Some of them make it. And some of them don't.

They called them The Virgin Soldiers. But not for long.


This situation comedy finds rookie soldiers of the British Army trying to cope with military life while stationed in Malaya. Brigg (Hywel Bennett) is a young clerk who falls for the local school teacher Phillipa (Lynn Redgrave), the daughter of Royal Sergeant Major Raskin (Nigel Patrick). Brigg loses his virginal status in an encounter with the prostitute Juicy Lucy (Tsai Chin), while Phillipa also becomes sexually active for the first time. The film strikes a nice balance between comedy and serious drama as the soldiers are put to the test when a train wreck necessitates their involvement, and later several soldiers try to get sick leave by requesting circumcisions. Brigg and Phillipa finally get together when a bombing raid puts them in close proximity in this engaging military comedy. The Kinks' Ray Davies wrote the title track.


An amusing and, to some extent, insightful look at the lives of young British soldiers serving in Malaya. Their major concern, outweighing the threat of rebel revolt, is the pursuit of sexual conquests. Indeed, most of the young men are as naive about romance as they are about war. The film concentrates on the exploits of Bennett, a clerk with a fancy for Redgrave, a local schoolteacher and the daughter of regimental sergeant Major Patrick. Both Bennett and Redgrave have had no experience in the subtler aspects of romance, so their attempts at love result in rather embarrassing spectacles. Eventually, they do hit it off, the opportune moment coming during a raid. Though there are many characters here that could easily have become stereotypes, director Dexter avoids this trap and the result is genuine, heartfelt humor. STAND UP VIRGIN SOLDIERS (1977) was the sequel to this.

Release Date: February 5, 1970 @ the Cinema rendezvous


Distrib: Columbia Pictures