The Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army.
The novel was turned into a film The Virgin Soldiers in 1969, directed by John Dexter, with a screenplay by the British screenwriter John Hopkins. It starred Hywel Bennett, Nigel Patrick and Lynn Redgrave. David Bowie cut his hair short to audition for a role, but can only be seen in a brief shot in the finished movie. A sequel, Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers, followed in 1977 with Nigel Davenport repeating his role as Sgt Driscoll.
Read more about The Virgin Soldiers: Plot Summary
Famous quotes containing the words virgin and/or soldiers:
“I am weaker than a woman’s tear,
Tamer than sleep, fonder than ignorance,
Less valiant than the virgin in the night,
And skilless as unpractised infancy.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“All men hesitate
Separately, always, seeing another year gone
Frockcoated gentleman, farmer at his gate,
Villein with mattock, soldiers on their shields,
All silent, watching the winter coming on.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)