At the time of its release, this spirited comedy defined Greek cinema, if not Greece itself, for the world—an accolade that has many built-in ironies. Mercouri established a worldwide reputation with her portrayal of Ilya, the happy Piraeus hooker who bucks the system and helps organize her fellow prostitutes to do the same. Dassin plays a Connecticut Yankee, Homer Thrace, who comes to seek an ancient truth, believes he discovers in Ilya the “departed glory of Greece,” and sets to work remaking her. Ilya—and the film—however, argue for a modern Greece that wants to be known for itself: a vital community of politics, joy, and sensuality. Mercouri won the Best Actress Award at Cannes and the film won an Academy Award for well-known theme song, written by Manos Hadjidakis.