Never on a Sunday

Posted by SR on April 06, 2004

In Reply to: Never on a Sunday posted by ESC on April 06, 2004

: : What does it mean and where did it come from?

: NEVER ON A SUNDAY -- There was a movie about a prostitute, Never on Sunday . And a song:
: Never on a Sunday when the church is full of people
: And the bells are ringing in the steeple, la la....
: Oh, you can kiss me on a Monday
: A Monday, a Monday is very very good
: Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday
: A Tuesday, a Tuesday in fact I wish you would
: Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday
: A Thursday, a Friday, and Saturday is best
: But never never on a Sunday
: A Sunday, a Sunday 'cause that's my day of rest...

: I haven't seen the movie. So I'm not sure if the song was its theme song or not.

: 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