Good concept, poorly executed.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

One of the greatest comedies of all time, Never on Sunday is an excellent examination of cultural imperialism and the clash between two very different outlooks.The character of Homer has the limitation of being unwilling to see the world through any other eyes but his own: his narrow-mindedness means he cannot see the very thing he is seeking on his quest. The Greeks have moved beyond a search for the truth, being content in their carefree lifestyle. The imperialist ambitions of ancient Athens are no longer a concern for them but, for the Americans, just setting out on their empire building, they are a priority.Homer's attempts to force the Greek population to fit his image of what they should be is an attempt at this very imperialism. Once the cradle of civilisation, he feels they should now conform to his world-view. Informed by the puritans and ancient philosophies long-rejected by the Greeks themselves, he forces himself onto a society onto which he cannot be grafted.He has the arrogance of an academic and does not understand human beings. His attempts at bettering Melina's character are attempts to force her to see his world-view. His belief he is truly bettering her is self-delusion.However, it is not solely the American character who imposes his view on others. Throughout the course of the film, the Greek port is visited in turn by the US, British and Russian naval fleets. Greece is clearly subjugated to each of these military empires now yet, somehow, it remains a happy place for they depart soon after, leaving the locals largely unaffected by their impositions.Melina's character's zest for life famously extends to the Greek tragedies. With the film's play within a play, she famously reinterprets the tragedy to conform to her world-view. Homer reacts angrily to this even though he is trying to force actual people to conform to his. (One has to wonder if Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author", published just seven years later was in anyway inspired by the ideas in this film of the audience constructing, albeit humorously, their own meaning and interpretation of the text.) The film's pace is fast and light-hearted and the many outdoor scenes reflect Melina's character's sunny mood. The soundtrack again is sprightly and energetic, encapsulating a zest for life and the film was exceptionally well-cast and acted.In the end, Homer of course achieves the aim of his quest by learning, when in Greece, do as the Greeks do. The simple lesson that it is love that will reform the girl is almost banal but here it works. She must be cared for and nurtured not forced to submit to the will of a foreigner.Ultimately, it is the comedy and the light-hearted way in which the moral of the story is expressed that makes this film delightful. Perfectly filmed and still humorous and highly relevant over fifty years after its release, this is one of the great comedies and one that this reviewer highly recommends.

An American scholar (Jules Dassin) in Greece meets earthy, happy prostitute Ilya (Melina Mercouri). He attempts to "reform" her and make her better.The plot is old, clichéd and entirely predictable but this works. It shows what Greece (supposedly) was like in 1960 and you get caught up in the spirit of it. Everybody is happy, sex is seen as a great thing, everybody gets drunk and there's no problem with it and all the Greek men know how to dance and sing. It's actually refreshing to see a film that doesn't condemn all these things! Also Mercouri is just fantastic is Ilya. She's full of energy and fire and is drop dead gorgeous. It's hard to believe she was 40 when she did this! Also Tonio, her boyfriend (sort of), is played by the extremely handsome Giorgos Foundas. Him and Mercouri work well together and their scenes really sparkle. They also almost show Mercouri topless a few times and almost show Foundas nude also. These scenes are tame today but they must have been shocking in 1960. Mercouri also sings the title song in Greek.The bad things--there's some badly overdubbed dialogue in the beginning (watch the fighting scene), Dassins' character is extremely annoying and unlikable and this was so predictable I started to get bored. Still it's pleasant and enjoyable. Slightly recommended.

SYNOPSIS: A well educated American tourists attempts to 'enlighten' a Greek prostitute in a small seaside village.CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER Newer is not always better, and sometimes over analyzing a problem can only make it worse. Leave well enough alone. It is more important to be happy than to understand everything.PROS AND CONS Every recent prostitute film from 'Irma la Duce' to 'Pretty Woman' owes a lot to this work. It was one of the first films that shed light on the idea that prostitution was a respectable and acceptable way to make a living.If nothing else this film is a homage by Jules Dassin to his wife, Melina Mercouri. She is the focus of the film and she captivates any scene she is in with her zest for life and smoldering sexuality. The other thing you tend to fall in love with is the romantic ideal of living in Greece in 1960. It appears care free, relaxed and almost infectious with its love of the simple life.The plot of the film is not overly complex and deals with an outsider, Homer (Dassin) arriving in town to study Greek culture. He is almost immediately captivated by Ilya (Mercouri) as one of the local prostitutes that 'freelances' and does not work for the town pimp. She negotiates a price with whomever she chooses, and sleeps with all the towns vendors in exchange for her daily goods (food, wine, drinks, etc), but she never 'works' on Sunday. Hence the title to the film.Homer is smitten by Ilya and decides that he must 'save' her from what he perceives as a wretched life that is going no where and decides to educate her so that she can see the error of her ways. In the end, this does nothing but frustrate everyone in town. The education of Ilya does have a silver lining, which if anything, leaves the town more corrupted than when Homer found it.The underlying theme of the film is that one should strive to be happy in what you do and more importantly, who you know. There is an interconnection between people in a small town, and disrupting those connections may lift some people up, but is not good for the whole of society. Regardless of his meddling, the towns people never turn on Homer, or blame him for anything. At their core, they know that life is to be enjoyed and blaming people for your troubles is just not part of the mix.

This movie is almost wonderful and it is totally due to Ms. Mercouri's efforts. She steals every scene she is in by just being fabulous to watch, not unlike Magnani was or Garbo. It was the misfortune of either her choice or her director's to put Jules Dassin in the primary male role. I have not seen such self-aware acting since high school plays. His gestures are huge and overblown and one is completely aware all the time of his actory acting getting in the way of his losing himself in the character. In that Ms. Mercouri eventually married him, I must conclude she had something to do with his being cast. What a fatal error. It is almost embarrassing to watch him. One is begging for the hook to swing onstage and grab him away. I can only suspect his primary experience before this was in live theatre where the exaggerated posturing he's adept at would not have been so obvious, perhaps to audiences of that time. Now, he looks as out of place as a silent film star in talkies who cannot figure out what to do next with his voice. Such a shame. He isn't even as awkward as someone picked up on the street in naivete because he might look like 'everyman'--all due to his staginess. The conclusion is, the film hasn't aged well and only because of his lame performance. Watch it for Melina and use his scenes to steal to kitchen for some treats in between.