THE VIRGIN SOLDIERS

UK, 1969, 96 minutes, Colour.
Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett, Nigel Davenport, Nigel Patrick, Rachel Kempson, Jack Sheppard, Michael Gwynn, Roy Holder.
Directed by John Dexter.

The Virgin Soldiers is a story of young men doing their national service in Singapore and Malaya in 1950. It shows a group of ingenuous young men, away from home, confused, not sure about the waging of war in an Asian context. They are also preoccupied with their own personal problems and there is a focus, of course, on sexuality.

Hywel Bennett is the centre of attention as Private Brig. Lyn Redgrave is the romantic interest. Various veterans like Nigel Davenport and Nigel Patrick are the sergeant and the sergeant-major.

The film recreates the atmosphere of 1950, the war in the jungle. However, the film does not put an emphasis on action, rather focusing on the men themselves.

However, in retrospect, this was the era of Catch-22, of M*A*S*H, of How I Won the War, of Oh, What a Lovely War - which means then that there was a worldwide perspective somewhat critical of the war, especially the experience of Vietnam in the 1960s. The films often exaggerated, showed farcical aspects of war and soldiers' behaviour, cowardice becomes heroism. It is interesting in retrospect to look at these black comedies about war in the light of subsequent decades.

The film was written by John Hopkins, film and television writer of such films as Thunderball and Murder by Decree and the breakthrough television series of the mid-60s, Talking to a Stranger. The film was directed by John Dexter, better known as a theatre director, winner of two Emmys for Equus and M Butterfly. His few films include Pigeons and the transgender film I Want What I Want with Anne Heywood (1972).

There was a sequel of sorts in 1977, Stand Up, Virgin Soldier - it bore little relationship to the original and was more of a sex comedy vehicle for Robin Asquith, popular at the time in The Confession of ... series.

1. The tone of the title and its meaning? Inexperienced soldiers, the sexuality emphasis? The irony of the title for their experiences in Malaya?

2. What tone did the credit sequences give? The use of the Virgin Soldiers’ march, the sketches behind the credits, the cover? did this fit in with the rest of the film? What expectations did it raise for the audience?

3. How well did the film portray British and Malayan life in the fifties? The attitude of people towards war, Britain, morals in the fifties? Have these views changed appreciably? Where? Are such outpost situations still current?

4. How well portrayed was the Singapore background? The use of locations, jungle, military compounds, schools, brothels, the streets, trains? The outpost atmosphere, the military atmosphere and its repercussions on behaviour and emotions, the training situation? The attempts of making men out of boys?

5. What comments did the film make on the young Britons? As adolescents, beginning their jobs, two years out of their lives, changing and growing, their response to violence, to being alone, isolation from Britain, emotional question, sexuality?

6. How did the details of camp life emphasise these themes and portray the individuals? The initial waking up and the sergeant’s progress through the, dormitories? The different people waking up, their differing styles, the homosexual couple? How well portrayed were these types throughout the film or did they remain as types?

7. How attractive was the hero himself? His background as a clerk? His gentleness, style of life with the others, the quality of their talk, their dares at the brothels, his staying with the Malayan girl and nothing happening? His daring walk with Philippa? Her singling him out at the dance? HOW well portrayed as a character throughout the film? His response to life in Malaya, military, to finding the dead man’s blood, soaked documents, violence? Could the audience identify with him and the situations through him?

8. How Interesting a character was Phillipa? Was she credible? Her role as a teacher, relationship with her parents, the singleminded militariness of her father, the frivolity of her mother with the gold fish etc? her being taunted by them? Phillipa's off-handedness with the hero? During the talk? her using him at the dance? Later being rescued by him? Her staying on after the incidents? What future could she have?

9. The importance of sexuality in the film? The implications of the title of virginity, with the hero and Philippa? How successful was the interweaving of the losing of virginity for them both? Philippa and her use of the sergeant? The hero and his gentleness with the Malayan girl? Dramatic impact of these sequences?

10. How did the film use dance as a focus of life in Malaya? Drab, tawdry? The soldiers and the drink, arrival of the nurses, the forced jollity?

11. How did the film communicate its theme of morals for these men on the outposts? the role of the officers in organising morale?

12. How did the riot intrude on the military life? The lightheartedness of the sexual escapade and the trousers, contrasting with the barricade of men and the sudden killing?

13. How did the train ride bring the film to a climax? The drama and violence of the siege? The number of deaths?

14. The ironic comment on the coward - and the previous build up of his role in training, his endless stories, his contrast with the sergeant and the sergeant’s behaviour towards him?

15. What was the audience’s response to the new recruits arriving? How young they looked, seeing them through the eyes of the hero, the sergeant going back to train them?

16. How important is varied experience for life? The implications of the film here?

17. How well did the fimn explore its themes of war', violence, society, emotions, boredom etc.?