Didja Notice?

French Intelligence sends Indy to Russia, where the Czar has recently been overthrown and the government of Alexander Kerensky is trying to establish democracy. Czar Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918) abdicated his throne on March 15, 1917 after the chaos of the February Revolution and having sat the throne for over 22 years. The lawyer and revolutionary Alexander Kerensky (1881-1970) was a member of the provisional government after this, but did not become Minister-Chairman of the short-lived Russian Republic until July of that year, so it's not quite accurate for Major Bragas to refer to the "government of Alexander Kerensky" at this point.

At 46:44 on the DVD, we see Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia (known as Petrograd at the time this episode takes place). Following it is a shot of the statue of Czar Nicholas I in St. Isaac's Square.

The French ambassador building in St. Petersburg seen at 47:58 on the DVD, which Indy works out of, is actually the Ministry of Culture building in Prague, Czech Republic.

Laurentine reads in a report that the agitators have been stirring up the Machine Gun Regiment again. This was both a real machine gun regiment of the Russian military of the time and also a rather violent revolutionary gang.

    Brossard remarks that he thinks the Bolsheviks are starting to make their move. The Bolsheviks were a radical Marxist faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, founded by Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Bogdanov. The Bolsheviks would go on to become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the October Revolution of 1917.

   Brossard then says that Lenin has promised to pull Russia out of the war if he comes to power. This is true, and Lenin did so in March 1918, signing its own treaty with the Central Powers.

Indy tells Brossard that he knows what kind of hell the trenches are, having been there himself. Indy served in the Somme trenches in "Trenches of Hell".

The Russian propaganda poster seen at 49:49 on the DVD says something about the "salvation of the motherland". The sign in the background of this shot seems to say something about alcohol and trade.

Indy warns his friend Sergei to stay away from the Tauride Palace that night because he might get picked up as a deserter. Tauride Palace is an actual palace in St. Petersburg. At the time of this episode's setting, it was in use as the home of the shared post-February Revolution government of the Russian Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

Indy tells Sergeii and Irina that he'll see them that night at the Bear Pit. This appears to be a fictitious bar in St. Petersburg at the time. A bear is often used as a personification of Russia.

The Russian sign seen at 51:02 on the DVD reads "Foreign Trade".

The French Ambassador to Russia seen here goes unnamed. At the time it was Joseph Noulens (1864-1944), who became ambassador sometime in June 1917.

Rosa returns a book by H.G. Wells she had borrowed to Indy (the novelization reveals the book is War and the Future, a book of war propaganda Wells had written in favor of defeating Germany). Indy remarks that he loved The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, but he's not crazy about the man's "one world government" politics. Dmitri adds a comment about other politically-motivated writers such as Bernard Shaw and Maxim Gorky. Wells (1866-1946) was a British writer of many genres and topics, including The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish playwright and political activist. Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) was a Russian writer and socialist. All three writers were socialist in their politics.

The main Russian leaflet Indy looks at at 56:11 on the DVD has a header reading "Whoever is for Kornilov is against the revolution." This refers to General Lavr Kornilov (1870-1918) of the Imperial Russian Army. He was an anti-Bolshevik and supporter of Kerensky's Provisional Government.

At 56:23 on the DVD, the French calendar Indy marks on is on the month of Juillet, "July". However, the dates on the calendar seen here do not match the correct days for July 1917.

Irina claims to Indy that she has to write an essay on Charles Dickens this night. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English author of a number of classic novels and stories in the Victorian era.

Rosa tells Indy that Mozart's concerto for clarinet is to be played at the conservatoire this evening. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian music composer during the Classical period.

The label slapped across the concerto poster at 59:43 on the DVD reads "Canceled" in Russian.

On the tour of Petrograd's bridges that Rosa takes Indy on, they cross the Hermitage Bridge over the Winter Canal, the Bank Bridge over the Griboedov Canal, and the Bridge of Four Lions over the Griboedov Canal. These are all actual bridges in St. Petersburg.

On the day Indy and Rosa tour the bridges, he tells her it's a perfect way to spend his birthday. That tells us the day is July 1. Indy turns 18 this day.

The novelization reveals that Lenin's speech takes place in the Keshinskiya Mansion, which was now the headquarters of the Bolsheviks. This was true for the time.

The large banner hanging above the Lenin stage reads something like "Arming the people internationally".

The printing plant that Indy breaks into is revealed to be the People's Printing Works in the novelization. This appears to be a fictitious plant of the time.

Indy and Brossard discuss the possible importance of the Putilov steel works to the revolutionaries. Putilov steel works was an actual industrial plant in St. Petersburg at the time and it is considered the birthplace of the February Revolution a few months earlier, beginning with a strike by the workers there.

In his report to the French ambassador and the assembled intelligence agents, Brossard says he believes the Bolshevik Revolution will start within the next 24 hours, partially due to regiments stationed in St. Petersburg who are refusing to go to the front against the Germans in the European war, such as the aforementioned Machine Gun Regiment and the Kronstadt sailors. Kronstadt is a port city that is part of the larger federal city of St. Petersburg.

During the meeting, the French ambassador refers to the First Secretary as Henri. In the novelization, he is called Andre.

At 1:20:42 on the DVD, we see that Brossard uses a Remington typewriter at his intelligence desk. This was an actual brand of typewriter of the times.

Stuck manning the intelligence phone desk, Indy receives a call that Bolshevik armored cars are at the intersection of Spelinaya and Nevsky Prospekt. As far as I can find, there is no street called Spelinaya in St. Petersburg. In the novelization, the intersection is Liteiny and Nevsky; this is an actual intersection in the city.

A female phone desk worker reports that Bolsheviks have blocked all the bridges over the Neva. The Neva is a major river that runs through St. Petersburg.

Brossard reports that Trotsky is addressing a giant crowd outside the Tauride Palace. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was a Russian Marxist who became a leader of the Bolsheviks along with Lenin at this time.

Indy receives a call that the Cossacks have decided to support the government over the Bolsheviks. Cossacks are members of various ethnic groups living in the Great Eurasian Steppe, mostly within the regions of modern day southern Russia and the Ukraine. Indy had a run-in with Cossacks during his earlier visit to Russia in "Swore and Peace".

The French ambassador remarks that the streets of St. Petersburg will run with blood, all of it Red. The color red has been associated with Russian culture for centuries and was also appropriated by the Bolsheviks to symbolize the blood of the workers.

According to the novelization, the song sung in Russian by the marchers is "The Internationale". This is a socialist anthem that was written in the late 1800s and translated into many languages.

The machine guns seen in use by the Cossacks on the rooftops appear to be mostly Russian Maxims.

At 1:28:56 on the DVD, the marchers move past a business called French Restaurant Albert in Russian.

At 1:29:07 on the DVD, a 1917 Ford Model TT truck is seen parked on the street as the marchers move past.

Notes from the novelization of this episode, Revolution! by Gavin Scott (The page numbers come from the 1st printing, July 1992)

Characters appearing in the novel not mentioned in the televised episode

1st Machine Gun Regiment gang member

2nd Machine Gun Regiment gang member

Nicolai Bogucharsky

garment factory workers

Ekaterina Suvarov

Uncle Pavel (mentioned only)

Didja Notice?

This novelization was written Gavin Scott, who also wrote the teleplay of the associated episode. 

Didja Notice?

Chapter 1 features a scene not in the televised episode, where Indy has a confrontation with some soldiers from the Machine Gun Regiment. It takes place outside the Pushkin Theater. This is an actual theater in St. Petersburg.

The novelization reveals that Brossard's first name is Pierre.

On pages 8-9, Indy reflects on joining the Belgian Army ("Love’s Sweet Song"), serving on the battlefields of Flanders and Verdun ("Trenches of Hell"), and traipsing through the Congo ("Trek of Doom" and "Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life").

On page 12, the information Indy sees on the crumpled up note Brossard throws at him is revealed to have come from a contact in the Preobrazensky Regiment. The Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment was an elite unit of the Imperial Russian Army.

The novelization reveals that Irina is a literature student at the university and from a middle-class family. Sergei is the son of poor factory workers who'd had to sleep on the factory floor because they didn't make enough money to pay rent. Rosa is a medical student and Dmitri had been studying to be a priest. Boris had been studying agricultural engineering. The university referred to would presumably be Saint Petersburg State University, founded in 1724 by Peter the Great.

On page 18, Sergei recalls how he first met Indy and Indy had regaled him with stories of his days with Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution. Indy met Villa in "Spring Break Adventure".

The Nicolai Bogucharsky Shirt and Blouse Factory on page 30 appears to be fictitious.

Bogucharsky refers to one of the women workers holed up in his clothing factory as Ekaterina Suvarov. However, in Russian speech, her last name would be Suvarovna to indicate she is female.

Rosa's description of St. Petersburg to Indy at the bottom of page 47 is exaggerated (trying to keep him interested enough to listen and keep him away from the apartments while his surprise party is being prepared).

Page 50 explains that at the end of Indy and Rosa's tour of the bridges of St. Petersburg at 9:30 p.m., the sun was still up, as the city was so far north that the sun hardly seemed to set in summer. This does not occur in the televised episode, where it is clearly dark when the pair finish their tour. It is true though that the city experiences nearly 24-hour days from mid-May to mid-July due to its high northern latitude.

Page 59 describes Lenin's brother, Alexander, who had been hanged at the age of 17 for attempting to assassinate the Czar when Lenin was just 12. Lenin's brother, Aleksandr Ulyanov (1866-1887), was a member of the terrorist faction of the Russian People's Will party. He attempted to assassinate Nicholas III in 1887. He was actually 21 when he was hanged that year, not 17.

Page 60 says that Lenin had arrived at Finland Station in St. Petersburg in April. This is an actual railway station in St. Petersburg.

Here in the novelization, it is Rosa's earlier tour of St. Petersburg's bridges that allows Indy to quickly escape the guards from the printing plant and make his way to the French embassy.

The novelization reveals that Sergei's last name is Aliev and Irina's full name is Irina Michailovna Bochareva.

Memorable Dialog

that kid had exactly 30 seconds to live.mp3

you know what my job was?.mp3

if they made you into a scarecrow.mp3

if the French ambassador knew.mp3

how long is it since we last saw vodka?.mp3

men are really stupid.mp3

you're a good desk man.mp3