Pote tin Kyriaki

English title: Never on Sunday

Genre: romantic comedy (in black and white)

With: Melina Mercouri (Ilya), Jules Dassin (Homer Thrace), Giorgos Foundas (Tonio), Titos Vandis (Jorgo or Jorgaki), Mitsos Ligizos (the Captain), Despo Diamantidou (Despo)

Director: Jules Dassin

Screenplay: Jules Dassin

Release: 1960

Studio: Lopert Pictures Corporation, Melinafilm

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 

– Is she?

– She is.

 

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Story-line: in the sunny and vibrant port district of Athens, Ilya, a glorious prostitute, is sought after by all men who live from the sea. And when an aspiring philosopher from America catches sight of her, he too falls under the spell of this siren worthy of the Odyssey. 

Pluses: a triumphant performance by Melina Mercouri (a Cannes Festival winner), excellent support from Jules Dassin and a cast exhibiting great comic timing, a witty and hilarious screenplay that banks on Ilya’s charm, Greek customs and a picturesque setting, sensible and artistically-inclined direction by an underrated helmer, a swinging score by Manos Hatzidakis and one mythical musical scene in which Melina shows as much star power as Marlene Dietrich in THE BLUE ANGEL.  

Minuses: none, and I do mean none.

Comments: NEVER ON SUNDAY, an exuberant and invigorating comedy, plays like a fairy tale pitting the ambitions of men against the joys of a simple life. Lighthearted, endearing, zany yet utterly believable, Jules Dassin’s film ranks right up there with Billy Wilder's best comedies (IRMA LA DOUCE, among others). If you’re looking for sunshine in our forbidding world, this one won’t disappoint you. OK, fellas, let’s hear some more of that bouzouki music!   

 

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Iris

Genre: biographical drama 

With: Kate Winslet and Judi Dench (a young and older Iris Murdoch), Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent (a young and older John Bayley), Eleanor Bron (the Principal), Angela Morant (the Hostess), Penelope Wilton (Janet Stone)

Director: Richard Eyre

Screenplay: Richard Eyre and Charles Wood, based on two books by John Bayley

Release: 2001

Studio: BBC, Fox Iris Productions et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

“You must accept what I am. Nothing matters except loving what is good.” 

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Story-line: through multiple flashbacks and flashforwards, IRIS recounts two crucial periods in the lives of writers Iris Murdoch and John Bayley: their early years as a couple and their frightful old age marred by her mental illness.

Pluses: excellent acting by Judi Dench and Kate Winslet (both Oscar-nominated) as two sides of a fiery, daring woman determined to live life to the fullest, valiant turns by Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent (an Oscar winner), a robust and wide-ranging screenplay that dazzles with its witty dialogues and always maintains interest, professional direction and production values, perfect editing (Martin Walsh) and a sad, beautiful musical score by James Horner.

Minuses: a warning to those looking for light entertainment: this sometimes brutal film depicts with uncanny realism the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and the gruelling task of caregivers.   

Comments: exhilarating at times and heartbreaking at others, IRIS achieves its grand ambitions as it portrays two fascinating intellectuals in full bloom and through their inexorable decay late in life. Especially in these times of tumult and social reassessment, Richard Eyre's work gives us a sterling example of humanity and patience with its ode to great writing and difficult love. 

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