The Virgin Soldiers (film)

The Virgin Soldiers
The Virgin Soldiers
	British quad poster by
Directed by	John Dexter
Written by	John Hopkins; John McGrath; Ian La Frenais
Based on	The Virgin Soldiers by Leslie Thomas
Produced by	Leslie Gilliat; Ned Sherrin
Starring	Lynn Redgrave; Hywel Bennett; Nigel Davenport; Nigel Patrick; Rachel Kempson
Cinematography	Kenneth Higgins
Edited by	Thelma Connell
Music by	Peter Greenwell
Production; companies	High Road Productions; Open Road Films
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	15 October 1969 (London); 5 February 1970 (New York City);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Virgin Soldiers is a 1969 British war comedy-drama film directed by John Dexter and starring Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett, Nigel Davenport, Nigel Patrick and Rachel Kempson. It is set in 1950, during the Malayan Emergency, and is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Leslie Thomas.

The film's popularity spawned a 1977 sequel, Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers^[1] with Nigel Davenport repeating his role as Sgt Driscoll.

Premise[]

Private Brigg is a soldier sent to Singapore during the Malayan Emergency along with a squad of naïve new recruits. There he falls for Phillipa Raskin, the daughter of the regimental sergeant major.

Cast[]

Lynn Redgrave as Phillipa Raskin
Hywel Bennett as Pte Brigg
Nigel Davenport as Sgt Driscoll
Nigel Patrick as R.S.M. Raskin
Rachel Kempson as Mrs. Raskin
Jack Shepherd as Sgt Wellbeloved
Michael Gwynn as Col Bromley-Pickering
Tsai Chin as Juicy Lucy
Christopher Timothy as Cpl Brook
Don Hawkins as Tasker
Geoffrey Hughes as Lantry
Roy Holder as Fenwick
as Sinclair
as Foster
as Sandy Jacobs
as Cutler
as Longley
as Forsyth
as Cpl Gravy Browning
Robert Bridges as Sgt Fred Organ
James Cosmo as Waller
Graham Crowden as Medical Officer
as Doctor
Matthew Guinness as Major Cusper
as Sikh
as 'Hallelujah'
Brenda Bruce as Nursing Sister (uncredited)
Warren Clarke as Soldier (uncredited)
Barbara Keogh as WRAC (uncredited)
James Marcus as Soldier (uncredited)
as Soldier (uncredited)

A young and uncredited David Bowie appears briefly as a soldier escorted out from behind a bar.

Reception[]

The Virgin Soldiers was the 17th-most-popular film at the U.K. box office in 1969.^[2]

References[]

^ "Leslie Thomas - obituary", Telegraph, 7 May 2014 accessed 7 May 2014
^ "The World's Top Twenty Films." Sunday Times [London, England] 27 Sept. 1970: 27. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. accessed 5 Apr. 2014

External links[]

The Virgin Soldiers at IMDb
The Virgin Soldiers at TCMDB
The Virgin Soldiers film review at New York Times
The Virgin Soldiers film review at Variety

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[1] "Leslie Thomas - obituary", Telegraph, 7 May 2014 accessed 7 May 2014

[2] "The World's Top Twenty Films." Sunday Times [London, England] 27 Sept. 1970: 27. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. accessed 5 Apr. 2014

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v t Works written by John Hopkins
Television	Fable (1965) Talking to a Stranger (1966) Smiley's People (1982) Codename: Kyril (1988)
Film	Two Left Feet (1963) Thunderball (1965) The Virgin Soldiers (1969) The Offence (1972) Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973) Murder by Decree (1979) The Holcroft Covenant (1985) Hiroshima (1995)