Never on Sunday (1960)

Set in Greece 'Never on Sunday' is a comedy about a visiting American philosopher (Jules Dassin, who also wrote and directs) who sets about trying to reform a popular local prostitute (Greek actress Melina Mercouri, who Dassin would later marry). Mercouri gives a lively performance in what I thought to be a not particularly good film, though it was very well received at the time winning awards at Cannes and nominated for multiple Oscars, including best actress and best director (still a rarity even today for a foreign film) it actually won best song (which is also called 'Never on Sunday' but is sang entirely in Greek). A variant on 'Pygmalion' its a 'happy hooker story' and one of those, 'the Greeks are so full of life, don't you wish you were like them' stories which have never fully worked for me (I didn't care for 'Zorba the Greek'). Dassin is often annoying but Mercouri elevates things and the films only an hour and a half, if they'd played it longer it would have been painful. **