costars in this vibrant and (in retrospect) rather simple-minded celebration of good living, as embodied by the vivacious Melina Mercouri in the Cannes award-winning role of her career. She's Ilya, a fiercely independent prostitute who hand-picks her clientele, and Dassin plays Homer, an American intellectual enamored of all things Greek, and determined to steer Ilya onto the straight and moral path. He's out of his depth, of course; it's not long before his efforts are exposed as naively self-serving, and half the fun of Never on Sunday comes from watching Mercouri amiably deflect any attempt to dampen her indomitable spirit. Innocently good-natured by latter-day standards, Dassin's delightful film still retains its popular charm, and its familiar bouzouki theme is an irresistible invitation to join in the fun. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Nominated* for five Academy AwardsÂ(r), including Best Actress, Director and Original Screenplay, and featuring the OscarÂ(r)-winning* song "Never on Sunday," this "racy, arty comedy"(The Hollywood Reporter) is as intoxicating as fine Greek wine...and a "rambunctious" (Time) delight! Glasses are smashing, fingers are snapping and everyone's dancing to the sultry music of the bouzoukies! It's just another glorious moment in the carefree world of Illia (Melina Mercouri), Greece's most radiant lady of the night. Sensuous Illia adores her life, and every man in her seaport paradise adores her. But when Homer (Jules Dassin), a stuffy American intellectual, sails into town and tries to reform her, Illia shows him that she's one free spirit who's happy with her wild life and not about to be tamed. *1960: Original Song (won), Costume Design

Customer Reviews:

Never on Sunday.......2007-06-28

Ousted from Hollywood during the blacklist years, noir director Jules Dassin ("Rififi") fashioned this buoyant, flavorful romantic comedy with real-life wife Mercouri and scored a direct hit. As Homer, Dassin is an awkwardly earnest presence, desperately longing to cultivate the confident, effervescent Ilia, who is beloved by the town's sailors and unable to see the ugliness in Greek tragedies like "Medea." Mercouri, in her star-making role, really turns on the charm, making "Never on Sunday" a vivacious, bonafide Grecian delight.

Ayyyy....OPA!!!!!!!!!.......2007-05-22

Purchased this and Zorba the Greek to help remind me of my time living in Crete. They both represent the joy and exuberence with which the Greeks and Cretans live. In Never On Sunday, the pragmatic Homer tries to "better" Illia by having her conform to post-Greco-Roman empire Western ideals. What he fails to realize, is that the pure beauty and essence of truth is what makes Illia tick to begin with. She represents a desire and quest for things "epicurian and sensual", but without the baggage of our modern societal morals. It is this living in the moment, without pretense and without malice that captures the spirit of Greece. Homer finally gets it, and is better for it. Eferesto poli ti Illia!

Melina shines in this one.......2007-05-13

Jules Dassin's (wrote, directed and starred)charming b&w portrayal of Melina's tough but kind hearted prostitute, done interestingly, half in Greek and half in English. Her scene with Dimitri Papamichael, as a British sailor "first timer" was priceless. You are better off if you know Greek or someone can translate, the subtitles lose something in the translation. Racy in 1960, relatively tame now, Dassin manages to capture the Greece of a simpler time using extensive on location shooting, ala his "Naked City", the movie, not the later TV series. It is a shame Dassin was blacklisted in the 50's and had to go to Europe to work.

"The Last Greek Goddess", .......2007-03-28

Melina Mercouri, "The Last Greek Goddess", stars in the comedy "Never on Sunday"(1960) directed/written by Jules Dassin. She plays Illia, the most sensuous and radiant "lady of the night" in the seaport Pyres where every man adores her and she is the one who chooses her partners. Mercouri was 40 years old when she played Illia but she did not hide a single day of her age and she was gorgeous, full of the inner fire and absolutely irresistible. When the new Pygmalion, the intellectual American named Homer (of course) sails into the town and meets Illia, he decides that his search for meaning of life would end in Pyres if he would reform Illia and make her change her way of life. With all his intellect and education he couldn't understand a very simple truth about Illia - only true love might change her. Homer played by director/writer Jules Dassin is the weakest part of this mostly charming comedy. I agree with one of the IMDb commenters who said that "Jules Dassin has directed a great movie but he should have hired an actor to play Homer, and not played it himself... A better actor might have found a way around the rough spots but Dassin magnifies them." I guess that in real life Dassin was much more charming that in the film because he and Mercouri were married in 1966 and stayed married until her death in 1994.

Never on sunday.......2007-03-09

Recomand to every one who is inlove.one of the best love story.

Average customer rating:

Never on Sunday
Starring: Never on Sunday
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000MV90AI
Release Date: 2007-02-13

DVD:

DVD

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