The Virgin Soldiers (1969)

A group of young British soldiers billeted in Singapore of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the Regimental Sergeant Major.

Director:

John Dexter

Writers:

Leslie Thomas (novel), John Hopkins (screenplay)

Stars:

Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett, Nigel Davenport

Cast

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

Storyline

A group of young British soldiers billeted in Singapore of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the Regimental Sergeant Major.

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Plot Keywords:

homoeroticism | gay soldier | gay interest | singapore | sergeant | 

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Taglines:

There's a first time for everything.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1970 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Bakir askerler

Filming Locations:

Malaya

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Open Road Films (II), Highroad Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White (archive material) Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut theatrical feature film directed by John Dexter.

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Goofs

The RSM (Regimental Sargeant Major) is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, he would have been addressed as Sir.... similar to Warrant Officers in the RAF....still classed as a SNCO and would be addressed as Sir. (in the RAF we addressed Chief Technician's as Chief and Flight Sargeant's as Flight)

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Connections

Referenced in Diary of a Rape (1971)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Hywel Bennett stands to attention.

I had assumed that The Virgin Soldiers would be a light-hearted, bawdy slice of British sexploitation in the vein of the Carry On, Confessions and 'Adventures of…' series, but it turned out to be a far more realistic affair, and actually proved all the better for it. The film stars Hywel Bennett as Brigg, a young conscript in the National Service, stationed in Singapore during the early 1950s. Working as a clerk, Brigg hopes that the only action he will see is with the local ladies and a sergeant's daughter, Phillipa (Lynn Redgrave), but he finds himself in mortal danger when he and his fellow conscripts see active duty against rioters and bandits.

While there are some mildly funny and a few sexy moments to be had, the film works best as a touching coming of age drama and a poignant anti-war film: as Brigg counts down the days to his return to good old Blighty, he makes the transition from untainted youth to worldly-wise young man, experiencing camaraderie, love (of sorts), fear, and even death, forced to kill or be killed. Bennett is brilliant in his role, displaying just the right amount of wide-eyed innocence, and he is given able support from a raft of familiar British faces, including Nigel Davenport as Sgt. Driscoll, Christopher Timothy (All Creatures Great and Small) as Cpl. Brook, Geoffrey Hughes (Coronation Street) as Lantry, Jack Shepherd (Wycliffe) as Sergeant Wellbeloved, and Wayne Sleep as Villiers, the toughest soldier in the platoon (nah, just kidding).