The Virgin Soldiers (1969)

A group of young British soldiers live locked up in Singapur of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the sergant of the regiment.

Director:

John Dexter

Writers:

John Hopkins, Ian La Frenais (additional dialogue),

Stars:

Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett, Nigel Davenport

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lynn Redgrave	...	Phillipa Raskin
Hywel Bennett	...	Pvt. Brigg
Nigel Davenport	...	Sgt. Driscoll
Nigel Patrick	...	R.S.M. Raskin
Rachel Kempson	...	Mrs. Raskin
Jack Shepherd	...	Sgt. Wellbeloved
Michael Gwynn	...	Bromley-Pickering
Tsai Chin	...	Juicy Lucy
Christopher Timothy	...	Cpl. Brook
Don Hawkins	...	Tasker
Geoffrey Hughes	...	Lantry
Roy Holder	...	Fenwick
Riggs O'Hara	...	Sinclair
Gregory Phillips	...	Foster
Wayne Sleep	...	Villiers

Storyline

A group of young British soldiers live locked up in Singapur of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the sergant of the regiment.

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Plot Keywords:

riot | train | virgin | homoeroticism | sergeant | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1970 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Bakir askerler

Filming Locations:

Singapore, Singapore

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Highroad, Open Road

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the scene where Brigg and Lantry are talking at the bar a young David Bowie can be very briefly glimpsed being escorted away by the barman.

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Connections

Followed by Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977)

User Reviews

Excellent movie

I saw this film on late-night TV in the 1970's, a few years after doing a tour in Vietnam as a 20-year-old GI in the US Army. Even though it's a different time and a different war, I really thought "The Virgin Soldiers" captured a lot of the feeling of a young, western soldier serving in a confusing, brutal, sometimes even humorous Asian war zone. One of the most realistic things was, these guys were young, like most soldiers in most wars, kind of scared, and having to face the reality of shooting the guy in the other uniform before he shoots you. And I definitely recognized a fair number of the characters, especially the sergeants. War movies often stereotype or simplify the NCO's. In reality, and in this movie, some of them are bullies, some are flat-out cowards, and some are competent, quietly heroic people who do their best to keep their troops alive in the combat zone. War is not a good thing, but how people cope (or don't cope) with it will always be a fascinating topic. I highly recommend this film...wish it was on tape or DVD.