Song View

Director David Lean wanted to show a clear sign of defiance in the film that would be understandable to British audiences, so he chose the “Colonel Bogey March,” which was very well known during World War II (“Hitler has only got one ball, Göring has two, but they are small. Göbbels has only bubbles ...”). Since the lyrics were too offensive and therefore at risk of being censored, production assistant Norman Spencer suggested that the soldiers should just whistle. This allusion was well understood by cinema audiences in 1957 and met with laughter. Norman Spencer himself confirmed the story in an interview on June 22, 1999.