Nunca aos Domingos (1960)

An American scholar in Greece sets about improving the prostitute with whom he is infatuated.

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writer:

Jules Dassin

Stars:

Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, Giorgos Foundas

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melina Mercouri	...	Ilya
Jules Dassin	...	Homer Thrace
Giorgos Foundas	...	Tonio (as Georges Foundas)
Titos Vandis	...	Giorgos
Mitsos Ligizos	...	Captain
Despo Diamantidou	...	Despo
Dimos Starenios	...	Skoupidis
Dimitris Papamichael	...	British Seaman (as Dimitri Papamichael)
Alexis Solomos	...	Mr. Noface
Aleka Katselli
Faidon Georgitsis	...	British Seaman
Giorgos Foras	...	(as George Foras)
Nikos Fermas	...	Waiter
Giannis Fermis	...	Man Missing the Tramway
Hristoforos Zikas	...	(as Christos Zikas)

Storyline

Beautiful and corrupt, sociable and sensitive, Ilya, an independent, happy-go-lucky streetwalker in the bustling Port of Piraeus, is the talk of the town. Intrigued by her character, the love-smitten American intellectual and amateur philosopher, Homer Thrace, sets his sights on becoming Ilya's Pygmalion, and in the process, attempt to explain the decline of the great Ancient Greek civilisation. Of course--as Ilya belongs to no one, and the handsome Greek-Italian dockhand, Tonio, is bent on winning her heart--this is a challenging task, especially when proud Ilya swears that she leads a full and exciting life. Now, the romantic philhellene has two short weeks to accomplish his task. Will he learn a thing or two about life, and maybe, just maybe, find the secret of happiness?

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | piraeus | three word title | day in title | ancient greek mythology | 

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Taglines:

The Happy Street-Walker of Piraeus...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

(Banned)

Did You Know?

Trivia

About 20 minutes in, Homer says "Homer Thrace, of Middletown, Connecticut" to himself; That's the town where Jules Dassin was born.

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Quotes

The Captain: Illia's happy. She's worked out a way of living. Let her alone.
Homer: No, it's impossible. A whore can't be happy. A whorish world can't be happy. I'd like to reach her mind.
The Captain: What do you want to put in her mind?
Homer: Reason, in place of fantasy. Morality, instead of immorality. I've got to educate her. Transform her.
The Captain: Remember what happened to Pygmalion.
Homer: I wouldn't make that mistake. She is lovely. But for me, she's not a woman; she's an idea. She's an outlaw. Yes! Can't you see? The law must be established ...
[...]

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Connections

Spoofed in The Carol Burnett Show: Joel Grey, "Mama" Cass Elliot (1972)

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Soundtracks

Den pernas kyra Maria
Traditional children's song

User Reviews

Mercouri is Dazzling

Melina Mercouri takes an often-played role - the 'Whore with a Heart of Gold who Loves Life Despite It All' - and makes it her career-defining movie role, and she is the entire reason to watch the movie. Fiercely independent, sexually progressive, not spending her life trying to find the perfect man and gorgeous, she's a force of life.

Jules Dassin has directed a great movie but he should have hired an actor to play Homer, and not played it himself. He almost ruins all the charm the movie has going for it with his ineffective acting, bad line readings and stupid motivations. A better actor might have found a way around the rough spots but Dassin magnifies them.

Mercouri probably should have won Best Actress that year, but who can beat a Liz Taylor death scare? Plus Simeone Signoret had won Best Actress the year before, and Sophia Loren would win the following year..you don't want to upset icons like Louella Parsons, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne by giving ALL the Oscars to foreigners, do you?? Maybe the fact that she does not die at the end was too much..we all know the odds of longevity for a hooker in a Hollywood movie. Taylor met that criteria, as if she needed to help her own odds after almost dying of pneumonia.

Worth watching for sure. 8/10.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Greece

Language:

English Greek Russian

Release Date:

9 September 1960 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Nunca ao Domingo

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Box Office

Budget:

$151,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melina Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1