The Virgin Soldiers | |
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![]() British quad poster by John Stockle | |
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 |
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 |
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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. [1] It is set in 1950, during the Malayan Emergency, and is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Leslie Thomas.
In the film's 1977 sequel, Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers [2] Nigel Davenport repeated his role as Sgt Driscoll.
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.
A young and uncredited David Bowie appears briefly as a soldier escorted out from behind a bar.
The Virgin Soldiers was the 17th-most-popular film at the UK box office in 1969. [3]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The Virgin Soldiers remains firmly rooted in the tradition of British Forces Comedy. The jokes, which make up most of the script, revolve round the obvious bawdy themes of service life, and the sexual encounters are presented in what is almost a Carry On fashion ... All this is made even more surprising by the occasional lapses into a tone of portentous seriousness. ... It may be unreasonable to expect of John Hopkins (scripting from an adaptation, with 'additional dialogue' to boot) that his screenplay should have attained the same level of prickly intensity which is present in so much of his television work, but one hardly anticipated that he would turn out something as utterly conventional as this. There are some lively performances, especially from Lynn Redgrave, and the atmosphere seems authentic enough; but overall it is difficult not to feel that The Virgin Soldiers is really nothing more than a kind of monstrous mating of [1956] and The Family Way [1966 ]with a bit of The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961) thrown in for foul measure." [4]
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE was an English actor and filmmaker. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Mourning Becomes Electra (1947), as well as two BAFTA nominations for Best British Actor for his performances in The Night My Number Came Up (1955) and Time Without Pity (1957).
Georgy Girl is a 1966 British black-and-white romantic comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano and starring Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason, and Rachel Kempson. It was written by Margaret Forster and Peter Nichols based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Forster. The film tells the story of a virginal young woman in 1960s Swinging London, who is faced with a dilemma when she is pursued by her father's older employer and the young lover of her promiscuous, pregnant flatmate. Grossing $16.8 million, Georgy Girl was a box-office success, and it also spawned a hit theme song.
Rachel, Lady Redgrave, known primarily by her birth name Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.
Duncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions.
Hywel Thomas Bennett was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in The Family Way (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–1992).
Leslie Thomas, OBE was a Welsh author best known for his comic novel The Virgin Soldiers.
The Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army. It was Thomas' debut novel; he had previously published an autobiography. The Virgin Soldiers sold millions of copies during the author´s lifetime.
Nigel Patrick was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family.
David William Frederick Lodge was an English character actor.
Sword of Sherwood Forest is a 1960 British Eastman Color adventure film in MegaScope directed by Terence Fisher and starring Richard Greene, Peter Cushing, Niall MacGinnis and Sarah Branch. Greene reprises the role of Robin Hood, which he played in The Adventures of Robin Hood TV series 1955–1959. It was produced by Sidney Cole and Greene for Hammer Film Productions.
The Planter's Wife is a 1952 British war drama film directed by Ken Annakin, and starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. It is set against the backdrop of the Malayan Emergency and focuses on a rubber planter and his neighbours who are fending off a campaign of sustained attacks by Communist insurgents while also struggling to save their marriage.
Emergency Call, released in the US as The Hundred Hour Hunt, is a 1952 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Jack Warner, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton and Sid James. It was distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The film was a noted success compared to its small budget and helped establish Gilbert as a director. It was remade in 1962 as Emergency.
The Night My Number Came Up is a 1955 British supernatural drama film directed by Leslie Norman with screenplay by R. C. Sherriff. The film stars Michael Redgrave, Sheila Sim and Alexander Knox.
Loot is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano starring Richard Attenborough, Lee Remick, Hywel Bennett, Milo O'Shea and Roy Holder. It is based on the play of the same name by Joe Orton. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.
Ski Troop Attack is a 1960 American war film directed by Roger Corman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff, Richard Sinatra, and Wally Campo. Filmgroup released the film as a double feature with Battle of Blood Island (1960).
The National Health is a 1973 British black comedy film directed by Jack Gold and starring Lynn Redgrave, Colin Blakely and Eleanor Bron. It is based on the 1969 play The National Health by Peter Nichols, in which the staff struggle to cope in a NHS hospital.
The Love Ban is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Hywel Bennett, Nanette Newman and Milo O'Shea. It was written by Kevin Laffan based on his 1969 play It's a 2'6" Above the Ground World. Laffan was one of 14 children from a devout Roman Catholic family and his critical view on the Church's stance on birth control was a recurring theme of his work.
Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers is a 1977 British film directed by Norman Cohen and starring Robin Askwith and Nigel Davenport. It is a sequel to The Virgin Soldiers (1969). The screenplay was written by Leslie Thomas based on his 1975 novel of the same name.
Invasion Quartet is a 1961 British World War II comedy-drama film directed by Jay Lewis and starring Bill Travers and Spike Milligan. It was publicised as a parody of The Guns of Navarone.
A Piece of Ribbon is a 1963 Australian television play filmed. It was based on an English TV play by Leslie Thomas that had already been performed by the BBC.