The hit prequel to the Emmy®-nominated series “Yellowstone,” “1883” follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey through the Great Plains. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land – Montana.

For previous thoughts on Yellowstone, check out my review here.

For thoughts on 1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/6zvRif1mMNg?t=3813]

Video Quality

1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment with a sumptuous AVC encoded 1080p transfer. The show has a weathered color palette that expertly captures the various natural wonders on display. There are some exciting moments of dazzling colors popping off the screen, especially when it comes to some bright dresses, the shades on display in the landscapes and the blue skies. Skin tones appear natural and textured across the entire cast with grime and deep age lines appearing on certain performers. The level of detail on display remains as stunning as ever, as all of the intricate aspects of the period costumes and production design are razor sharp. Black levels are very deep and provide a nice amount of detail in shadows. Bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. There are thankfully no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts creeping in here. This presentation is an obvious improvement from the streaming and broadcast versions of the show, which suffer slightly from being overly compressed. Paramount continues to offer up top notch work all around.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a nuanced Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track that presents this series without issue. Dialogue never fails to come through clearly without being overwhelmed by the score or any sound effects. The series’ music from Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian aids the tone of the series just as it does with the flagship series. This music is presented with flawless fidelity within the mix. Environmental sounds are plentiful throughout from the nature sounds to some of the bustling towns. Ambient sounds flesh out the mix as they are precisely placed in the surround channels. Action set pieces are not a constant, but when they do pop up they make one heck of an impact. Kinetic moments such as wartime fighting are given immense weight in the mix. The audio presentation here is 5-star on all levels. There are English SDH subtitles provided for those who desire them.

Special Features

Behind the Story: Every episode is given an accompanying in-depth featurette which amounts to over 1 hour and 15 minutes of material all together. Through these videos you get a closer look at certain characters, an analysis of plot developments, highlights from the episodes and more. These are fun additions that are worthwhile for fans.

- 1883 (3:27)

- Behind Us, A Cliff (5:06)

- River (5:37)

- The Crossing (5:42)

- The Fangs of Freedom (4:48)

- Boring The Devil (4:42)

- Lightning Yellow Hair (4:42)

- The Weep Of Surrender (4:42)

- Racing Clouds (5:47)

- This Is Not Your Heaven (6:17)

A Land Of Peril & Wonder – The Journey Of 1883: A 48-minute featurette which unveils the story of 1883 with a very in-depth look at the narrative of the series, the shooting locations, the costumes, the complex production elements including procuring a train and cattle, staging the Civil War scenes, the performances, famous faces and much more. This is surprisingly meaty and worth checking out as a supplement to the show.

From Cast To Cowboys – Creating The Pioneer Spirit: A 22-minute featurette which takes a look at the “cowboy camp” which was used to get actors comfortable on horses and to ensure that the performers made convincing period characters. There are so many elements that these performers have to train for that modern audiences are not likely to think about when they see them on screen.

1883 – The Road West: A 41-minute special which takes a look at all of the production elements that have to come together to make this show a reality. This covers much of the same ground as some of the previous featurette such as the scale of the project, the real history woven into the show, the craft work and more.

Inside 1883: A four-minute piece that examines the series in broad strokes including the characters, how it ties to Yellowstone, how it is presented like a novel, the passion put into crafting this series and more. .

Final Thoughts

1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story finds a new layer to offer the runaway hit Yellowstone by truly showing the origins of the dynasty. While it may not completely recontextualize the mothership series, it gives you something to reflect upon when considering the characters you have spent several seasons with up until this point. That being said, this story is one you can enjoy having never seen the main series. It offers family drama, dramatic stakes and even some thrilling action which offers some of the best of what you want from a western tale. This is not just a series made to milk the popularity of the network’s biggest hit; this is a show that stands tall on its own. Paramount Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray that offers a truly gorgeous A/V presentation and some surprisingly in-depth special features. If you are looking for a sprawling western tale, give this a chance. Recommended

1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.