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Hywel Bennett and Lynn Redgrave (Gods and Monsters) lead an ensemble cast in this comedy-drama about young British soldiers stationed in Singapore in 1950. Most of the men are fulfilling their mandatory national service, thankful that any real chance of life-threatening combat is unlikely. So unlikely, in fact, that their sequestering feels more like summer camp than military training. But when communist Malayans begin rioting against the British, the youths are confronted with a real life and death dilemma.
The Virgin Soldiers is an odd but interesting film that’s both a sex comedy and a war movie. The humor is dry in that distinctly British way, even when it veers into bawdy territory like a Porky’s or American Pie movie. Like those later sex comedies, the film centers around the loss of virginity, with Bennett and Redgrave both looking to pop their cherries. Bennett pursues Redgrave, but she’s reluctant to acquiesce. She takes the plunge after her father, one of Bennett’s sergeants, calls her a lesbian. But before she and Bennett consummate, they lose their virginities to other characters — another drill sergeant in her case, a high-spirited sex worker named ‘Juicy Lucy’ (Tsai Chin) in his.
Other sexual shenanigans include one soldier’s bout with venereal disease and a contingent of the men deciding to get circumcised because they mistakenly think they’ll receive leave-time for recovery. There’s also a curious gay couple in the barracks who hold hands and sleep together without any scorn or repercussions of any kind. It’s always interesting to see films about teenaged sexual obsession before the ’80s sex comedy worked out all the kinks. The humor lands better in some places than others, sometimes clashing with the film’s tone when the script, based on Leslie Thomas’ novel, takes a few serious detours.
While Redgrave gives a good performance, too much time is spent with her character when the heart of the film lies much more in the experience of the male soldiers. Hywel Bennett carries the film well, conveying a blend of fear, humility, and naivete that drive so many coming-of-age movie characters. Many of the other troops have their moments, but it would be nice if we got to know a few of them better. Nigel Davenport is memorable as the head sergeant who looks after the squad and Tsai Chin is a scene-stealer as the wild but endearing ‘Juicy Lucy’.
Directed by John Dexter. With Nigel Patrick, Michael Gwynn, and Rachel Kempson as Redgrave’s mother, a strange woman who’s more worried about her pet fish than her family when Bennet’s character tries to rescue them from the rioters.