The Virgin Soldiers (film)

The Virgin Soldiers
British quad poster by John Stockle
Directed by	John Dexter
Produced by	Leslie Gilliat Nat Sherrin
Written by	John Hopkins John McGrath Ian La Frenais
Based on	novel by Leslie Thomas
Starring	Lynn Redgrave Hywel Bennett Nigel Davenport Nigel Patrick Rachel Kempson
Music by	Peter Greenwell
Cinematography	Kenneth Higgins
Edited by	Thelma Connell
Production company	High Road Productions Open Road Films
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	15 October 1969 (UK) 5 February 1970 (US)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Virgin Soldiers is a 1969 film set in 1950, during the Malayan Emergency, and based on the novel by Leslie Thomas. The film led to a sequel, Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977).^[1]

Plot

Private Brigg is a National Serviceman sent to Singapore during the Malayan Emergency along with a squad of naive 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
• Riggs O'Hara as Sinclair
• Gregory Phillips as Foster
• Peter Kelly as Sandy Jacobs
• Mark Nicholl as Cutler
• Alan Shatsman as Longley
• Jonty Miller as Forsyth
• Jolyon Jackley as Cpl Gravy Browning
• Robert Bridges as Sgt Fred Organ
• James Cosmo as Waller
• Graham Crowden as Medical Officer
• Dudley Jones as Doctor
• Matthew Guinness as Major Cusper
• Naranjan Singh as Sikh
• F Yew as 'Hallelujah'
• Brenda Bruce as Nursing Sister (uncredited)
• Warren Clarke as Soldier (uncredited)
• Barbara Keogh as WRAC (uncredited)
• James Marcus as Soldier (uncredited)
• Jeremy Roughton as Soldier (uncredited)

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

Reception

The film was the 17th most popular movie at the UK box office in 1969.^[2]

References

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

External links

• The Virgin Soldiers at the Internet Movie Database
• The Virgin Soldiers at TCMDB
• The Virgin Soldiers film review at New York Times
• The Virgin Soldiers film review at Variety